Victory! Selfridges Confirms It Will Stop Selling All Exotic Skins
Following an appeal from PETA, Selfridges has confirmed that it will become the first major department-store chain to ban all exotic skins, sparing countless remarkable animals immense suffering and violent slaughter.
From 2020, the company will keep all garments and accessories made from the skins of crocodiles, alligators, snakes, and lizards off its shelves. The luxury retailer had already banned the sale of fur and angora as well as foie gras following pressure from PETA.
Confirming the ban, Selfridges Buying Director Sebastian Manes said:
“We are dedicated to being at the very forefront of future-thinking retail. For us, that’s a future where luxury is defined by craftsmanship and material innovation.”
Where Do Exotic Skins Come From?
PETA and our affiliates have released several exposés of the exotic-skins industry.
Alligators are kept in fetid water inside dank, dark sheds before their necks are hacked open and metal rods are shoved into their heads in an attempt to scramble their brains, often while they’re fully conscious.
Snakes are commonly nailed to trees, and their bodies are cut open from one end to the other as they’re skinned alive, in the belief that live-flaying keeps their skin supple.
Workers sometimes use a mallet and a chisel to sever crocodiles’ spinal cords – which paralyses but does not kill them, and lizards are often decapitated, but some writhe in agony as their skin is torn off.
Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
Selfridges joins major fashion houses such as Victoria Beckham, Chanel, and Vivienne Westwood as well as fellow department store Liberty in banning exotic skins. The decision marks a shift in the industry towards innovative, high-end vegan fabrics, and PETA looks forward to seeing who’ll make this ethical choice next.
What You Can Do
- Never buy items made from exotic animal skins – instead, opt for fake snake, mock croc, and embossed vegan fabrics.
- Please also speak out for the animals exploited and slaughtered for their skin – ask Hermès and LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, to stop selling items made with exotic skins and fur:
