London’s Old Spitalfields Market bans sale of fur

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Dec 11, 2017

One of London’s most visited fashion markets has taken a step towards a more ethical future by banning traders from selling animal fur from 2018.

Old Spitalfields Market in East London is a style destination with independent traders selling vintage and contemporary fashion, jewellery and handmade items.

It announced its decision on Facebook, writing: “Following a review carried out by the market, we have taken the decision to request stall holders do not offer animal fur for sale from the beginning of next year. The exact wording and details are still being worked out but we thought we’d share this now.”

The announcement was welcomed by the public, with several Facebook users saying “Fantastic news!”, “Thank you!” and “Right thing to do”.

The market has been trading for over 300 years and is visited by 40,000 people each week. The building also houses high-end brands including McQ, Chanel and Rapha.

In a similar note, Gucci is also planning to go fur-free in 2018, joining an increasing army of brands seeking alternatives to animal fur.

According to the Humane Society International UK, “real fur is extremely cruel, environmentally-unfriendly and should be confined to the history books.”