Gucci announced on Tuesday that it would be discontinuing items containing rabbit felt after it drew criticism from the industry, Business of Fashion reports. Industry officials say the use of rabbit felt goes against the company’s promise to stop using fur.
Several industry figures, including filmmaker and animal rights activist Rebecca Cappelli, have criticized the brand for using a women’s hat made of 100 percent rabbit felt in its New Year’s – the Year of the Rabbit – collection, the trade magazine writes. The campaign features models holding and petting rabbits in a colorful landscape.
“Exploiting rabbits in advertising and selling products that harm them is not the right way to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit,” Cappelli wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Gucci responded that rabbit felt is not technically fur as the animal’s skin was not used, reports BOF. This would be in line with their fur-free policy. Gucci went on to explain that the rabbit felt used was a “by-product of the European farm food chain”. Nevertheless, Gucci withdraws the article.
In 2017, Gucci announced it would no longer use fur and joined the Fur Free Alliance, a coalition of dozens of organizations fighting against animal cruelty in the apparel industry.
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.