To some, this might be considered the end of an era. To others, it was a long time coming. It's official: the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has banned fur throughout official New York Fashion Week Events, effective starting the September 2026 season. This is no surprise, as we all have come to know more about the process of sourcing fur for fashion purposes, the CFDA has been engaging with Humane World for Animals and Collective Fashion Justice for years, and PETA has withheld a strong case against animal fur.
Historically, animal fur has played a prominent role in fashion. Starting out as a protective measure against cold climates and, following the practical to status symbol pipeline of fashion trends, evolved into a representation of wealth and prestige.
Now, following luxury brands like Gucci, Giorgio Armani, and Chanel, all who have already committed to using no new fur in their collections, the CFDA has made their stance known and made a grander statement for all brands moving forward.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
All trends and the roles they play in both fashion and society as a whole evolve. The history of animal fur (and animal skin) in fashion can be traced to hundreds of thousands of years ago. Eventually, Egyptian priests wore leopard skins and English royalty wore ermine fur, both as a symbol and declaration of status—this is how the trend was, for lack of a better word, hijacked from its initial practical intentions and reappropriated for the sake of promoting wealth.
History aside, it's impossible to deny that the sourcing of animal fur results in unnecessary animal cruelty, suffering and environmental concerns and, for those reasons, is not at all worth it. So, in regards to the CFDA's decision, we reside in the it's about time camp.
