(Updated: 30th July 2015)

Hermes has responded with the following statement to address the issue:

"Jane Birkin has expressed her concerns regarding practices for slaughtering crocodiles. Her comments do not in any way influence the friendship and confidence that we have shared for many years. Hermès respects and shares her emotions and was also shocked by the images recently broadcast.

An investigation is underway at the Texas farm which was implicated in the video. Any breach of rules will be rectified and sanctioned. Hermès specifies that this farm does not belong to them and that the crocodile skins supplied are not used for the fabrication of Birkin bags.

Hermès imposes on its partners the highest standards in the ethical treatment of crocodiles. For more than 10 years, we have organized monthly visits to our suppliers.

We control their practices and their conformity with slaughter standards established by veterinary experts and by the Fish and Wildlife (a federal American organization for the protection of nature) and with the rules established under the aegis of the U.N.O, by the Washington Convention of 1973 which defines the protection of endangered species."

 

Earlier this week, British singer Jane Birkin has asked luxury manufacturer Hermes to remove her name from its crocodile-skin handbag after learning of the "cruel" methods used to make the iconic accessory.

Costing tens of thousands of euros, the Birkin bag is a symbol of wealth and is much-loved by celebrities, but the version made out of crocodile skin has attracted the ire of animal rights activists.

(British actress Jane Birkin poses on October 14, 1969 in Paris) 

"Having been alerted to the cruel practices reserved for crocodiles during their slaughter to make Hermes handbags carrying my name... I have asked Hermes to debaptise the Birkin Croco until better practices in line with international norms can be put in place," Birkin, 68, said in a statement.

The bag was designed for Birkin in 1984, after a chance meeting of the singer and the then president of Hermes, Jean-Louis Dumas. A young mother at the time, she complained she could not find a bag that was both elegant and practical.

The bag has since become a celebrities' favourite, beloved of Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian and characters in the popular "Sex and the City" television series, among others.

(Hermes Birkin with crocodile leather) 

The crocodile version, which costs at least 33,000 euros ($36,000), is one of Hermes's best-known products, along with its silk scarves and purses named after Grace Kelly.

The handbag, which also comes in cow, calf or ostrich leather, is made entirely by hand in France. Each bag takes 18 to 25 hours to complete.

But the cherished handbags recently became the focus of an expose by rights group PETA on crocodile farms from Texas to Zimbabwe, where the reptiles are allegedly crammed into barren concrete pits before being "cruelly hacked" to death.

PETA said it takes two or three crocodiles to make one Birkin.

Welcoming Birkin's decision, PETA said on its website Tuesday: "On behalf of all kind souls in the world, we thank Ms Birkin for ending her association with Hermes."

 

 

(Source: AFP Relaxnews; Photos: AFP Photos)

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