Prada, one of the world’s biggest and most iconic fashion houses, has gone fur-free. The Prada Group, which is also the parent company of brands including Miu Miu, Church’s and Car Shoe, today announced it will ban all animal fur products starting with its Spring Summer 2020 women’s collection.

This historic announcement follows discussions between the Prada Group, the Humane Society of the United States and the Italian animal welfare group LAV, and it adds further impetus to an already burgeoning movement toward fur-free in the world of high fashion. Prada joins other high-fashion brands like Gucci, Versace, Armani, Chanel, Michael Kors, Burberry and Coach, all companies that have abandoned fur in recent years.

Making the announcement, Miuccia Prada, co-chief executive officer and creative director of the Prada Group, said that her company is “committed to innovation and social responsibility, and our fur-free policy … is an extension of that engagement.” Prada also announced that its focus on innovative materials would allow the company to explore new boundaries of creative design while meeting the demand for ethical products.

Today’s announcement follows a campaign that began last fall, spearheaded by the HSUS and members of the Fur Free Alliance (a coalition of more than 50 organizations from over 30 countries). As part of that campaign, thousands of you called, emailed and posted on social media asking Prada to ditch fur. It was after hearing your voices -- the voices of consumers -- that the Prada Group began working in private with the HSUS on its transition to fur-free.

The growing consumer demand for fur-free has also propelled other changes, and increasingly we see legislators around the country moving to ban fur production, imports and sales. Here, in the United States, California last December introduced Assembly Bill 44 to ban the sale and manufacture of new fur products statewide. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley and West Hollywood have already banned fur sales in their cities and bans have also been proposed in both New York State and New York City.

The shift away from fur is driving the movement toward fur alternatives, and increasingly manufacturers are coming up with eco-friendly options. For instance, faux fur is now being made from recycled plastic bottles or new biodegradable materials. This material has the same warmth, look and feel as fur but without its terrible cruelty or negative environmental impact.

There is no reason for wild animals to spend their entire lives in wire-bottom cages or held in traps for days without food or water only to die by gassing, electrocution or suffocation, so someone can wear a fur. We congratulate the Prada Group for its enlightened decision and hope you will join us in thanking them on social media (be sure to tag them @Prada). And a big thanks to you, our readers, for all you did to encourage this important change in corporate policy and practice.