Burberry, a high-fashion house based in London, England, announced that they will no longer be including fur pieces in their collections. The brand’s decision came after a number of other high-end brands decided to omit fur, such as Michael Kors, Gucci, Net-a-Porter, and vegan brand Stella McCartney.
Marco Gobbetti, the CEO of Burberry, said in an interview with The Business of Fashion that the fashion house has chosen to stop working with rabbit, fox, mink, Asiatic raccoon fur, and angora. However, shearling and leather will continue to be approved materials. According to Marco, Burberry made the decision in an effort to be “socially and environmentally responsible.”
Additionally, Burberry has promised to stop the practice of burning unsold goods immediately. An earnings report in July revealed that the fashion house burned over 33 million dollars’ worth of accessories and perfume last year to prevent the products from being stolen or sold cheaply. Burberry received a wave of angry backlash from environmental campaigners, who cited the process as a waste of natural resources after the report was released. Before making the recent choice to end the process entirely, Burberry assured the public that the energy generated from burning their products was captured, making it environmentally friendly.
Burberry’s cruelty-free and environmentally-conscious changes were announced just after the brand appointed a new creative director, Riccardo Tisci. Tisci, who recently released a new logo and monogram for Burberry via Instagram, described his new position as a “new era” for the brand. Tisci’s first collection will debut during London Fashion Week on September 17th.
The Humane Society released a statement after Burberry declared the changes, appreciating the British fashion house’s efforts. “We are delighted that this iconic British fashion giant is finally going fur-free,” the statement read.
In the past year, Burberry also started a partnership with sustainable luxury company Elvis & Kresse. The collaboration will see 120 tonnes of leather off-cuts used to create new products over the next five years. The brand also established the Burberry Material Futures Research Group with the Royal College of Art, which will invent new sustainable materials.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation has speculated that these environmental changes are very necessary for fashion houses if they want to stay relevant in the business of modern luxury. Amidst all the brands who are moving towards being cruelty-free in response to public opinion, the ones that refuse to change are now sticking out like sore thumbs.
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