Elisabetta Franchi ends use of feathers

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Nov 14, 2014

As its expands internationally, the Italian ready-to-wear brand Elisabetta Franchi, which showed for the first time last September in Milan, has quickly responded to the controversy surrounding Moncler’s down feathers while affirming its commitment to animals.

A television program accused the famous down jacket brand of animal mistreatment, showing images of geese being plucked live in Hungary. Moncler immediately issued a statement, declaring that the brand only uses “feathers from highly qualified suppliers, (...) contractually obliged to ensure compliance with the principles of animal welfare." But the brand’s image has nonetheless taken a hit. 

Now, Elisabetta Franchi is taking the initiative in making a public mea culpa. The brand “only discovered the atrocities suffered by the animals whose feathers are plucked live" since January, it confessed in a statement. 

"Although the production of all 2014-15 fall/winter collection has already begun, everything has been done to prevent the use of feathers," according to the company, which has managed "to act regarding three down jackets, replacing animal materials with cruelty-free materials." The products, which are currently on sale, come with specific labels explaining “Elisabetta Franchi’s ethical choice.” 

"From now on, all collections will no longer use the animal-based feathers, but instead only quality, synthetic products, adopting innovative and experimental systems," stated the label, which also plans to end its use of angora. 

"My priority has always been to respect the environment and animals, even if I have to forgo a significant portion of sales in countries where fur is a symbol of social prestige. Today the real luxury is to choose to save our planet and the environment,” said the designer Elisabetta Franchi.