Sustainable trends have been roaming the new era of fashion with veganism being at the forefront. Luxury brands and mainstream designers such as Tommy Hilfiger, Stella McCartney, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Michael Kors, Gucci, Macy’s and the Neiman Marcus Group have taken initiative in going fur-free. As major brands are going fur-free, others are slowly making the change with the expectancy of going fully sustainably vegan by 2024.
For years in the fashion era, designers were marketing their products as “leather” or “faux fur” to customers––rather than labeling them with the adequate animal skin that was being used. Fur was a staple in fashion trends that brands and designers embraced in their pieces. With animal rights organizations grappling against fast fashion, brands began to publicly join the movement in early 2018. As technology began to grow, alternatives for fur began to rise.
California was the first state in the country to ban the usage of animal fur. The topic of staying warm at the cost of an animal’s life rose through other states and the movement began to rapidly increase. Cruelty-free fashion shows began to take place across the country as a statement. As well as protests on animal cruelty ran the streets for weeks.
Donatella Versace publicly announced that they would not be using fur and explained their broader plan in their fashion line. Versace shares “Fur? I am out of that. I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion.”
As New York Fashion Week 2022 approaches, the new wave of fashion statements are using bio-based, recycled faux, recycled denim, mango leather, cactus leather, hemp blends and others as alternatives to fur. With these changes being implemented, garments have showcased creative alternatives with eye-opening results on the runway. The fall/winter 2022 fashion lines show nothing but astonishing looks for every individual to enjoy all while encompassing the importance of sustainability and vegan fashion.