L.A. Going Fur-Free
Los Angeles is now the largest city in the U.S. to be taking steps to ban of the sale of fur.
The effort was led by City Council members Paul Koretz, Bob Blumenfield, and Mitch O'Farrell. The decision was made in an unanimous vote Tuesday by the Los Angeles City Council and is now pending the legalization by Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, according to a spokeswoman in Koretz's office.
There is no specific timetable at this point, a spokesman in Feuer's office said Tuesday.
In a statement, Koretz said,
“We are excited to bring to end a cruel and inhumane practice. LA has been a leader on humane issues and this is a great next step in that arena. We appreciate council member Bob Blumenfield and Marc Ching and his Animal Hope & Wellness organization, for their leadership on this issue. We think we've also been as reasonable as possible by accommodating the fur industry allowing the fur retailers to phase out their inventory. We are delighted by those in the fashion industry that are getting out in front of this including Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace, Gucci and Burberry that have made commitments to remove fur from their line of products. We hope that by being the largest City in the U.S. to ban fur that we help set a tone for the rest of the country to join in.”
Earlier this year, San Francisco also banned the sale of fur, and other California cities including West Hollywood and Berkeley have done the same.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals touted the win and posted images of supporters holding signs reading “#Fur Free LA” and “Fur Is Dead” outside Los Angeles City Hall on its Instagram. Actress Alicia Silverstone chimed in, as did Mena Suvari.
PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman said via e-mail, “PETA is popping the Champagne corks today after the Los Angeles City Council — led by Council Members Paul Koretz, Bob Blumenfield and Mitch O'Farrell — voted to ban the manufacturing and sale of fur, thereby sparing countless animals the horror of being beaten, electrocuted, and skinned alive for environmentally toxic products that kind shoppers don't want and top designers won't use. When Los Angeles speaks, the world listens, and it's now the largest and most notable city to tell the world that fur is dead.”
Kitty Block, acting chief executive officer and president of the Humane Society of the United States said, “As consumers have become more aware of the cruelty behind the fur trade, more and more Americans and people around the world are embracing alternatives. The fur trade kills more than 100 million animals each year, and it does so in the most egregious ways.”
Tuesday's win in Los Angeles was the latest advancement for animal rights activists who have been making inroads with fashion designers to stop using fur in recent months. Gucci, Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo have pledged to stop using fur in their collections. More recently, Burberry decided to stop using real fur starting with Riccardo Tisci's first collection and end its practice of destroying unsalable products with immediate effect.
Earlier this month the Prada Group became the target of an international social media campaign, calling for the company to go fur-free. Prada is open to having a dialogue with animal activists associations and is trying to set up meetings with them in the coming weeks, a company spokeswoman said.
— ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
From The Rooftops
British Prime Minister Theresa May took a break from Brexit talks, and the political dramas enveloping Britain, to give a boost to the fashion crowd and urge them to market their assets to the world.
“Get the message out there of the British fashion industry, of the people behind the scenes, of the billions of pounds in revenue and how valuable fashion is to the economy,” said May, adding that Britain needed to be an “open, outward-facing country outside the E.U.”
During a reception at 10 Downing Street early Tuesday evening, May said the country's talents had to be nurtured and supported like never before and that London remained a thriving, diverse city. “I am delighted to hear that Chanel, the grande dame of fashion, is moving its corporate headquarters here,” she said.
She also said her government was proud to support the exceptional talent visa program and innovation and tech growth, and reiterated that the U.K. government plans to invest 150 million pounds in Britain's creative industries.
Guests included Erdem Moralioglu, Christopher Kane, Tammy Kane, Alice Temperley, Samantha Cameron, Rupert Sanderson, Molly Goddard, Frederick Lukoff, Pierre Denis, Thierry Andretta and Simon Burstein.
The British Fashion Council scored a few international wins this season, partnering with VIP.com on a fashion show of Chinese designers in London and live-streaming the show back home in China. The BFC is currently getting WeChat training and looking to take British designers to China soon as part of the partnership.
