Beginning with September 2026 New York Fashion Week, the CFDA will no longer permit animal fur in collections on the Official NYFW Schedule. This timeline gives designers space to adjust their materials and show plans.
Farmed or trapped fur from animals killed specifically for their pelts, including but not limited to mink, fox, rabbit, karakul lamb, chinchilla, coyote, and raccoon dog, is not allowed. An exemption applies only to animal fur obtained by indigenous communities through traditional subsistence hunting practices, the CFDA said in a press release.
The CFDA will support designers through this transition and continue to provide resources on alternatives. While the CFDA encourages each designer to make decisions for their own business needs, to help align NYFW designers with this position, the CFDA is committed to offering educational materials and a material library so they can explore more innovative and sustainable materials.
This position aligns with London Fashion Week, which ended its promotion of fur in 2023, as well as fashion weeks in Copenhagen, Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Helsinki and Melbourne.
“There is already little to no fur shown at NYFW, but by taking this position, the CFDA hopes to inspire American designers to think more deeply about the fashion industry’s impact on animals. Consumers are moving away from products associated with animal cruelty, and we want to position American fashion as a leader on those fronts, while also driving material innovation,” said Steven Kolb, CEO and president of the CFDA.
“The CFDA has further cemented its position as a leading, innovative fashion council on the global stage by formally moving beyond unethical and unsustainable animal fur. At Collective Fashion Justice, we hope Milan and Paris fashion weeks will follow the CFDA and British Fashion Council’s lead, with our support,” said Emma Håkansson, founding director of Collective Fashion Justice.
“We applaud the CFDA for using its unique influence on American fashion to help usher in a fur-free future. It’s policies like this that are paving the way for material innovation that will create a cleaner, more humane fashion industry without sacrificing creativity and beauty,” said PJ Smith, director of fashion policy at Humane World for Animals.
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