Gucci Owner Confronted With Shocking Python Slaughter
Update (29 April 2024):
At Kering’s annual meeting last week, a representative of shareholder PETA US urged the company to ban exotic skins, citing extreme cruelty to animals in its supply chain. Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault replied that the company was “ready to collaborate with [PETA] to put an end to this type of practice, even if we continue to use exotic skins”.
In response, PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk wrote to Pinault to propose that PETA US accompany Kering representatives on a visit to the company’s exotic-animal farms and abattoirs, where animals are routinely abused and killed for fashion accessories.
Even on farms that are certified, audited, and verified by third parties, the cruel methods used to kill animals … are standard. … In the interests of a genuine desire to move matters forward, we suggest that PETA accompany Kering representatives on a visit to the company’s exotic-animal farms and slaughterhouses.
– Ingrid Newkirk
Original post (26 April 2024):
At Kering’s annual meeting, a representative of PETA US – which owns stock in the company – hammered executives with a request to cut ties with the vile reptile-skin industry before showing video footage from the most recent PETA Asia investigation into farms in Thailand that supply snakeskin to Kering-owned tannery Caravel. Here’s what was in this video:
Cruelty Behind Gucci Handbags
Kering is the parent company of Gucci, Saint Laurent, and other brands. The investigation above is the latest to uncover appalling cruelty at the group’s reptile-skin suppliers.
Before sensitive pythons are turned into purses and wallets, workers pin them down by the neck, bash them in the head with a hammer, and punch metal hooks through their heads.
To make the skin easier to remove, workers inflate the snakes with water, even as they continue to move. According to Dr Clifford Warwick, a reptile expert who reviewed the footage, it’s likely that most of the animals were conscious during this horrifically painful process. The snakes were then skinned.
Python Skin Is Out, Pineapple Leather Is In
Never buy anything made of the skins of animals. There’s nothing luxurious about hacking up terrified and struggling pythons for a few bags and belts.
Today, world-leading designers are championing vegan leather options made from pineapples, mushrooms, apples, cacti, and other innovative materials that look fabulous and are better for the planet and kinder to animals.
Kering needs to join the growing list of top fashion houses – including Burberry, Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, Jean Paul Gaultier, Victoria Beckham, and Vivienne Westwood – which have banned the use of reptile skin and that of other wildlife from their collections.
Take a Moment to Help Pythons!
PETA is calling on Kering to leave the disgusting reptile-skin business and switch to the cruelty-free vegan materials that compassionate consumers demand. Help us put more pressure on the brand’s executives – send them a message now:
