Saint Laurent, the French luxury brand, will discontinue using fur in its collections beginning next year, its parent firm Kering announced Friday.
Kering said in a statement that another of its houses, Italian menswear label Brioni, will also discontinue the usage of natural fur, making the luxury conglomerate, which includes Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, and Bottega Veneta, entirely fur-free.
Francois-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering, stated that "becoming completely fur-free is the correct thing to do." We do it for the sake of ethics and modernity.”
Animal rights organizations have long lobbied for luxury firms to discontinue the usage of fur. Numerous Parisian fashion houses, like Stella McCartney and Chanel, have already abandoned it in previous years. Humane Society International applauded Friday's decision, saying it "puts pressure on the few remaining fashion businesses who continue to sell fur to follow suit."
Paris Fashion Week kicks off Monday and will feature both digital and physical ready-to-wear collections.
