Jane Birkin Demands That Luxury Hermès Birkin Handbags Be Renamed!
Model and singer Jane Birkin, the inspiration behind Hermès’ Birkin bag, has just publically asked that the “luxury” bag be renamed after receiving our exposé into the farming and slaughter of crocodiles and alligators for the company, which revealed that live reptiles are sawn open, among other horrors.
Jane_Birkin07 | Roland Godefroy | CC BY 3.0
In a statement released to AFP, Birkin says:
Having been alerted to the cruel practices endured by crocodiles during their slaughter for the production of Hermès bags carrying my name …, I have asked Hermès Group to rename the Birkin until better practices responding to international norms can be implemented for the production of this bag.
Birkin bags once marked people as celebrities – or at least members of the super-rich – but soon, no one will want to be caught dead carrying one. On behalf of all kind souls in the world, we thank Ms Birkin for ending her association with Hermès, and we call on Hermès to do the right thing and stop plundering wildlife, factory-farming crocodiles and alligators and slaughtering them for their skins.
Please join us by sending a message to the brand today:




Comments
i like what you guys do for all these animals world wide
but i am srry i can’t. every time i see peta i just think of peeta in the hunger games:)
PETA has been around longer than peta in the hunger games…..
i think you need to re-evaluate your morals and priorities…to compare Peta to a movie is ignorance..sign or do not bother posting comments that only simple minded people would do
I can tell by the smiley face you ended your post with that you’re about 20. wake up, get away from your computer and THINK!
Don’t flaunt your ignorance or lack of humanity with a bad joke. Creepy response!
After you mature, it will make sense.
Seriously? This is what you have to say? Examine your values and join this conversation when you have something meaningful to contribute.
It took the Lady quite some time to open her eyes and take a distance from the “Killer-bag” ad hoc!!!! But at least she did and she is doing the only thing to do! Who wnats to be an Icon for atrocity? When there is murder behind the mondane, than luxury turns into misery! Those terrifying acts are obsolete and need to become a fossil of fashion – QUICK! NOW!
Merci Jane, tu as autant de coeur que de beauté..
Horreur! Terrible! Pain! Cry
The cruelty placed on those baby allegators all for fashion. How dispictable it is, shame on the rich for buying and shame on you for making it. Greedy monsters. Better get on board the ppl of the future care about animal welfare better find another way to make money.
This is abominable and made me sick. When are humans going to get it? We are all ONE! EVEN THE ANCIENTS THANKED THEIR PREY…BEFORE HUMANELY KILLING IT.
Thankyou! I couldn’t say this in such a direct way, my message is like an essay. I bet half of the people don’t even realise what happens before the bag is made. They do not think about the cruelty.
Agree!!!
stop killing the crocodiles! in the name of what are you doing ?! for a few things from their skins, and for the money from the rich snobs who buy it.
This needs stopping its barbaric
I can´t believe this is still happening. That kind of cruelty just for a f!”#$%ng handbag for stupid women. The world is full of materials which do not require needless suffering of an animal.
who on earth would want to buy anything that involves cruelty to animals ? Just watch these videos and decide then if your ‘beautiful new handbag’ is still as beautiful!!!! STOP THIS CRUELTY !!!!!
Absolutely evil, I couldn’t imagine them people feeling ok about being treated like that and then being used as a bag after they die as someone thinks their skin is worth alot. Farming is not what it used to be, my Uncle/Grandad was a farmer and if he knew about this he wouldnt understand in anyway why fashion is important. FASHION is about having a style, having dignity and not destroying the earth in the process. Treat others how you would like to be treated, have they learnt nothing. We didn’t create Crocodiles etc, other crocodiles do, these creatures do not belong to us, they only live in the same world as us and money is a commodity. You use it to live, buy the things you need, if you have no desire for your possessions to last and maybe hand them down to children/nieces then I see no reason why you want in the first place. If character is lost, everything is lost, if health is lost, something is lost and if wealth is lost nothing is lost. Throw your money down the drain or give it to those less fortunate, then you might actually have something to show off. A watch strap is pathetic. Some celebrities try to preserve and care about nature and its environment, Ian Somerhalder for example, uses money and his education to do the opposite of what you do.
Unbelievably disgusting and barbaric just so some vile person can show off how rich they are.
anyone that knows the industry and the attention to international standards and working conditions knows that no other company cares about this more than Hermes. Visit their workshops, their farms, and see how they embrace, respect, and value Nature and the many lives she nurtures. The skins of those poor crocodiles in that video because of how they were treated would never pass Hermes inspection. Thats what your paying for when you buy their bags. The assurance that they will not stand for such practice. This video makes it so clear that this is a smear campaign from a competitor and PETA is involved. This story is very poorly established and holds no true substance.
Hermes prides itself on having no competition and certainly other luxury brands may envy that but whether they are foolhardy to think this expose hurts Hermes more than themselves – as luxury brands also using crocodile – simply doesn’t make sense.
Unfortunately Hermes uniqueness is shown to be more based on its hand craft workmanship. While the treatment of its sources is touted too, Hermes must now face this incriminating expose with a sense of shame since many customers relied on their claims to be superior and willingly bought in even and perhaps due to knowing the exotic skins and popular bags were hard to get.
The stand Jane Birkin takes publicly will make it more difficult for Hermes to turn away from PETA, and congratulations to PETA for the sensible lobbying in this direction. Slaves to/consumers of fashion are often enamored by celebrity so what Jane Birkin says and does will cause some to question further consumption of Hermes.
Great news great respect to miss birkin let’s hope this is the start of new fashion trends and more celebs start using feux fabrics
It may require a reread of Ms Birkin’s equivocation for many to understand just how far they rev up their respectometer.
