Milan/Vienna, 26 February 2024 – Together with partners of the international Fur Free Alliance (FFA), global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS has launched a global campaign calling on Italian fashion brand Max Mara to finally give up real fur. During the “Big Four” fashion weeks, FOUR PAWS took the streets of major European cities – Vienna, Berlin, London, Zürich and Sofia to protest in front of frequented Max Mara stores. At the same time together with FFA members supporters and animal lovers worldwide are asked to nudge Max Mara to go fur-free by sending protest mails to the company´s Board of directors, a strategy that successfully forced Prada to give in back in 2019. On 22 February during Max Mara´s Runway in Milan, a branded FFA hot-air balloon elevated the fur-free message to higher grounds over Max Mara’s headquarter in Reggio Emilia.  

Joh Vinding, Chairman of the Fur Free Alliance, says: "Max Mara's adherence to the archaic and cruel fur trade makes the company look outdated and indifferent to extreme animal suffering. Max Mara should join its fur-free competitors and put compassion before profit." 

Fur Industry - Animal Cruelty and Ecological Nightmare 

On fur factory farms, wild animals spend their entire lives in wire-bottom cages, deprived of the ability to engage in natural behaviours—only to be killed by gassing or anal-electrocution. In the wild, animals are held in traps for days without food or water until trappers come to retrieve them, often gnawing off their own limb first in a desperate attempt to escape. 

Fur production is also environmentally devastating. Fur factory farms and tanneries are extremely harmful to our soil and waterways—pumping waste and the toxic chemicals into the surrounding environment. And the traps responsible for killing wild animals are indiscriminate, often maiming and killing non-target animals, like endangered species and people’s pets. All told, the fur industry is an environmental nightmare. 

Now that the majority of consumers want nothing to do with the fur trade, major fashion brands have responded by announcing policies prohibiting the use of fur. Twenty countries throughout Europe have banned fur production because of animal cruelty and risks to the environment and public health. In addition, Israel, California and 14 cities across the U.S. have banned fur sales to create a more humane marketplace and drive innovation. 

Fur Free Retailer Program 

The Fur Free Retailer Program is the world's leading initiative to connect fur-free businesses with consumers looking for ethically produced products. The program is an initiative of the Fur Free Alliance (FFA), which is active in over 35 countries around the world. The Alliance is an international coalition of over 40 animal welfare organisations working together to end the breeding and killing of animals for their fur. More than 1,500 brands and retailers are now part of the initiative. 

FOUR PAWS is the official representative of the Fur Free Retailer Program in Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, the United States and South Africa. The global animal welfare organisation offers support and advice to companies aiming for a demonstrably fur-free new start. To this end, FOUR PAWS is available as a contact and mediator in the high-profile joining of the international FFR Program. 

Send an email to Max Mara to let them know you care for animals want them to go fur-free! Follow up by leaving a comment on Max Mara’s social channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).