BFC announces ban on wild animal skins for London Fashion Week (#1683159)

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced that London Fashion Week's fur-free policy has officially been expanded to include a ban on wild animal fur from next year.

BFC deputy director of policy and engagement David Leigh-Pemberton shared the news of the new policy in a speech to Parliament.

This makes London the first of the big four fashion weeks to take that step, meaning skins such as snake and crocodile will no longer be permitted. But it is not the first major fashion week to impose a ban. Copenhagen got there before him, implementing a ban in March, and that event has increasingly focused on ethical and ecological strategies in recent seasons.

London Fashion Week's organizing body introduced a fur ban last year, and while many of the smaller independent brands showing at LFW are less likely to use exotic furs, it's still a major development. the headlines. And given the tendency of some big names to vary the city in which they show from season to season, some ultra-luxury brands could be affected if they choose to show in London.

The issue of exotic skins seems to have divided the luxury sector. Despite general agreement that fur has gone out of fashion and that most companies no longer use it, some companies such as LVMH, Kering, Prada, Hermès and Kering still use this type of fur.

While it has been claimed that the use of skins from invasive species such as the Burmese python can be good for the environment in countries where it is not native, many objections have been based both on the methods used to kill the animals with groups such as Peta . highlighting these.

Collective Fashion Justice and World Animal Protection have also campaigned against the use of wild animal skins and in a joint statement said they “welcome the BFC's strengthened policy, which they have campaigned for and co-written with the BFC.”

Emma Hakansson, founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, said: “We also know there is more to do, continuing the conversation about feathers towards what we hope will be a completely wildlife-free policy.

“For decades, brands have banned fur, expressing their opposition to killing animals specifically for fashion. This is exactly what happens to crocodiles, snakes, ostriches and other wild animals skinned and plucked for fashion, making the ban on these skins and feathers consistent with an existing and widely agreed upon ethical premise.

“The push for wildlife protection in fashion is growing, as organizations have helped implement completely wildlife-free policies at Copenhagen, Berlin and Melbourne Fashion Week.”