Burberry Confirms It Is Reviewing Its Use Of Fur

Recent London Fashion Weeks have been notable for the presence of anti-fur protesters outside shows, with Burberry being a particular target for the group. Now, the British heritage brand has confirmed to the Sunday Times that it is reconsidering its use of fur in the future.

“On the limited occasions . . . fur has been considered important to design, we have insisted that it is sourced from authorised, regularly inspected suppliers operating to high ethical standards,” the fashion house said. “There wasn’t any real fur in Burberry’s September 2017 or February 2018 runway collections. We can confirm that we are currently reviewing our use of real fur.”

The move would see Burberry joining Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors, Donna Karan and Jimmy Choo, who have all gone fur-free in recent months, as well as designers with long-time fur bans, such as Hugo Boss, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger and Vivienne Westwood.

It’s a particularly poignant moment for Burberry to be making the move, as parliament will debate a UK-wide fur trade ban next month following a petition begun by Brian May, the #FurFreeBritain coalition and the Humane Society, which reached 425,834 signatures.

The Humane Society’s executive director Claire Bass credits soon-to-be royal wife Meghan Markle with the move, saying in a statement: “Burberry is famous for being a royal fashion favourite so Meghan Markle, who is well-known for disliking fur, joining the family is sure to have made the quintessentially British brand look twice at its fur policy. Ditching fur would be the perfect fit for this brand-Britain fashion powerhouse so we strongly urge Burberry to embrace the compassionate trend.”

This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR UK.

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