Altuzarra Bans Exotic Skins After PETA Push

For immediate release:
October 19, 2021

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

New York – A box of vegan alligator chocolates en route from PETA to Altuzarrawhich confirmed that forbidden exotic skins… The announcement came after PETA sent out revealing articles from the luxury brand documenting animal cruelty in the exotic skins trade, as well as studies showing the industry poses a risk of future epidemics.

“By ditching ostrich skin and python wallets, Altuzarra saves animal lives and protects public health,” says PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman. “PETA celebrates this merciful move to help steer the fashion industry towards a cruelty-free future.”

PETA entities are cruel to animals in the trade in exotic skins around the world. A revelatory article by PETA Asia showed workers in Vietnam inflating snakes with compressed air, causing them to suffocate, as well as electric shocks, stabbing, inflating and apparently skinning crocodiles alive. In Texas, PETA found workers roughly punched alligators in the necks and hacked their brains with metal rods, and in South Africa, PETA found workers stunned ostriches, turned them upside down, and slit their throats.

Experts warn that these unsanitary and crowded conditions are the perfect breeding ground for viruses like the one that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, which is believed to have originated in a live animal market similar to the farms where exotic skins come from.

Altuzarra joins a growing list of leading designers and retailers, including Calvin Klein, Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, HUGO BOSS, Karl Lagerfeld, Victoria Beckham and Vivienne Westwood, who have banned the sale of exotic leathers. PETA encourages Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Prada and other brands to follow suit.

PETA – whose motto is in part that “the animals are not ours” – opposes arrogance, a worldview focused on human excellence. For more information on collecting news and reporting on PETA investigations, please visit PETA.org or subscribe to the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram…