The tide is finally turning on animal cruelty in the fashion industry — and it couldn’t come a moment too soon. Following the likes of Chanel and Vivienne Westwood, Victoria Beckham has today become the latest luxury brand to embrace a more environmentally friendly future, announcing it will ban the use of exotic skins in their collections.
While Victoria Beckham has been anti-fur since its inception, the house explains that the decision to extend their ban to all exotic skins is part of a conscious move towards sustainability. Speaking to WWD, a Victoria Beckham spokesperson explained: “As a business, we have been looking to action the use of more ethically sourced products that have less environmental impact for some time. We are happy to confirm that we will cease using exotic skins in all future collections as of our main autumn/winter 19 ready-to-wear presentation. This decision reflects the wishes of not only the brand, but also that of our customers.”
The announcement comes just before the brand’s collection will be displayed as part of London Fashion Week and is the latest example of the industry becoming more sustainable and aware of the cruelty that goes into luxury fashion. Just last month Paris announced its plans to become the world’s capital of sustainable fashion by 2024.
PETA has welcomed the pivot to cruelty-free fashion, and is hoping the example set will extend to the industry en-masse. “Victoria Beckham’s decision to ban exotic skins will spare countless remarkable animals immense suffering,” the charity’s director, Elisa Allen, told WWD. “PETA calls on other luxury brands to follow her kind example.”
