Animal Activists Slam Dakota Johnson and Gucci for 'Extremely Damaging' Exotic Skin Campaign
PETA is calling for the actress to pledge to stop promoting the use of exotic-skin fashion items in favor of innovative, cruelty-free materials.
Actor Dakota Johnson has been slammed by animal rights activists for wearing exotic skins in her latest campaign for luxury fashion house Gucci. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said that Johnson’s decision to promote handbags made from real python and crocodile leather was “extremely damaging” and urged the actor to pledge to stop wearing and promoting exotic-skin fashion items in favor of vegan alternatives.
The American actor and fashion model had been starring in a new commercial for the brand’s flagship 1961 bag made of python and crocodile skins, which can cost up to $52,000.
In a letter addressed to Johnson, PETA said: “The exotic-skins industry is extremely cruel. PETA Asia recently investigated an Indonesian slaughterhouse that supplies skins to Gucci, and the findings were horrific. Workers were caught on camera bashing reptiles in the head with machetes and hacking at their necks up to 14 times before they were decapitated for their skin. Crocodiles killed for their skins are often kept in filthy, crowded tanks on “crocodile farms.”
In addition, PETA highlighted that the process of killing snakes involves invasion of their homes, after which they are nailed to trees and then skinned alive before being left to die from shock or dehydration, which can take days.
According to Dr. Clifford Warwick, a reptile expert who reviewed PETA Asia’s footage, decapitating live, conscious reptiles has been recognized as extremely inhumane by major scientific bodies for approximately four decades and is illegal in some parts of the world. He said, “the film depicts the brutal treatment and killing of lizards using methods that are strongly inconsistent with scientific evidence-based protocols, are contraindicated, are abusive, and are inhumane.”
The advocacy organization also wrote that in California, the sale of “the very goods” being promoted by Johnson are banned due to the cruel snake killing methods.
PETA is calling for the actor to pledge to stop promoting the use of exotic-skin fashion items, especially since there are so many vegan alternatives that do not involve animal abuse. Johnson has not yet responded to the letter.
“There’s really no excuse to support such a violent industry,” said PETA’s Celebrity Outreach Principal Jessica Shotorbani. “If she wants to advertise what’s in fashion today, that means mock croc and fake snake, all vegan skins.”
Innovative Materials Disrupting the Fashion Industry
Many leading fashion companies, including Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Burberry, and Carolina Herrera, have banned exotic skins due to the extreme animal cruelty inherent in the industry. To meet the accelerating demand for sustainable, animal-friendly products, they are offering vegan options made from pineapples, mushrooms, apples, cacti, and other innovative, next-gen materials.
Stella McCartney recently debuted the first-ever fungi-leather handbag, while fashion brands around the world, including Nike, H&M, Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, and Zara have released products made from pineapple leather.
Urge Gucci to stop using exotic skins by sending a polite message to their CEO Marco Bizzarri at marco.bizzarri@gucci.com or by filling in their customer service form here.
Check out some of our favorite animal-free leather alternatives here and learn more about these next-gen materials by listening to our podcast episode with Sydney Gladman, the chief scientific officer at Material Innovation Initiative (MII), and Ranjani Theregowda, MII’s environmental data scientist here.
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