Chanel has made the world a little safer for snakes |
Chanel has become the first luxury fashion house to turn its back on exotic animal pelts such as lizard, crocodile and snake skin, in a move hailed by animal rights groups Tuesday.
Its head of
fashion Bruno Pavlovsky declared that it "would no longer use exotic skins
in our future creations", saying it was becoming more difficult to source
high-quality pelts ethically.
Handbags,
coats and shoes made from snake, alligator and stingray skin command premium
prices, with Chanel handbags made from them reportedly selling for up to 9,000
euros ($10,300).
Python skin
bags were removed from Chanel's website Tuesday, although secondhand bags were
still on sale from more than 5,500 euros from online resale sites.
Animals
rights groups cheered the move, with the PETA and the Humane Society
International (HSI) claiming that the iconic house founded by Coco Chanel was
also renouncing the use of fur.
But in a
statement Chanel did not mention fur, saying it would no longer use crocodile,
lizard, snake and stingray to make coats, bags and shoes.
Its veteran
designer Karl Lagerfeld had earlier told the industry bible Women's Wear Daily
that Chanel used fur so rarely that he could not remember the last time it
featured on the catwalk.
He said the
brand had chosen to drop exotic skins rather than having it "imposed on
us. We did it because it's in the air.
"It's
a free choice," he added.
'Ethical
fashion'
Animal
rights groups hailed Chanel as giving a lead to other luxury brands.
By turning
its back on exotic skins, "Chanel is saving countless crocodiles, lizards,
snakes and stingrays from suffering," said HSI director Claire Bass.
"The
growth in fabulous luxury and eco-friendly fibres that don't involve animals
suffering and dying is helping to drive forward this new era of ethical
fashion.
"Fur-using
brands such as Fendi (for which Lagerfeld also designs), Dolce & Gabbana
and Louis Vuitton need to take heed and embrace this fur-free future," she
added.
PETA also
piled the pressure on Vuitton, which is owned by fashion giant LVMH.
"It's
clear that the time is now for all companies, like Louis Vuitton, to follow
Chanel's lead and move to innovative materials that spare countless animals a
miserable life and a violent, painful death," it said.
Although
top fashion brands have been under heavy pressure to renounce fur, with Gucci,
Armani, Versace and John Galliano all deciding to go fur free, Chanel's
decision to stop using exotic skins came out of the blue.
It said
that it was now concentrating on developing a new generation of "ultra
luxurious" products to replace them from its famous design studios.
Animal
rights campaigns against the use of crocodile and snake skin products have not
got the same traction with the public as similar crusades against fur, with
some luxury brands even investing in reptile farms so they can guarantee that
skins are sourced ethically.
Chanel has
made the world a little safer for snakes
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