Copenhagen Fashion Week, which takes place this week in the capital of Denmark, announced that it would go fur-free for the first time in its history. The move follows other famous fashion weeks like Oslo, Amsterdam, and Helsinki, which have already banned fur.
“The momentum with banning fur farming and in particular as a practice in fashion is at a historic moment and a major turning point,” Thomas Pietsch, Head of Wild Animals in Entertainment and Textiles at animal welfare organization Four Paws, said.
“What we are witnessing is consumers saying en masse that they want the brands they buy from to be in favour of animal welfare,” Pietsch added.
Pietsch said that the Paris and Milan fashion weeks have not yet decided if they want to go fur-free, which he called “wholly unacceptable. Both events must immediately decide to join the majority of the European shows in banning this promotion of this inhumane and unsustainable practice.”
Over the past year, Dolce&Gabbanna, Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, Moncler and other major fashion brands have announced they would stop selling fur.
Most fur used for fashion comes from farms in China and Europe, where mink, chinchillas, foxes, racoon dogs, and other animals are kept in tiny cages and killed before they’re one year old.
