Danish brand Stine Goya confirms ban on fur and exotic skins

Following talks with animal rights organisation PETA, fashion brand Stine Goya has confirmed a sweeping ban on products with materials derived from animals, such as fur, exotic skins, and angora.

The move marks the latest animal-friendly action from the brand, having recently sent scores of faux fur looks down the runway at Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Stine Goya, which recently opened a store in London, joins brands including Burberry, Stella McCartney, and Diane von Furstenberg, all of whom have banned exotic skins, along with fur and angora.

PETA is still campaigning for Louis Vuitton and Hermès to follow suit.

Speaking exclusively to TheIndustry.fashion, Yvonne Taylor, PETA Director of Corporate Projects, said: "PETA applauds Stine Goya’s animal protection policy as a sign of the times and recognition that designers and fashion houses today must cater to compassionate consumers who reject clothes or accessories made from the fur and skins of tortured rabbits, foxes, or snakes.

"No living and feeling being willingly gives up their body parts or their life, yet their freedom is routinely violated by the fashion industry. Stine Goya’s kind decision to embrace the vast variety of vegan materials that are gaining traction with brands and consumers is praise-worthy."

PETA entities have documented how the fashion industry mistreats and abuses animals for their fur and skins. During the COVID-19 pandemic, outbreaks occurred on fur farms around the world, with experts reportedly finding links between zoonotic diseases and the exotic-skins trade.

Britain has banned fur farming since 2000 with the last fur farms closing in 2003, but has always stopped short of banning the import of farmed fur, saying that it would contravene the UK's membership of the EU. However now that the Brexit transition period has completed, anti-fur MPs and campaign groups, such as Humane Society International, have stepped up calls for an import and sales ban.

The #FurFreeBritain campaign continues to receive support from over 50 British celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, Brian May CBE, Leona Lewis and Alesha Dixon, and designers such as Stella McCartney OBE and Katharine Hamnett CBE.