France’s Kering will stop using animal furs in all its collections, joining a growing list of luxury fashion houses to respond to customer demands for ethical and sustainable clothing and accessories.

The decision comes four years after its star label Gucci announced it would forego fur. A number of fashion houses followed suit, including Italy's Prada, Burberry and outerwear specialist Canada Goose, which had come under fire for its use of coyote fur.

With an eye to building future generations of luxury customers, fashion labels have doubled-up efforts to burnish their sustainability credentials with younger, environmentally-conscious shoppers.
Starting from the fall 2022 collections, none of the group’s houses will use fur, the statement said.

"The time has now come to take a further step forward by ending the use of fur in all our collections. The world has changed, along with our clients, and luxury naturally needs to adapt to that," François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering, said.

While the group’s houses, which include Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Brioni and Saint Laurent, have phased out fur in recent years, Friday's company-wide ban closes the door to its use in the future, even in the event of a change in creative direction.

Larger rival LVMH leaves the decision on fur use to its creative directors.

Although coats made entirely from fur have fallen out of fashion in recent years it has continued to be used as a trim, or in luxury handbags.

Images of mass cullings of coronavirus-infected mink in Denmark at the height of the coronavirus pandemic prompted public outcry and heightened demands to ban the use of animal products in the fashion industry.

"The announcement is a significant blow to the declining fur trade and puts pressure on the few remaining fashion brands that continue to sell fur to follow suit," said the Humane Society.