Phillip Lim is the latest designer to announce he is dropping fur

New York-based designer Phillip Lim is the latest to announce his brand, 3.1 Phillip Lim, will be dropping real fur from its collections from AW19.

The designer has said he will ban fur and exotic skins in ready-to-wear and accessories such as fox, mink, lynx, chinchilla, astrakhan/karakul lamb and exotic skins including python, alligator, crocodile and lizard. He will, however, continue to use leathers and shearling that are understood to be a by-product of the meat trade.

Phillip Lim said move was part of his journey to becoming more sustainable, and he added that sustainability was about "balance and not perfection".

"The philosophy is simple – make less, mean more. Live with intention. Champion community. Acknowledge that we can’t change the world overnight, but we can take small, pragmatic, purposeful steps that ultimately add up. We can keep the human touch, the beauty and artistry of irreplaceable craft, in everything we do.

"Balance is key – recognizing that we will always have a footprint but offsetting it with small gestures that eventually amount to a grand shift. The decision to ban fur – from an ethical and environmental perspective – speaks to our commitment to remain true to this ethos and listen to our customers: environmentally conscious, global citizens who shop with their values top of mind," he said in a statement.

The move was welcomed by The Humane Society of the United States, which has been successfully lobbying designers to drop real fur from their collections.

PJ Smith, director of fashion policy at the Society, said: "We applaud 3.1 Phillip Lim for banning the use of fur and exotic skins in its collections. Today’s modern consumer aligns their wardrobe with their values more than ever, and 3.1 Phillip Lim’s new animal welfare policy taps into that growing consciousness. Added to this, the brand is one of the first to commit to removing exotic skins from its range, following Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg and St. John, making them a leader in the growing movement towards a more humane fashion industry."

Lim's name joins an ever-growing list of designers and luxury brands to drop fur such as Burberry, Gucci, Versace, Tom Ford, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, John Galliano and Jean-Paul Gaultier among others. Leading global e-commerce platforms Yoox Net-A-Porter and Farfetch have also banned the sale of fur products.