As the runways are being set up for Fashion Weeks this February and March in New York, London, Milan and Paris, we, along with our fellow members of the global coalition the Fur Free Alliance, are launching the biggest anti-fur campaign of all time, urging millions of fur-free supporters across dozens of countries to ask Max Mara to join modern competitors like Armani, Gucci, Valentino and Dolce&Gabbana in going fur-free. The Italian fashion house is one of the last major fashion brands to sell fur, so if we truly want the fashion industry to take steps toward compassion, it’s important to expose fur-using outliers such as Max Mara. In a modern society, there is no excuse for animal fur and all the cruelty and environmental degradation associated with it.
Over the years, we and others have launched similar corporate campaigns asking fashion brands to go fur-free. When private requests for dialogue fail, companies hearing from global consumers about why they are appalled by fur can help kick-start fur-free discussions. Even though Max Mara has yet to respond to our requests for a meeting prior to the campaign launch, we hope that the company will respond to the pleas of potential customers and give open dialogue a chance.
Tens of millions of animals suffer and die each year in the global fur trade. For a Max Mara mink trimmed hood, a fox fur trimmed hood, fox fur cuffs, mink mittens or raccoon dog fur charm, foxes, mink and raccoon dogs are bred to die on fur factory farms. In these dismal facilities, they spend their entire lives in cramped, barren cages, deprived of the ability to engage in basic natural behaviors, until they are killed by gassing or electrocution so they can be skinned.
