The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
The British luxury brand confirmed it would no longer use exotic leathers in future collections during its FY22 earnings call Wednesday.
Burberry had previously banned the use of real fur in September 2018, but its animal welfare policy suggests it still sources exotic skins like python, water snake and alligator.
The move to drop these materials comes amid mounting pressure from animal rights activists, after decades-long campaigns to ban fur have been largely successful. Luxury players who have already banned exotic skins include Chanel in December 2018 and, more recently, e-tailer Moda Operandi in April this year.
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Could Exotic Skins Go the Same Way as Fur?
While some companies have denounced the use of crocodile, snake and ostrich skins to make high-end leather goods, others are doubling down on the product category.
The trial of Colombian designer Nancy Gonzalez for smuggling alligator and snakeskin handbags into the US shone a rare public spotlight on the trade in the exotic skins used for some of fashion’s most expensive and controversial products.
Europe’s Parliament has signed off rules that will make brands more accountable for what happens in their supply chains, ban products made with forced labour and set new environmental standards for the design and disposal of products.
Fashion’s biggest sustainable cotton certifier said it found no evidence of non-compliance at farms covered by its standard, but acknowledged weaknesses in its monitoring approach.
As they move to protect their intellectual property, big brands are coming into conflict with a growing class of up-and-coming designers working with refashioned designer gear.