In a move that will accelerate the demise of the ailing global fur industry, fashion publishing powerhouse, ELLE magazine, publicly announced it will no longer advertise fur in its print or online publications. The announcement was made during the Business of Fashion’s 2021 VOICES event, held in Oxfordshire, U.K., on December 2-3, 2021.
ELLE magazine Senior Vice President and International Director Valeria Bessolo Llopiz was quoted in NPR, saying, “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, and is no longer in line with our values, nor our readers’.”
The Cruelty of Fur
More than 85% of fur used in fashion is produced by furbearing animals on fur farms, where millions of animals are kept and killed worldwide; while millions more wild animals are caught in traps and killed for their fur. Animals on fur farms live miserable lives of extreme confinement. They are bred and maintained to maximize fur output with little consideration for their health, welfare, and quality of life. The animals suffer throughout their short lives enduring extreme fear, stress, illness, and pain. Trapping for fur subjects animals to lengthy periods of suffering and violent deaths.
Fur: An Industry in Decline
In 2019, California became the first state to commit to banning the sale and manufacture of fur products, with the ban coming into effect in January 2023. Several cities have also implemented bans on the sale of fur, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Ann Arbor, while the Minneapolis city council is rapidly progressing a fur sales ban and New York City in not far behind. Furthermore, thousands of retailers including Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Bloomingdales; designers like Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood; and fashion houses including Prada, Versace, Gucci, Michael Kors, and Armani have also committed to being fur free. This decision by ELLE will bring the fur-free message to millions of worldwide readers, advancing the movement to end the use of fur in fashion.
Born Free USA congratulates ELLE on its decision and will continue to work on ending the fur trade until animals are no longer killed in the name of “fashion.”
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Julie
