Copenhagen Fashion Week Announces To Go Fur-Free

With its Spring/Summer 2023 season in full force, Copenhagen Fashion Week has announced that it will go fur-free, banning fur from all of its participating brands and shows.

The Danish capital joins neighboring cities such as Oslo, Amsterdam and Helsinki, setting an example for the rest of the fashion world. The news comes after some of the most major fashion houses announced to go fur-free, including Kering's Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga, as well as Moncler.

"The momentum with banning fur farming and in particular as a practice in fashion is at a historic moment and a major turning point. What we are witnessing is consumers saying en masse that they want the brands they buy from to be in favor of animal welfare," Thomas Pietsch, Head of Wild Animals in Entertainment and Textiles at FOUR PAWS, shared. "Paris and Milan fashion weeks have still not decided to go fur-free which is wholly unacceptable, both events must immediately decide to join the majority of the European shows in banning this promotion of this inhumane and unsustainable practice."

While not many Danish brands are fully affected by this decision, it marks a significant change with Denmark being one of the biggest fur exporters in the world.

Aside from the use of fur, Copenhagen Fashion Week is one of the biggest fashion weeks in the world that continues to push for sustainability. In early 2020, CEO Cecilie Thorsmark shared that CPHFW would have designers meet sustainability requirements in order to show throughout the week. At the opening ceremony of the SS23 season, she confirmed that CPHFW will begin implementing this change in 2023, starting off with the Fall/Winter 2023 season.