The list of fashion houses deciding to abandon animal fur continues to grow. Following Michael Kors, Prada, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga, to name only the most recent, Valentino is also going fur-free. And it will do so from 2022. The announcement comes from the maison itself, founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, which also explains that its intention is to focus its energies on a single label — the main one, Valentino. The plan therefore includes bringing the production and commercialisation of Red Valentino to a close at the end of 2023 with the autumn/winter 2023–24 season.

What Valentino's statement says about abandoning fur

The maison led by Jacopo Venturini announced on Tuesday evening, 18 May, the two new steps in its competitive repositioning. Valentino will become fur-free from 2022 and, as a result, the fur company Valentino Polar, headquartered in Milan and owned by Valentino since 2018, will cease production at the end of 2021. The last collection to include fur will therefore be fall/winter 2021–22. The brand also reveals that it is already searching for and evaluating other materials that could replace animal fur, with a view to greater attention to sustainability and animal rights.

Vanessa Friedman @VVFriedman

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Now Valentino is going fur-free, starting with its spring 2022 collection.

♥ 245💬 2 18 mag 2021 · Apri su X →

By focusing solely on the main label, the younger line Red Valentino — which includes clothing and accessories — will also be closed: activities related to the line's business will be suspended from 2024. Given the major changes planned for the coming years, the company announces that it has already begun the process with the social partners to jointly evaluate all options aimed at minimising the impact of the organisational changes.

In the now lengthy list of brands that have chosen to protect animal rights, alongside the already mentioned Michael Kors, Prada, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen, are also Armani, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Dkny and Burberry. Among those who have banned the use of fur for the longest time is Bottega Veneta, owned by Kering, which made this decision nearly two decades ago. From 2018, fur also disappeared from Gucci's collections, following the brand's decision to join the Fur free alliance, an international coalition of more than 50 organisations fighting for this cause. The message is therefore clear: yes to fur, as long as it is strictly "fake". Because sustainable alternatives that are not made on animals' skins can be at once elegant and cruelty-free.

The words of chief executive Jacopo Venturini

"For us, maison de couture means creativity, uniqueness, intimacy and an inclusive mindset," explains chief executive Jacopo Venturini. "The fur-free concept is perfectly aligned with our company's values. We are moving quickly in the search for different materials and towards greater environmental awareness in the collections of the coming years." The move comes as proof that consumer interest is increasingly turning towards sustainability-related issues: public opinion is moving away from fur and embracing alternative solutions that look to innovative materials with a low environmental impact.

"The aesthetic vision of our creative director, combined with the artisanal spirit of the craftsmanship and the excellence in execution, harmonises perfectly with new technologies and future goals. The inputs to which customers — or our Friends of the house — are exposed on a daily basis are enormous. In such a scenario, concentrating messages on one and only one brand will be able to support more organic growth for the maison." While we wait to discover what the "new" Valentino will look like, the hope is that this gesture may serve as an example for all those companies that have not yet announced fur-free policies. Among the major brands in François-Henri Pinault's French group, only two are still missing: Brioni and Saint-Laurent.