CFDA’s John Bartlett on the “Incredible Disconnect”

John Bartlett, the renowned, award-winning designer who sits on the CFDA Board of Directors was covered by NBC last night when he spoke as a special guest at the pre-fashion week event, Fashion & Animals. When asked what his plans were for this coming fashion week, Bartlett said:

“I’m going to shows to see my friends,” he said. “(But) it’s a bit uncomfortable because I know they’re using fur and they know how I feel… They don’t understand why fur isn’t fabulous. [Many] consider fur as fabric. There is this incredible disconnect.”

Even beyond his feelings on animals killed needlessly for their pelts, Bartlett plans to take his collection to the compassionate ideal of being 100% vegan:

“Next time I show,” Bartlett told Niteside, “I want to show a fully vegan collection. I want to make sure there’s intention behind it. Over the past year, I have taken leather out of my collections, I will no longer [use] down and, hopefully by next fall, I will no longer [use] wool.

Mr. Bartlett is an inspiration to anyone who has a vision of a more compassionate, sustainable and evolved future – where living, feeling animals are no longer used for something so cruel and unnecessary as fur and other “textiles”. We have the ability to use alternatives and the momentum behind developing more sustainable, and cruelty-free textiles is accelerating.