Great News! Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne, Jean Paul Gaultier, Nina Ricci, and Dries Van Noten Ditch Exotic Skins
PETA is celebrating after luxury fashion company Puig – owner of labels Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne, Jean Paul Gaultier, Nina Ricci, and Dries Van Noten – confirmed it will stop selling items made from the skins of snakes, crocodiles, and other exotic animals.
The family-owned Spanish company, which says it “aims to leave a better world for the next generation”, has assured PETA that “steps have already been taken to no longer use exotic skins” at its CH Carolina Herrera sub-brand, meaning the crocodile and python accessories currently available will be its last.
Snakes and Alligators Aren’t Handbags
Behind every item made out of exotic skins is an animal who endured a violent, bloody death.
PETA has released several exposés of the exotic-skins industry, revealing rampant cruelty. A recent PETA Asia exposé shows the horrific way pythons are killed for their skin. The python’s mouth and anus are closed off with rubber bands, and workers cut a hole in either the snake’s head or tail to insert a hose and then inflate the animal with an air compressor, causing them to suffocate to death.
Alligators are commonly kept in fetid water inside dank, dark sheds until they’re slaughtered. Their necks are hacked open and a metal rod is shoved up into their brains, often while they’re fully conscious. At just a year old, ostriches, who are killed for their skin and feathers, are transported by lorry to abattoirs, where workers flip them upside down, stun them, and slit their throats.
Public Health Hazard
The exotic-skins industry also poses a significant public-health risk: experts warn that these unsanitary and crowded conditions are the perfect breeding ground for viruses such as the one that caused the COVID-19 pandemic – believed to have originated in a live-animal market similar to the farms exotic skins come from.
Who’s Next?
Puig’s brands join a growing list of top designers and retailers – including Calvin Klein, Chanel, Victoria Beckham, Paul Smith, Selfridges, and Mulberry – which have all banned the sale of exotic skins.
We applaud Puig’s compassionate decision and encourage other brands to follow its example. We’re calling on other leading fashion brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Prada, to ban exotic skins. Will you join us?
