Max Mara in the spotlight of the anti-fur association Four Paws

Fashion and luxury goods giant Max Mara, based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, has not clearly committed to eliminating leather goods from its production, but has instead “hid” them in the ins and outs of its website , according to the world animal protection organization. Four paws. The association is the official representative in Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, the United States and South Africa of the Fur Free Retailer program. The program is an initiative of the Fur Free Alliance (FFA), an international coalition active in more than 35 countries and bringing together more than 40 organizations working together to end the farming and slaughter of animals for their fur. Currently, 1,500 brands and retailers have signed up for the program.

After weeks of intense campaigning against fashion brand Max Mara to phase out fur, Four Paws now claims that the Italian group “has removed all fur items from its international website, while refusing to discuss the issue and is not publicly distancing itself from the practice or making any commitment to clarify plans to phase out furs from its catalogs.”

“More than 274,000 protest emails, 5,000 phone calls and countless social media posts cannot be hidden as easily as fur goods in an online store. Nor can Max Mara's responsibility for the millions of minks be hidden, murdered foxes and raccoons, which must die cruelly every year. For the sake of fashion, simply be allowed to be swept under the rug,” Thomas Pietsch, head of animal textiles at Four Paws, thundered in the note. “At a time when animal-free alternatives are so readily available and awareness of the industry's cruelty and its negative impact on animals and the climate is so evident, fur is simply obsolete. We will tirelessly continue all our efforts to advance Max Mara towards a future that is cared for and without fur.”

So far, Max Mara has not responded to FashionNetwork.com's requests for comment. A quick search on the search engines will show the leather products listed on the Max Mara website, but the links are no longer active.

Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler, Four Paws advocates for a world in which humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding, including pets, farm and wild animals, as well as stray dogs and cats. The organization has offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam, as well as “sanctuaries” for rescued animals in 11 countries. The organization notes that 20 European countries have already banned fur production due to animal cruelty and risks to the environment and public health. Israel, the US state of California and 14 US cities have also recently banned the sale of fur.

Four Paws highlights that this first step by the Italian brand comes after continued protests in the streets of European capitals and the online activities of all Fur Free Alliance (FFA) partners, and will continue to ask the company to continue the example. The statement concludes the example of many other major Italian fashion brands, such as Armani, Gucci and Versace, which have already abandoned fur.