Fur-free designers rule the ramp at London Fashion Week

The event, which starts on September 14, will be completely fur-free for the first time in its 35-year history

Fur-clad models on the Burberry autumn/winter 2017 runway at London Fashion Week in February 2017. The brand has since announced it will stop using animal fur. AFP

Representing the epitome of high British fashion, Burberry declared on September 6 that it would abolish the use of animal fur in all future collections. The house joins the likes of long-time ethical labels such as Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood, brands that have recently denounced fur, such as Gucci and Versace, as well as every single designer participating at London Fashion Week this year: from Anya Hindmarch, Aspinal of London and Erdem, to Peter Pilotto, Roksanda and Victoria Beckham.

As none of the brands have even a hint of fur in their spring/summer 2019 collections - a deliberate decision, according to a survey carried out by the British Fashion Council - London Fashion Week has been declared a bona fide fur-free event, a first among the major fashion weeks.

The decision seems to have stemmed from protests by animal-rights activists and increasingly ethical consumers alike; the number of anti-fur protesters at the London event rose from 25 in 2016 to 250 in 2017.

The BFC survey was introduced to make designers more aware of issues such as sustainability, community well-being, equality and craftsmanship. The anti-fur outcome demonstrates that key fashion players are now keen to make the right choices, if only one step at a time, even earning a rare tweet of praise from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta).

But it remains to be seen if all these designers seek out fur alternatives even when their autumn/winter collections come around, but here's hoping.

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