Karl Lagerfeld Affirms Ban on Exotic Skins Following PETA US Approach
Karl Lagerfeld Affirms Ban on Exotic Skins Following PETA US Approach
Brand Cuts Ties With the Wildlife Trade After Pandemic Warnings
London – After hearing from PETA US – and as wildlife experts warn that the trade in snake, crocodile, and other exotic-animal skins could fuel the spread of diseases like COVID-19 – Karl Lagerfeld has banned the use of exotic skins.
“Karl Lagerfeld has taken a business-savvy step by discontinuing the use of skins stolen from wild animals, and the company may just save some human lives in the process,” says PETA Director of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor. “Kind shoppers can do their part by opting for the latest fashions in vegan clothing and accessories, knowing that no animal was killed for them.”
PETA US – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear” – has sent Karl Lagerfeld the findings of its undercover investigations into the exotic-skins industry. Snakes are commonly nailed to trees and their bodies are cut open from one end to the other as they’re skinned alive. Alligators are crammed together in fetid water inside dank, dark sheds and a metal rod is jammed down their spines while they’re still conscious and kicking. And young ostriches are transported by lorry to slaughtering stations, where workers flip them upside down and slit their throats while other ostriches watch in terror.
The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have originated in a Chinese wet market where wild animals, both dead and alive, were sold for consumption. Many such markets are still operating. The intensive farming of wild animals for their skin and flesh results in animal-to-human transmission of newly evolved viruses. Experts warn that exotic-animal farms are breeding grounds for pathogens, increasing the risk of future pandemics.
The Karl Lagerfeld brand banned fur last year following communications with PETA US. Prior to his death, Lagerfeld himself was creative director at Chanel, which banned fur and exotic skins in 2018. Karl Lagerfeld now joins Mulberry, Diane von Furstenberg, Paul Smith, Victoria Beckham, Vivienne Westwood, and many others in banning exotic skins.
PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Contact:
Sascha Camilli +44 (0) 20 7923 6244; [email protected]
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