The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), which owns and organises the fashion calendar for New York Fashion Week (NYFW), has announced it is banning fur across any official NYFW scheduled events, social media channels and website.
The announcement has been made in collaboration with Humane World of Animals and Collective Fashion Justice, “following years of engagement”.
The ban will begin with the September 2026 New York Fashion Week, giving designers “space to adjust their materials and show plans”.
The new stance of the CFDA 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.
Earlier this year, Conde Nast, owner of Vogue, Vanity Fair and Glamour, banned animal fur in editorial content or advertising, following similar policies from Elle and InStyle magazines.
Steven Kolb, CEO and President of the CFDA, said: “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.”
Emma Håkansson, founding director of Collective Fashion Justice, added: “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.”
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.
However, an exemption applies only to animal fur obtained by indigenous communities “through traditional subsistence hunting practices”.