Anna Dello Russo withdraws fur coats from auction

London - Vogue Japan editor and fashion icon Anna Dello Russo has withdrawn all fur coats from sale in her archive auction with Christie's Milan on 24 February.

Instead, she has opted to donate the pieces to PETA's fur amnesty programme, after the animals rights group wrote to her last month. PETA is set to use the coats in high-profile educational displays to highlight the plight of animals slaughtered for their fur or as bedding for sick and orphaned animals in sanctuaries.

"The fashion community is increasingly moving away from fur – and so am I," says Anna Dello Russo in a statement. "This auction is about passing my heritage on to the next generation – but as someone who cares about animals, I no longer feel comfortable passing these fur garments on to others. Instead, I've decided to donate them to PETA to ensure they're used in a meaningful way to help animals."

"Anna Dello Russo's coats will be gratefully received," adds PETA Director Elisa Allen. "When people learn about the pain that animals endure at the hands of the fur industry, they often choose to send their fur items to PETA so that we can use them in educational displays that help prevent more animals from suffering for fashion."

PETA adds that animals which are used to living in free-roaming environments, such as foxes, minks, and chinchillas, spend their entire lives confined to tiny, filthy wire cages at fur farms before they are killed in extremely cruel and inhumane ways, such as and are anal electrocution, neck-breaking, or drowning.

Numerous designers and luxury fashion houses have pledged to stop using fur in their collections over the recent months due to the amount of cruelty involved in fur production, including Armani, Gucci, Michael Kors, and Jimmy Choo.