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Serial fur-fender Kim Kardashian
Credit: Getty Images

In a move that suggests it’s motivated by majority public opinion or perhaps even compassion more than just profit, online luxury retail giant Net-a-Porter has just announced that it will no longer sell any items featuring animal pelts.

The strict ‘No Fur’ policy will also be rolled out across the other sites operated by Net-a-Porter’s owner, the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group (YNAP), which means Mr Porter and The Outnet will all be fur-free zones too.

The retailer isn’t alone in this new cruelty-free push. Last year, Giorgio Armani announced his brands would no longer sell products featuring fur, as did Australian fashion star Kym Ellery. Moschino, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss all have the same stance. And since its relaunch, GRAZIA Australia has held firm to a ‘zero fur’ policy too.

And of course, Stella McCartney has long been a proponent for cruelty-free clothing: even her shoes and bags are leather free. Her Spring/Summer 2017 range featured T-shirts emblazoned with “No Fur” and “No Leather” lettering, although she does include silk fabrics in her collections, which means her label isn’t strictly vegan.

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Stella McCartney SS17
Credit: NOWFASHION 

How many brands currently stocked on the Net-a-Porter website will be affected? While many like Fendi, Givenchy, Tom Ford, Balmain, Burberry and Gucci that use fur in their clothes or accessory detailing are stocked by the e-commerce platform, it won’t exclude them as a whole – just the products with the banded material. Type the word fur into the Net-a-Porter search function now, and you’ll come up empty.

“We have made great steps… yet there is still much more to do and we remain more focused than ever on our commitment to create a sustainable future,” YNAP’s head of sustainability Matteo James Moroni told US Vogue. “We have a strong sense of responsibility and recognise the importance of making a positive contribution to society. With a range of initiatives, partnerships and innovations, our goal is to act as an industry-wide catalyst for change.”

Lucky timing then that faux fur jackets are enjoying a huge trend moment in the sun right now, thanks in large part to fans like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner being regularly spotted in them, and brands like Pam and GelaThe Design Studio and Australia’s Kaliver being hot property.

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Gigi Hadid in New York this year wearing a faux fur jacket by Pam and Gela
Credit: Getty Images