Donatella Versace:"I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion."

Donatella Versace Says Versace Will Stop Using Fur in Designs

In an interview on Wednesday, Donatella Versace announced that she will no longer include fur in any of the designs for her brand, Versace.

"Fur? I am out of that," she told The Economist's 1843 magazine. "I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion. It doesn’t feel right." Versace has long been a symbol of excess, luxury, and glamour, and currently sells a $1,450 rabbit fur pillow on their website. Also, like many other brands who have sworn off fur, Versace continues to use leather for their clothing and accessories.

Versace follows in the footsteps of Gucci and Michael Kors who have both recently pledged to go fur-free. Furla, the Italian accessories company, also vowed on Wednesday to go fur-free starting with its cruise 2019 collection. In the past few decades, many other brands, including Tommy Hilfiger, the Net-A-Porter Group, Calvin Klein, and Donna Karan, to stop using fur.
When asked about rumors that Versace is searching for a new creative director, Donatella used it as an opportunity to explain how the brand is evolving. "Somebody came up to me recently and said, ‘there will be a huge crisis if you leave – it will be a fashion disaster!’ Can you believe that?" she says. "Yes, I am Versace. But also Versace needs to mean change. And it needs to be an opportunity for others to express themselves."
As the anti-fur movement grows, it seems as though large brands who continue to use it in their designs will be in the minority.