lifestyle
green is the
new black
italian fashion's new sustainable ethos
it’s not totally implausible to believe that next season’s hottest trend could be ‘going green'
"
Gucci’s recent announcement that the major fashion house will go fur-free in 2018 is just the latest in a line of initiatives that aim to make Italian fashion more eco-friendly.
In Italy the big brands are changing the look of luxury. Gucci’s CEO Marco Bizzarri announced in October that the fashion house would cease the use of fur in all of its future collections. The change will come into effect from spring/summer 2018, as part of the brand’s commitment to ‘sustainability’. Bizzarri declared, “being socially responsible is one of Gucci’s core values, and we will continue to strive to do better for the environment and animals.” With this announcement Gucci is following the lead of their fellow Italian and rival brand Armani, which has been fur-free since their autumn/winter 2016 collection. This shift in attitude reflects a more global trend. Here in the UK, for example, British designer Stella McCartney has long upheld such ethical values; her brand follows a ‘vegetarian’ philosophy, shunning the use of fur, leather, or feathers in any of her collections.
This drive for a more sustainable and cruelty-free future is part of a wider movement that is taking place in Italy. The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), which is responsible for coordinating the country’s fashion industry, is playing a crucial role in the movement. In June 2012 the chamber released a manifesto for the sustainability of Italian Fashion that aimed to design ‘an Italian solution to a responsible and sustainable fashion industry’. The manifesto included ten key points to develop more responsible practices in the fashion industry. In February 2016 the CNMI delivered on its promise, releasing a set of guidelines on hazardous toxic substances for fashion companies to follow, in
"