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British retailer Selfridges has announced that it will stop selling products made from exotic animal skins such as python, alligator, lizard and crocodile skin from 2020.
Cruelty-free fashion is in vogue right now, so much so in fact that designers are announcing their intentions to ban the use of fur and exotic animal skins from their collections with increasing frequency.
Fur has been rapidly falling out of fashion with designers in recent years with big brands such as Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, Gucci, Michael Kors, Versace, Burberry, Donna Karan, Coach, Chanel, Jean Paul Gautier and Jimmy Choo all turning their backs on fur.
Now high-street retailers are waking up and taking notice by examining their own sales of products made with materials that are far from cruelty-free.
British department store Selfridge has just announced plans to phase out the sale of products made of python, alligator, lizard and crocodile skin with its ultimate aim being to only sell leather from agricultural livestock as of February 2020, despite the suffering of animals at the hands of the leather industry.
The retailer is also working towards ensuring that half of all its products are eco-friendly by 2022 and that “ethical and environmental considerations are made visible and accessible towards customers.”
Speaking about the decision to WWD, Selfridges’ buying director Sebastian Manes said: “We are dedicated to being at the very forefront of future-thinking retail. For us, that’s a future where luxury is defined by craftsmanship and material innovation.”
The decision to cease the sales of products made from exotic skins has been praised by Humane Society International.
“Banning exotic skins in recognition of the serious animal welfare issues that exist in this industry is a natural next step for a responsible retailer,” said Claire Bass, the organization’s executive director.
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Image credit: Selfridges/Facebook