If it gets PETA into the news, it is of value; there are some awesome conspiracy-theorist comments about PEtA – including in MSM, attempting to marginalize it.
This in itself may cause young ppl to look rather at their own moral feelings than just to continue espousing mamma & daddy, who are still bringing you war and forget-about-anything-not-advertised, those eternal spenders.
You hit the nail on the head about mamma and daddy – Baby Boomers are the generation that turned “ask what you can do for your country” into “what’s in it for ME”?
no words can be said .
People can see the people/companies that are harming animals far easier than ever before, and we the people no longer willing to put up with it.
Stop the barbaric treatment now.
Je t’aime, Hermes… NOT!!
C’est horrible le fric toujours le fric
I cannot believe this happens.. The pain and suffering those animals are exposed to is beyond belief. Words do not describe this appalling act .. Money always has been, and always will be, the route of all evil . FFS.. Animals feel pain too, the people that do this to them, hear them squeal and watch them wreath around in agony.. How can they .. What’s wrong with these people. And, for those that buy these products.. Shame on you, for you are just as bad push your own hand carts to hell !!!!
i agree. how can these rich people be so cruel and self centered. i dont understand how jane is asking them not to use her name i thought it was like before, companys PAY to use your name. she shouldnt ask them she should TELL THEM! (stop or were done!) also, made made looks better!.. PS. charities and the failure of animal research, what charities will never tell us (and vegan by design!). all the facts are on my facebook.
The butchery of these poor animals for a supposedly luxury piece of nonsense is utterly shameful. A bag is a bag and could be made with simple, non-animal materials.
I’m totally disgusted by such inhumane cruelty to innocent creatures – when will this ever end.
Pls everyone keep posting and hopefully one day these horrendous acts will cease
I cannot how cruel people can be! :'( I’ve never been a fan of animal print or skin, but even if I was… Knowing this… How do people keep supplying a market for this!! :-O oh, this is do terrible… Those poor animals… May God have mercy on us for destroying His creations…
I wish and hope there is this much outcry for babies murdered in the name of abortion. Think of the babies too. Torturing animals for luxury items is barbaric and has no place in civilized society. Also imagine selling aborted baby parts for profit…are you human? Think about it for a second.
No to animal cruelty. The least we can do if using animal products is to treat them with respect and to kill them humanely.
In humane and vicious Pratice . Please help those poor animals for human fashion. Sad
This abuse is an awful way to make pocketbooks or anything else . Animal abuse needs to stop it’s cruel and unjust
Please make all products with VEGAN policy.
Seriously??? Jane Birkin sees the horrific terror, abuse and slaughter these baby alligators endure for a stupid purse and all she is willing to do is ask for the name to be changed??? She is pathetic and has shown she is more interested in money than showing any amount of compassion or humanity. If she were a decent person, she would demand her company discontinue the use of alligator skins. She would still make money…it just wouldn’t be at the expense of innocent animals. Shame, shame on you JANE BIRKIN! You disgust me!
Hi Jenn,
The Birkin bag was named after Jane Birkin, but Hermès is not ‘her company’ and she is not in any way responsible for the unethical treatment of animals carried out by Hermès suppliers. By speaking out, she has made headlines all over the world and helped thousands of people learn about how reptiles are abused by the exotic skins industry. It’s a compassionate move and we applaud her for it!
Brava, Jane Birkin! You are, indeed, a beautiful person. Thank you for speaking out about this.
It is beyond me why any person would feel it okay to hurt, torture and exploit animals in these ways for vanity. I can’t fathom wanting to buy something knowing something suffered so greatly. Who do we think we are to feel the need to attain such trivial pieces of luxury items at the cruel death of others? Disgusting and equals immoral status to anyone carrying or wearing such items.
All handbags, belts and shoes should be made of plastics.
Obviously the human kind has not evolved since the Middle Age. What a sad truth.
The problem with all this is that lots of people don’t know these facts. Thank you PETA for your good work and for informing the public. I wish that you could expand your campains to billboards on the roads, magazines for women, newspapers, ads on TV at crucial hours, etc… Shock the public!
What is wrong with this barbaric country. This is beyond cruel and I humane. What does it say for those who commit such horrendous crimes. All murderers
What a shame on purchaser cruelty of innocent animal !
I’m so glad Jane is stepping up for animals that have no defense against cruel but powerful business people!
I find it appalling that Hermes would support and profit by the unimaginable suffering of animals.
Vive Jane Birkin!!!!
Well done on taking a stance.
Hermes’ reply that they do not “own” the farm is pathetic – a supplier is someone you do business with, not a company you necessarily “own”. Whether or not they own those farms changes nothing. Hermes’ poor attempt at distancing themselves from the facts is disingenuous.
Stop being cruel for fashion
You know you hold blood money
Please stop killing these defenceless, superior beings. They all deserve to live.
I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Absolutely stunned. This has got to stop. Any person buying any items from Hermes is guilty of cruelty towards an animal that has managed to survive since the dinosaur were roaming our planet. Disgusting.
cruelty to animals. Stop your cruelty.
this is just a horror torturing animals so selfish “humans” can walk around with the skins on them or used in the making of their accessories what is wrong with the human race … i go as far as to not consume meat/dairy its all horrible and deplorable and the torture for unnecessary things makes it down right evil
Stop the abuse of crocodiles!
If it has a face we should not not kill it, eat it or wear it.
Animal Abusers are the Worst of humanity! I wonder if this Nature or nurture at work?
A person who abuses animals forfeit their right to live free!
These are true acts of animal cruelty at its highest form,what I’ve just witnessed was barbaric and is now permanently seared in my mind. Disgusting!!!