On Tuesday, JD.com Inc., China's largest retailer, revealed it will continue to support the BFC/ Vogue Designer Fashion Fund into 2019, extending a partnership that started in September 2017.
— SAMANTHA CONTI
Action
Love Magazine took over Loulou's, the nightclub underneath private members club 5 Hertford Street, to celebrate its 10th anniversary, the theme of which came as a surprise to editor in chief Katie Grand.
“I have to admit, I was very tired and I read the e-mail incorrectly and I thought it was a Hollywood theme, she told WWD. “I thought, ‘Oh, my God, amazing! We should do a costume theme for the first time ever.' Then I arrived tonight — and it was Bollywood — and realized my mistake. But I was always going to wear some sort of black dress.”
The exotic theme, titled “Happily Devi After” was cooked up by Immersive Cult, a London-based production company founded by Garrett Moore and Francesco Pastori (of Secret Cinema renown), who designed the Tokyo Dreams party that Miu Miu and Love Magazine threw in September 2015 during London Fashion Week. For this extravaganza, supported by Chanel, they transformed the nightclub into a Bollywood film studio, working with choreographers, scenic teams, actors and dancers from Bollywood on the live performances staged throughout the night. One scene, involving an exquisitely made-up girl in lavish sari silks, was set on an opulently draped four-poster bed that later became a magnet for selfie-takers.
Before the party, guests including Abbey Clancey, Adwoa Aboah, Edie Campbell and Lily Allen sat down to a dinner provided by Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Gymkhana.
“We've all got an inner Bollywood star, right?” said creative event designer Fiona Leahy, who counts Louis Vuitton and Aerin Lauder in her stable of clients. “We all want to wear too much glitter, huge earrings and a bindi. Or maybe I'm just high on curry.”
“I have been thinking a lot about India, actually,” Charles Jeffrey told WWD. “I did an interview and shoot with Andrew Logan, the artist and jewelry designer, for the cover of Buffalo Zine and we got into a discussion about India and color. He goes [to India] every single year and gets all his clothes made there; Comme des Garçons did a collection based on his wardrobe, actually. And he was telling me how, in India, the way that they treat the dyeing process and color is so human. He said I just have to go and see it. There's a certain kind of neon that you can only get there. I'd love to go just to see the colors.”
Dree Hemingway was sporting a certain type of neon herself, on her head. The actress recently shaved her head into a full buzz cut for a role in indie film “Run with the Hunted,” and, in a fortuitous alignment with the night's theme, had sprayed it bright pink.
“I play a character called Peaches, and when I first read the script I thought she was really evil but then I delved into why somebody makes the choices that they do. She was abandoned by her family and everybody she cared for. The last day of the shoot, I felt really emotional to leave this person who had so much heartbreak in her life,” said Hemingway, who had nothing but praise for her costar Michael Pitt. “He has a gift. He is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever worked with, in terms of how he dissects a character and works with devotion to what he's doing. I have done acting school but the most I have ever learned has been in the moment on set and from people like him who come from different backgrounds and have experienced different directors.”
As guests includingRose McGowan, Nicholas Kirkwood, Jack Whitehall and Ellie Bamber, Brooklyn Beckham, Christopher Kane, Jonathan Saunders (who has resumed his first love of furniture and taken up the lathe again since leaving DVF), Dave Gardner and Liv Tyler, David Furnish, David Sims and Luella Bartley, Paloma Faith and Michael Halpern celebrated in pavilioned nooks or on the dance floor surrounded by flashing neon Ganeshas, Grand recalled her highlight of the last 10 years.
“The biggest highlight of the last 10 years would probably still have to be Issue One,” she said. “The time that Beth Ditto, with electric-orange, carrot hair came down the corridor at the Chateau Marmont and I looked at her and I thought, ‘You are the cover of my first Condé Nast magazine,' and I knew it was right and I knew it was timely and I knew it was a time for magazines to change.” — JULIA NEEL