Valentino joins the fashion houses that abandon animal fur

With a view to redefining its competitive positioning, Valentino will be fur-free from 2022 and is looking for more sustainable alternative materials.

The list of fashion houses that decide to abandon them is growing animal fur.After Michael Kors, Prada, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga, to mention only the most recent, Valentino also becomes fur-free.And he will make it go from 2022.This was announced by the maison itself, founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, who also explains that the intentions include the desire to focus on the energies on a single label, the main one, namely Valentino.The project therefore plans to conclude the production and marketing of Red Valentino at the end of 2023 with autumn/winter 2023-24.

What Valentino's note says about abandoning furs

The fashion house led by Jacopo Venturini announced on Tuesday evening, 18 May, the two new additions to its brand competitive repositioning.Valentino will become fur-free starting from 2022 and consequently the fur company Valentino Polar, which is based in Milan and has been owned by Valentino since 2018, will conclude productivity at the end of 2021.The last collection to include fur will therefore be the fall/winter 2021-22.The brand also makes it known that it is already looking for and evaluating other materials that can replace animal hair, with a view to greater attention to sustainability and i animal rights.

Focusing only on the main brand, the young Red Valentino line will then be closed, which includes clothing and accessories:activities related to the line business will be suspended starting from 2024.Given the major changes planned for the next few years, the company announces that it has already started the process with the social partners to jointly evaluate all options aimed at minimizing the impact of organizational changes.

In the now long list of brands that have chosen the protection of animal rights, in addition to the aforementioned Michael Kors, Prada, Balenciaga and Alexander McQeen, there are also Armani, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Dkny and Burberry.But among those who have banned the use of fur for the longest time is Bottega Veneta, owned by Kering, which made this decision almost two decades ago.Since 2018 they are then also disappeared from Gucci collections who joined the Fur free alliance, an international coalition of more than 50 organizations fighting for this.The message is therefore clear:yes to furs as long as they are strictly "fake”.Because the sustainable alternatives that are not made on animal skin can be both elegant and cruelty-free.

The words of the CEO Jacopo Venturini

“For us, Maison de couture means creativity, uniqueness, intimacy and an inclusive mindset – explains the CEO Jacopo Venturini –.The concept fur-free it is perfectly aligned with the values ​​of our company.We are advancing rapidly in the research of different materials and with a view to greater attention to the environment for the collections of the coming years".The turning point comes as proof of the fact that consumer interest is increasingly directed towards issues related to sustainability:public opinion is moving away from fur to embrace alternative solutions that look to innovative materials with low environmental impact.

“The aesthetic vision of our creative director, combined with the artisanal spirit of the workmanship and the excellence in execution, harmonises perfectly with new technologies and future objectives.The inputs to which customers, or our Friends of the house, are exposed on a daily basis are many.In such a scenario, the concentration of messages on one and only one brand will be able to support a more organic growth of the maison".While waiting to find out what the "new" Valentino will look like, the hope is that this gesture can be an example for all those companies that have not yet announced any fur-free policies.Among the big names of François-Henri Pinault's French group, only two brands are missing: Brioni And Saint Laurent.