“Coach has been committed to advancing sustainable practices for many years, with the introduction of our corporate responsibility goals in 2015,” said Joshua Schulman, president and CEO of Coach, in a press release. “Back then, we laid the groundwork for prioritizing social and environmental initiatives. The decision to go fur-free is a truly meaningful milestone for the brand.”The brand joins the mounting number of fashion labels turning away from using fur in their collections following increasing pressure from consumers to pursue more sustainable and ethical practices. In the past two months, Diane Von Furstenberg and Burberry have been the latest to announce their decisions to forego the use of fur, while the last edition of London Fashion Week was entirely fur-free.
Coach belongs to the Tapestry portfolio of brands, which also includes Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman. The company reported $5.9 billion rise in revenue for the fiscal year 2018, a 31% rise driven by Kate Spade handbag sales, while the Coach brand missed analyst estimates with a rise of only 5% to $1.10 billion.