Burberry drops fur and burning stock

ONE of the most anticipated moments of London Fashion Week, which begins next Friday, will be former Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci’s debut show for Burberry.

Though few clues have been offered about the new direction for Britain’s biggest luxury fashion house, one thing is now for sure – no fur will feature in the collection.

In a move that takes London Fashion Week a step closer to becoming fur-free, Marco Gobbetti, the company’s chief executive, confirmed yesterday that there would be no fur in Tisci’s designs and that all existing real fur products would be phased out.

Gobbetti also committed to ending the destruction of unsold products. “Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible,” he commented.

“This belief is core to us at Burberry and key to our long-term success. We are committed to applying the same creativity to all parts of Burberry as we do to our products.”

Mimi Bekhechi, PETA’S director of international programmes, greeted the announcement with delight, saying that “cartwheels are happening at PETA HQ … after more than a decade of campaigns against Burberry’s use of fur.”

In July, it was revealed that the fashion house has burned more than £90 million-worth of clothing, accessories and perfumes over the past five years in an attempt to maintain a sense of exclusivity.

Although the company defended the decision at the time, yesterday’s move signals recognition of an increasing demand from luxury consumers for the fashion industry to adopt sustainable policies.

Armani, Versace and Ralph Lauren are among the other labels to end their use of fur.