Boosted by the rising popularity of veganism, animal rights activists planned to target London Fashion Week with the largest fur protests seen at the event in a decade. Ed Winters, co-director of Surge, the organization behind anti-fur demonstrations that attracted over 250 people in September (up from 120 the previous season and 25 in September 2016), stated that “we expect those numbers to continually rise.” However, actual fur on the catwalks was scarce. Over 90% of participating designers confirmed to the British Fashion Council (BFC) they wouldn’t be using it. Despite this, a University of Copenhagen study reported that UK retail sales of fur in 2016 reached £162m, a 350% increase from 2011, due to the prevalence of inexpensive real fur in fast fashion. Winters noted that “Fur has crept into the mainstream,” and while real fur trim is readily available on market stalls, London Fashion Week is targeted to raise awareness because designer fashion heavily influences what’s considered desirable.
Gucci, Giorgio Armani, and Michael Kors have notably adopted fur-free policies in recent years. While the BFC “does not intervene in the creative process … [or] dictate the materials designers should use,” according to CEO Caroline Rush, they “believe in the rights of humans and animals and would encourage any designer … to make ethical choices.” Social media analysis by Meltwater consultants revealed that fur wasn’t a major topic for the LFW audience. In the week leading up to the event, there were fewer than 200 mentions of fur in fashion week posts, compared to over 1,000 for Burberry’s LGBT-focused “rainbow” check and 4,893 retweets for a post about a surgeon wearing heels during surgery.
Kors, who showcased only faux fur in his New York catwalk show, attributed his decision to “the casualisation of fashion,” noting that even Upper East Side women now wear gym clothes, questioning who would wear “a big old-fashioned fur?”
Tom Ford, known for his colorful fox furs, now uses only fur that is a byproduct of the food industry since becoming vegan. He recently expressed being “torn because fake fur is highly toxic, it’s terrible for the environment.” The issue of models’ rights, brought to light by recent sexual harassment allegations against photographers, was addressed by model and activist Adwoa Aboah at the catwalk launch. She stated, “Fear has run rampant in our community, and has put too many young women and men at risk.” Private changing rooms are being implemented to protect models’ dignity.
London, currently the second most diverse fashion week, aims to surpass New York this season. Last season, 31.7% of models at LFW were non-white, compared to 36.9% at New York Fashion Week. Aboah stated a desire to “bring that figure closer to reflecting London’s population at 40%.” Mulberry, a major brand, returned to the schedule after a season’s absence with a more consumer-focused event. Of the 498 seats at their show, 170 were reserved for top customers. While CEO Thierry Andretta claimed skipping a season at LFW had “no impact at all” financially, designer Johnny Coca valued “seeing the reaction of an audience in real time” at a catwalk show.
A Goldfrapp performance in a marquee at Spencer House, with models in picture hats, highlighted the quintessentially English “garden party traditions” like “tea in fine bone china,” upon which the Mulberry brand’s global image is built. Anya Hindmarch, explaining her decision to replace catwalk shows with consumer-focused events, stated that “The way we communicate now is immediate.” Her brand was represented at LFW by giant heart-shaped helium balloons, a “love letter to London” installation inspired by a post-terrorist attack idea to tie a balloon to every bridge. This proved unfeasible due to varied bridge ownership, resulting in 29 “chubby hearts” adorning city landmarks.
