During Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, fans gathered outside the venue for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s second ready-to-wear show for Fendi, eager to see celebrities like Monica Bellucci, Rachel Zegler, and Bang Chan of Stray Kids. However, on the opposite side of Via Solari, a group of demonstrators peacefully protested, distributing bright yellow pamphlets that featured a raccoon in a cage and included a QR code for an upcoming antifur march on Saturday.
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The Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) and the Animal Defense League Italia are pushing for a fur ban from Milan Fashion Week organizers, following similar commitments from New York and London. Protesters claim that Fendi is the main brand resisting this ban. Observers noted that Chiuri’s runway was surrounded by a reflective glass structure, which some speculated was to prevent disruptions by protesters, although it was actually inspired by artist Luciano Fabro’s 1970s installation, Cubo di Specchi.
At the Saturday demonstration, which began at Piazza Cordusio near the Duomo, one protestor stated, “New York has already done it, and London has already done it. Milan and Paris are left, but I think Milan is close to doing it because there is a lot of pressure.” They anticipated over 500 participants based on online registrations.
An American volunteer, who traveled from Nebraska for the protest, emphasized that the focus is on Fendi, urging them to eliminate fur from their runways. Another participant noted a past campaign against Vogue led by CAFT in collaboration with PETA, aiming to push for a fur ban in their editorial content, which was successfully implemented in October 2022 by Condé Nast.
The march, which began after its scheduled time of 2:30 p.m., proceeded to Porta Venezia and passed one of Fendi’s major retail locations. This event highlighted that Fashion Week impacts local residents, who often deal with heavy traffic and large crowds.