After Gucci, there is a new addition to the fashion companies that have abandoned fur: Michael Kors and the recently acquired Jimmy Choo brand are changing their skin, going fur-free.
2017 is closing on a high note for animal rights activists and organisations such as the Fur Free Alliance, which have long fought against the mistreatment of animals in the production of fur. A few months after Gucci's announcement, another group in the fashion sector has reversed course, declaring that from 2018 it will no longer use any type of animal fur, opting instead for more innovative solutions: we are talking about Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo, the footwear brand recently acquired by the group, which join the now lengthy list of fashion houses that have embarked on a more ethical corporate path.
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After many years of protests, the American group linked to the eponymous designer Michael Kors has also joined the Fur Free Retailer Programme, the programme that connects companies that do not use fur with consumers in search of ethical products, providing them with all the names and information of fashion brands to buy from.
As the latest addition, the group has announced that its new corporate policy will come into effect gradually from next year, when, by the end of 2018, fur will disappear once and for all from Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo products.
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Michael Kors's decision was driven by the ever-growing number of consumers who, with alternative solutions now available to them, no longer wish to be complicit in the abuse of animals. President John D. Idol himself stated that "this decision marks a new chapter as our company continues to evolve in its use of innovative materials." The first results of the search for new techniques capable of replacing animal fur will already be showcased during the upcoming February 2018 shows which, according to a statement by the group's eponymous designer, will also be capable of creating an aesthetic luxury equal to that delivered by animal fur.