The Bag Lady: Weekly Debate

Animal rights campaigners condemn fashion's use of snakeskin

Tracy's post today about her reservations over Jimmy Choo's crocodile Romona bag inspired me to raise the issue of the use of snakeskin in fashion on The Bag Lady and Catwalk Queen, particularly since it has PETA campaigners so angry right now. They're urging the fashion industry and its consumers to avoid using snakeskin products after a rise in the trend hit the catwalks again this season.

Animal skins have been recently used in shoes and accessories by fashion labels including Jimmy Choo, Donna Karan, Mulberry, Gucci, Prada, Roberto Cavalli and Yves Saint Laurent. The trend has also been spotted on the likes of Eva Longoria and Kylie Minogue who was seen with a Zagliani python handbag at the Prince concert last week.

Protesters argue that the use of snake skin is cruel, unregulated and could be speeding up the extinction of certain species. "The skins industry has been pushing itself as a fashion product for some time now. Then Vogue puts it in the magazine and it is fashionable," said Clifford Warwick, a reptile expert and consultant with the Animal Protection Agency.

Posted by Kimberley Foster on October 2, 2007 3:05 PM in Weekly Debate
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Is Anya Hindmarch's 'I'm Not A Plastic Bag' tote really eco-friendly?

Imnotaplasticbag2 When I first saw these cotton shopping bags swinging from the shoulders of Keira Knightley and the Lilies (Cole and Allen) I thought what a novel yet clever way to help the environment. Then of course, because they had been spotted on the likes of Knightley and co., they became popular... very popular and limited stocks sold out almost as quickly as you could say 'eco-friendly'. Then, as is now the case with highly-sought after fashion items, the £5 bags flooded eBay selling up to as much as £200, around the same price as a regular Hindmarch bag! I began to wonder, with such limited supplies what was the real point behind these supposedly eco-friendly bags? And if they are really meant to help the environment then why weren't they made readily available from Sainsburys at the beginning? Why wait until April 25th?

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Weekly Debate - How Much Would You Spend On A Handbag?

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I'd love to introduce another weekly feature here at The Bag Lady (as if you don't have them coming out of your ears already!), a weekly feature where we discuss earth-shattering, worldly, important topics such as how much would you spend on a designer handbag? I'd love to know your thoughts on this matter, as I tend to write mostly about designer pieces on this blog, and wonder how many of you can actually afford them. Click on the jump below for my opinion, and to leave your own.