Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger Ban Exotic Animal Skins
They join an increasing number of fashion brands that are banning ‘exotic’ animal leather from their collections, and taking a stand for the thousands of animals - including alligators, snakes, and ostriches - who are killed for their skins in the fashion industry.
Wildlife including snakes, ostriches, and crocodiles, are farmed in their thousands in order to produce ‘luxury’ fashion items like handbags and shoes.
Now, PVH Corp. - the parent company of iconic US brands Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein - has become the latest business to commit to a ban on exotic skins, as part of what it calls its “long-term strategy to drive fashion for good”.
The move is an important step forward for phasing out exotic skins from the fashion industry, as animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA) has been urging PVH to instate this ban for more than a decade. The decision comes after recent discussions with the designers about the wildlife trade’s connection to contagious diseases like COVID-19.
“PETA is toasting Tommy Hilfiger for banning exotic-animal skins from his collections”, says PETA Vice President Dan Mathews. “Behind every crocodile-skin or snakeskin item is an animal who experienced a violent, bloody death. As wildlife biologists point out, in addition to being cruel and unnecessary, the capture, confinement, and slaughter of wild animals is what spawns pandemics like the one we’re all suffering through now.”
The company joins other leading fashion brands, including the likes of Chanel, Hugo Boss, and Vivienne Westwood, who have already banned exotic skins from their collections.
Recent investigations have shown some of the horrific practises used by the fashion industry in order to farm and produce exotic skins. PETA points out how “alligators’ necks are hacked open and metal rods are shoved into their heads; snakes are pumped full of water to loosen their skin, which is peeled off, often while they’re still conscious; and feathers are yanked out of ostriches while the birds are still alive”.
Thankfully, PVH’s ban on exotic skins is the latest sign that the fashion industry is continuing to turn away from using animal skins and furs, as consumers increasingly look for more ethical and animal-free fashions.
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The footage was reportedly recorded at Marshall BioResources in North Rose, New York, where up to 22,000 dogs - mostly beagles - are being bred for animal experimentation.