Fur is dead at Versace, according to Donatella. “Fur? I am out of that”, the designer said in an interview with The Economist’s 1843 magazine.
21 years after Donatella took the helm of Versace following the murder of her brother Gianni, the queen of Italian fashion has decided to make a surprising, but welcome, U-turn on the use of fur in their collections. She went on to tell 1843: “I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion. It doesn’t feel right.”
The announcement has yet to trickle down to Versace on a retail level however, as their website is currently still selling a mink fur collared coat, but there’s no denying that Donatella’s new anti-fur stance is a step in the right direction for the brand. A fur free Versace would follow in the footsteps of Gucci, Tom Ford, Burberry and Marc Jacobs who have pledged to go completely fur free in their collections. Indeed 94% of designers neglected to use fur during this year’s LFW, according to PETA. It looks like this could be, at last, the end of fur.
It also marks the beginning of a new, modernised Versace. In the same interview Donatella — who was honoured with the British Fashion Council’s Icon Award this year — talked about the possibility of introducing a new Creative Director to assist her. “I am Versace,” the queen says. “But also Versace needs to mean change. And it needs to be an opportunity for others to express themselves.”
But without hurting animals to do it, apparently. Hear, hear, Donatella.