Chanel Announces Total Ban Of Fur & Exotic Animal Skins In Their Designs
French fashion house Chanel has finally announced that they will no longer be making use of real animal furs and skins in their clothing and accessories.
As reported by CNN Style, the company made the decision based on their ethical standards accompanied by plenty of pressure applied on them by animal rights groups.
Along with furs, the internationally renowned brand will also be getting rid of the use of leather skins such as crocodile, snake, and lizard. A spokeswoman for the fashion house explained the reasoning behind this is that it is no longer possible to source these products in a way that meets Chanel’s ethical standards.
“At Chanel, we are continually reviewing our supply chains to ensure they meet our expectations of integrity and traceability. In this context, it is our experience that it is becoming increasingly difficult to source exotic skins which match our ethical standards.”
The spokeswoman added that “this decision provides an opportunity to create a new generation of high-end products.”
Animal rights group PETA has hailed the decision as a victory. The executive vice president for the organization, Tracy Reiman, shared that the “champagne corks are popping at PETA” following the announcement from Chanel.
Chanel bans fur and exotic animal skin from all its collections!
“It is our experience that it is becoming increasingly difficult to source exotic skins,” said Bruno Pavlovsky.
Chanel will work on developing new sustainable materials that have a low environmental impact. pic.twitter.com/mGZpkfthlB
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“For decades, PETA has called on the brand to opt for luxury, cruelty-free fashion that no animal had to suffer and die for, and now it’s time for other companies, like Louis Vuitton, to follow the lead of the iconic double C’s and do the same,” Reiman said.
Karl Lagerfeld has been the creative director at Chanel since 1983, 12 years after its founder, Coco Chanel, died. Before coming to Chanel, he worked at Fendi, where he introduced the use of mole, rabbit, and squirrel pelts into their designs.
But PETA firmly believes that advances in technology have resulted in no excuses left for companies to be using real animal fur in their clothing and accessories. Faux fur and vegan leather are these days so close to the real thing that there is no reason for animals to suffer for fashion.
Just last year, Gucci announced that it would be getting rid of all use of animal pelts and skins, and in 2016 Italian designer Giorgio Armani made a similar announcement, explaining at the time that the company was “reflecting our attention to the critical issues of protecting and caring for the environment and animals.”
Other fashion labels that have banned the use of furs and skins in recent years include Vivienne Westwood, Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney, and Ralph Lauren.
