Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen adhere to the "fur-free" policy

The topic of the day is: fur, better known as the quintessence of luxury, the broadest representation of pomp. Not always accessible for its generous value and not wearable by anyone for its important fit, it is perhaps the garment that best defines a status. A real object of desire for women and not only … but also men; she knows how to be elitist and selective, a bit like fashion. That same fashion that, however, a difference in fur, today more than ever adapts to the current market logic, mobilizing itself in front of the most sensitive issues, to the point of giving up its thick hair, or in this case losing its fur.

On the other hand, if society changes, fashion can only respond to and support this revolution. Because we are talking about revolution! For all those consumers, millennials and generation Z in particular, the use of fur is nothing more than a completely avoidable form of cruelty, a useless sacrifice. Faced with this awareness, there are now many brands (Prada, Chanel, Versace, Burberry, Gucci, Bottega Veneta …) directed towards a more responsible approach. To join the chorus, two other famous brands of the Kering group. Through a statement published by the multinational on March 25, and later shared by The Human Society (the group for the defense of animal rights), also Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen also join the “fur-free” cause.

An official news that if on the one hand we share, on the other it does not leave us particularly surprised. We mend you in fact that Balenciaga does not resort to the use of fur from the very first moment in which the new creative director Demna Gvsalia took over; the same designer who is extremely attentive to environmental issues to organize a fashion show under water in 2020/21 to denounce climate change. Likewise Alexander McQueen who has long been presenting collections with recycled materials.

With this choice, therefore, the two brands reaffirmed their position completely in favor of a cruelty-free approach, unlike Saint Laurent and Brioni, the only two brands that would miss the appeal of the Kering group on this issue.

Important issues such as these do not always obtain unanimous consensus, because there are many points of view. Let’s face it: being in favor of animal rights does not mean leading a sustainable life (the same ecological furs contain a high percentage of acrylic and polyester which is harmful to the environment), nor does using the fur stored in the grandmother’s closet does not mean be bad people. What we want to tell you is that, once again, fashion shows how it can change its habits without losing its aura of desirability.

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Irene Larussa

Irene è diplomata in fashion styling presso l'Istituto Marangoni. Di origini calabresi, vive attualmente a Milano. E' alla costante ricerca di stimoli nuovi da cui trarre ispirazione per alimentare le sue più grandi passioni: styling, grafica e scrittura. Il suo sogno è infatti lavorare nella redazione di un fashion magazine.