What was supposed to be a memorable week of glam, fashion, and beauty to debut on the red carpets in Milan for Milan Fashion Week has been left well… ugly and tainted by many people. Staging and organizing many protests in response to the event, many animal rights activists have taken to the streets to protest the use of real animal fur in new fashion for 2026. While the specific group, the Armani Group, decided against using animal fur in their fashion designs over a decade ago, many activists hope and aspire to pressure the luxury fashion brand, the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the organizer of fashion week, to prevent and hinder brands from using fur.
According to Inside Nova, “the Armani Group went fur-free a decade ago, activists hope the powerful luxury company can pressure the National Chamber of Italian Fashion (CNMI), which organises fashion week, to disallow brands which use fur from participating.”
Shouting in the streets, along with signs and banners, two of which famously read “Milan Fashion Week Go Fur-Free”, and “Shame on you for what you do!” as the guest left the show. Hoping to draw attention to the inhumane practices of using fur in recent fashion designs, many activists aspire and hope to persuade not only the National Chamber of Italian Fashion to not allow the use of fur, but to also persuade people to see the harm in using fur in recent fashion trends.
While I often do have an opinion with the practice of using fur in designs, I understand the pushback and controversy in using fur in recent trends. In the past, the use of fur in fashion was for survival against the cold and aliments that arise in the winter months. However, we as a society have moved past this need. With the recent creations of synthetic materials to keep people warm, such as polyester, shearling, and faux fur, along with natural materials like wool and cotton, we no longer need to rely on fur to keep us warm.
Instead of survival, the element of fur in fashion is simply used for the style and aesthetic alone. While I understand how fur can be used to keep us warm, we no longer need to rely on fur for our clothing. I would instead encourage more sustainable options, such as natural materials and even synthetic creations, instead of fur. Not only will the activists appreciate this, but so will the world as well!
