In the name of animal welfare, Elle magazine has banned all use of fur in both editorial and advertorial content.
“Fur appears to be outdated and not fashionable anymore,” Elle’s senior vice president and international director Valeria Bessolo Llopiz said Thursday at a fashion conference in England, Reuters reported.
The move is done significantly for “the Gen Z, who is the golden target of fashion and luxury industry and who have a huge awareness and expectations and sustainability and animal protection,” Llopiz went on. “In fact, Gen Z wants, wants fashion to be responsible, ethical and innovative, and that’s what’s happening.”
The change means a “fur-free future” for all printed and online pages of the magazine, which has 45 global editions, Llopiz clarified. Thirteen editions have now signed a charter banning fur promotion from its advertisements, editorial and social media content. Twenty others will do so beginning Jan. 1 and the remaining will be by Jan. 1, 2023.
Elle owner Lagardère Group worked with the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International and Creatives4Change in writing the charter.
“It’s a really great opportunity to increase awareness for animal welfare, bolster the demand for sustainable and innovative alternatives and foster a more humane fashion industry,” Llopiz told Reuters of the move at the annual Business of Fashion’s Voices 2021 conference. “We do hope it will open the path to other media to do the same.”
The move by Elle follows fur bans by a number of fashion houses and retailers, including luxury group Kering, which made the move in September, four years after its label Gucci.
Other fashion houses under the label including Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Brioni and Saint Laurent had already gradually phased fur out ahead of the company-wide ban this fall.
Also in September, Oscar de la Renta agreed to go fur-free for Billie Eilish, who demanded the stipulation in order to wear the designer’s dress to the MET Gala.