Milan Fashion Week joins global shift: no longer promotes fur

Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), the organizer of Milan Fashion Week, announced on Friday that it will stop promoting fur at all official events, including runway shows and social media. The move aligns Italy’s premier fashion platform with a growing international trend toward fur-free fashion weeks.

CNMI issued new Guidelines on the Use of Fur During Milan Fashion Week, explicitly calling on participating brands to go fur-free. While the organization will not ban designers from using fur in collections presented outside the official schedule, it will no longer feature or promote fur products during the event itself. The goal, according to CNMI, is to encourage innovation in ethical and sustainable alternatives.

Carlo Capasa, CEO of CNMI, framed the guidelines as part of the organization’s long-term sustainability efforts: “The adoption of these Guidelines is a further step in the drive for responsibility and sustainability that Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana has been carrying forward for over a decade now in support of Made in Italy.”

The change takes effect for upcoming Milan Fashion Week events, starting with the Spring/Summer 2027 collections in September 2026. It marks another significant step in the global fashion industry’s move away from animal fur toward more innovative, cruelty-free materials.

A coordinated push from animal welfare groups

The decision follows sustained engagement with leading animal protection organizations, including LAV (Lega Anti Vivisezione), Humane World for Animals, and Collective Fashion Justice.

Simone Pavesi, Head of the Animal Free Fashion Unit at LAV, welcomed the guidelines: “The CNMI guidelines will help make the Milan Fashion Week runways become fur-free. This guidance is an ethical and responsible choice, consistent with the sustainability commitments made by its members.”

Emma Håkansson, Founding Director of Collective Fashion Justice, described the move as “historic” for the Italian fashion industry but noted it stops short of a full ban: “Without a fur-free policy like those in place at New York and London Fashion Week, cruelty is not assured to be off the runway in Milan… We look forward to continuing engagement with CNMI towards further protecting vulnerable animals.”

PJ Smith, Fashion Policy Director at Humane World for Animals, added: “Italian fashion brands looking to be relevant in today’s world would be smart to follow this fur-free trend. This is also great news for the future of material innovation.”

Joining a growing list of fur-free fashion weeks

Milan now follows the lead of several major fashion weeks that have already adopted stricter fur-free policies, including New York, London, Copenhagen, Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Melbourne.

The announcement arrives as the European Commission remains overdue in responding to the “Fur Free Europe” European Citizens’ Initiative, which calls for a ban on fur farming and sales across the EU.

Caption: A model presents a creation by Paul Costelloe Winter 2026 collection during London Fashion Week, in London, Britain, 19 February 2026. The London Fashion Week has already adopted stricter fur-free policies. EPA/ANDY RAIN