At the start of Fashion Week in Milan and ahead of the upcoming Fashion Week in Paris, the animal protection organizations Humane Society International and USA as well as the Fur Free Alliance, which together represent organizations in more than 35 countries, have joined forces. Their goal: to persuade the fashion group Max Mara Fashion Group to stop using fur in the future.
The group was chosen because it is one of the last major fur users, selling fox fur, raccoon fur and mink products sourced from China and Finland, respectively, in its more than 2,500 stores in 105 countries (including 227 in the EU).
Max Mara continues to stick with fur, while major fashion houses like Dolce & Gabbana, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Prada, Gucci, Versace, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and Jimmy Choo plus trailblazers like Hugo Boss, Armani, Tommy Hilfiger, Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood has long joined the fur-free movement.
Max Mara continues to stick with fur
“Max Mara is one of the last major fashion brands that still supports the cruel fur trade. You stand alone in a world where most people think that using fur is just wrong. The evidence is clear: fur is cruel to animals, bad for the environment and a risk to our health. It’s time for Max Mara to move away from fur and make a statement for compassionate fashion by going fur-free,” urged Elise Allart, corporate engagement director at Humane Society International/Europe, in a press release.
Around 10 million foxes, martens, minks and chinchillas are killed every year in EU fur farms, although these are already in 15 Member States (Belgium, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Austria , Slovakia and Slovenia) were banned.
Five other European countries — Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway, the UK, North Macedonia and Serbia — have also banned them, and Switzerland and Germany have passed strict animal welfare regulations that have effectively ended fur farming. Tens of millions of animals suffer and die in the global fur trade every year.
At the time of publication, Max Mara did not respond to a request from FashionUnited for comment.