Woolrich will eliminate fur from all collections by 2027, with the phase-out beginning in January for products manufactured and sold in Europe, the Milan-based outerwear specialist announced alongside the Fur Free Alliance.

The pledge covers coyote and raccoon dog fur, materials long used in trimmed parkas across the premium outerwear category. Woolrich has simultaneously joined the Fur Free Retailer program, a certification scheme that counts roughly 1,700 brands and retailers worldwide and is administered by the alliance, a coalition of about 45 animal protection organizations across 30 countries.

What does the change mean for sourcing?

For sourcing and product teams, the commitment requires replacing real-fur trims — historically a feature of Arctic parka lines — with synthetic or other alternatives across European production from January, and globally by 2027. The company disclosed no timeline details for supplier transitions, cost implications, or which material substitutes it will adopt.

The move places Woolrich in line with direct competitors that have already taken the same step, including Moncler, Canada Goose, Napapijri and Parajumpers. Canada Goose, a comparable case, shifted away from coyote fur over a multi-season transition before completing its exit — a precedent suggesting Woolrich's four-year window allows staged inventory run-down rather than abrupt assortment change.

Who owns Woolrich — and why it matters

The fur-free pledge is the first major brand-positioning decision since BasicNet, the Italian group that also owns Kappa and Sebago, acquired Woolrich in November 2025 from Luxembourg-based fund L-Gam in a deal valuing the brand at 90 million euros. That figure is modest for a heritage outerwear label — roughly one-tenth of what Moncler generates in annual revenue — and signals BasicNet bought a turnaround asset rather than a growth engine.

Under the transaction, BasicNet acquired rights to the Woolrich brand for Europe plus 100 percent of Woolrich Europe SpA, the company running distribution and retail. L-Gam exited after seven years; it had bought the brand from WP Lavori in Corso in 2018. In 2024, L-Gam separately sold Woolrich's intellectual property rights for all territories outside Europe to Chinese apparel group Baoxiniao Holding Co. Ltd., leaving the brand split geographically — a structural factor BasicNet must manage as it harmonizes sourcing and compliance standards.

Joh Vinding, chairman of the Fur Free Alliance, framed the decision as commercially driven. "It's a true sign of the times when a brand that got its start making fur-trimmed coats for fur trappers is now going fur-free," he said. "Woolrich's new owner BasicNet clearly understands that today's consumers want nothing to do with an archaic and cruel fur industry."

A sector-wide compliance baseline

Fur-free commitments now cover much of the European luxury and sportswear landscape. The list of brands and retailers with pledges includes Dolce & Gabbana, Prada Group, Gucci, Armani Group, Zalando, Adidas, Hugo Boss, Michael Kors and Calvin Klein. For vendors still supplying fur trims, Woolrich's exit narrows the remaining customer base further and effectively makes fur-free certification a condition of entry for premium outerwear programs.

Woolrich, founded in 1830 by John Rich in Pennsylvania and known for its Buffalo check pattern introduced in 1850 and the Arctic parka developed in 1940 for Alaskan pipeline workers, has not yet detailed how it will verify supplier compliance across its split European and Asian licensing structure ahead of the 2027 deadline.