Big News: Burberry Bans Exotic Skins!
Animal defenders are jumping for joy over news that Burberry has banned exotic skins! The good news for pythons and alligators comes after a seven-year campaign by PETA entities.
From sharing hard-hitting exposés with company decision-makers to protesting in the streets during fashion weeks to speaking out at boardroom meetings, we took every opportunity to persuade the brand to stop profiting from the suffering of reptiles, highlighting that the exotic-skins industry destroys the planet and the animals who live on it. Most recently, during the COVID-19 stock market downturn, PETA US became a shareholder in Burberry and took the call for a ban on exotic skins to the company’s annual meeting.
Back in 2018, after more than a decade of vigorous campaigning by PETA entities, Burberry banned fur and angora. Now, we are excited to see the iconic brand join Calvin Klein, Chanel, Jil Sander, Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood, Victoria Beckam, and other top designers in giving exotic skins the boot.
Alligators and Pythons Are Not Handbags
Multiple undercover investigations have proved that the exotic-skins industry is all about intense suffering, extreme filth, unsanitary conditions, and horrific violence and killing.
A recent PETA Asia exposé showed that pythons reared for the fashion industry are confined to dirty wire cages, in which they spend their lives unable to stretch out to their full length. Then, workers close off their mouths and anuses with rubber bands, insert a hose into a hole cut into the head or the tail, and inflate the snakes with an air compressor, causing them considerable pain as they suffocate to death.
In the US and Africa, investigators observed that alligators are packed together in fetid water and dank, dark sheds. Workers crudely hacked open their necks and shoved a metal rod into their heads in an attempt to scramble their brains. Some animals were still conscious and kicking minutes later. Their skins were then exported to Europe to be made into “luxury” items.
Public Health Hazard
In addition to the intense suffering, conservation experts have warned that confining and slaughtering wild animals in unsanitary conditions creates a breeding ground for viruses like the one causing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health experts – including at the United Nations and the World Health Organization – recently highlighted humanity’s “broken relationship with nature” and warned that the next pandemic could come from the fashion industry.
Will Hermès, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton Be Next?
When we ask, they listen. Tell other fashion giants that you want them to use ethical, animal-free materials – not the skin of a tortured animal. Urge Hermès, Gucci, and LVMH – owner of Louis Vuitton – to follow suit and drop exotic skins immediately:
