Luxury French fashion brand Chanel has announced that fur and exotic skins will no longer be used in their collections, making it the latest high-end label to shun pelts of animals such as lizard, crocodile and snake, in its designs.
Joining other fashion houses such as Gucci, Versace and Michael Kors, Chanel announced this on the eve of its pre-fall Metiers d’Art fashion show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
A spokeswoman for the brand said that the decision was taken partly because “it is becoming increasingly difficult to source exotic skins that match our ethical standards,” adding that the ban will provide “an opportunity to create a new generation of high-end products”.
Longtime creative director Karl Lagerfeld maintained, “We did it because it’s in the air, but it’s not an air people imposed to us. It’s a free choice.”
The announcement has been welcomed by animal rights groups as a campaign victory. Burberry, Gucci, Armani, and Versace have also previously pledged to go fur-free, but Chanel is the largest luxury fashion house to ban exotic skins as well, according to animal rights organization PETA.
Animal rights’ campaigns against the use of crocodile and snake skin products have not got the same traction with the public as similar crusades against fur and some luxury brands are even investing in reptile farms so they can guarantee that skins are sourced ethically.
