In 2018, a ground-breaking move shook the fashion industry: iconic Italian fashion brand Gucci, whose whimsical, seventies-inspired take on nerdy chic had taken over fashion pages since the arrival of creative director Alessandro Michele, announced that it was going fur-free, starting with its Spring/Summer 2018 collection. The brand’s CEO, Marco Bizzarri, said at the time that wearing animal fur was no longer modern: “It’s a little bit outdated. Creativity can jump in many different directions instead of using furs.”
Gucci’s power move inspired virtually all of the other biggest names in fashion to follow in their footsteps: shortly after their announcement, brands including Burberry, Chanel, Michael Kors, Versace, Diane von Furstenberg, Jean Paul Gaultier and, most recently, Prada all vowed to ban animal fur from their collections. In just a few short seasons, animal fur seemed to have disappeared from the international catwalks entirely.