After talks with PETA, Amsterdam Fashion Week has committed to going fur-free at this season’s event, which starts tonight, and at all of its fashion shows thereafter.
This move comes at a well-timed moment, after the Netherlands – which used to be the world’s fourth biggest fur producer – passed a historic ban on mink farming that will take effect in 2024 and the city of Amsterdam announced that it’s working towards being fur-free.
What’s Wrong With Fur?
Every year, over 100 million animals are killed for their fur. On fur farms, animals are confined to cramped wire cages, denied the opportunity to do anything that’s natural and important to them, and killed by electrocution, gassing, or poisoning.
In addition to being torture for animals, fur farming wreaks havoc on the planet by contributing to climate change, land devastation, pollution, and water contamination.
Animals are also caught in steel-jaw traps in their natural habitats and left to languish – sometimes for days – before succumbing to dehydration, starvation, disease, or attacks by predators or being bludgeoned to death by returning trappers.
Fashion Is Moving Forward
It’s clear that fur is headed for the history books, as the majority of today’s fashion designers – including Chanel, Gucci, Armani, Versace, Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood, and Stella McCartney – as well as outdoor clothing brands like Napapijri and The North Face have policies against using it in their collections.
High-end fashion events such as Oslo Fashion Week and Melbourne Fashion Week have banned fur from their catwalks, while faux-fur manufacturer Ecopel has announced plans to produce a new faux fur made from recycled plastic bottles in order to alleviate both animal suffering and the impending plastic-pollution crisis.
Many countries – including the UK, Austria, and Serbia – have outlawed fur farming.
via PETA.org
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