Global fashion brand Michael Kors, which also owns Jimmy Choo, says it is to end its use of fur.

The luxury fashion group will phase out production of fur by the end of 2018 in a company-wide policy, and the two brands have joined the international Fur Free Retailer Programme.

Animal rights group Humane Society International has welcomed the move.

It is the latest in a series of announcements by major fashion brands that are moving away from using animal fur and creating fashionable clothing with other materials.

Designer Michael Kors said: "Due to technological advances in fabrications, we now have the ability to create a luxe aesthetic using non-animal fur. We will showcase these new techniques in our upcoming runway show in February."


The president of the Humane Society International, Kitty Block, says killing animals for fur is "cruel and outdated".

Image: Jimmy Choo will phase out the use of fur by the end of 2018

"We are delighted to welcome Michael Kors as a fur-free leader in luxury fashion alongside the likes of Gucci, Armani, Yoox Net-a-Porter, Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss," she says.

PJ Smith, senior manager of fashion policy for The Humane Society of the US, worked with the company on its fur-free policy.

"Today's consumers want fashionable, luxurious clothing and accessories that also align with their social values and Michael Kors' fur-free move makes it a leader in that regard."

In October, Gucci announced it would also stop using fur from 2018, following the same decision by Armani.

Gucci said the move to go fur-free formed part of a commitment to "sustainability".

The company's chief executive, Marco Bizzarri, said: "Being socially responsible is one of Gucci's core values, and we will continue to strive to do better for the environment and animals."

In April, a Sky News Investigation with Humane Society International found four types of animal fur being sold on the British high street, despite being marketed as fake fur.

A fibres expert identified items which are most consistent with rabbit, raccoon dog, mink and cat being mis-sold to consumers as faux fur.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International, told Sky News at the time of the investigation: "We are finding an increasing amount of real fur being sold either mislabelled or not labelled at all as real fur, in the last couple of years in the UK."

She said it was a problem for the animals who are suffering "awful, deprived lives and excruciating deaths on fur farms", but also a problem for consumers who are not being protected from unfair trading.