Hermès Responds After Jane Birkin Demands Her Name Be Removed From Iconic Bag

The model and singer Jane Birkin has demanded that her name be removed from the iconic luxury Hermès handbag which bears her name, following an investigation by the animal rights group PETA, who claim that barbaric farming and slaughter methods of crocodiles and alligators are used in the production of some of the handbags.

PETA claims that alligators from a farm in Texas, whose skins are supplied to Hermès-owned tanneries, are subject to cruel treatment, such as being cut and hacked at while still conscious.

At a facility in Zimbabwe, one of the world's largest exporters of Nile crocodile skins, which also allegedly supplies skins to tanneries owned by Hermès, tens of thousands of crocodiles are confined to concrete pits from birth to slaughter, the group claims. PETA says it takes two to three of the creatures to make each accessory.

PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk confirmed to Newsweek that they had responded to a "whistleblower call" about the practices at the Lone Star Alligator Farm, and sent someone undercover to work there from October to November 2014 to sniff it out. The organization also sent someone to Zimbabwe in August 2014 to "see if there was a contrast" between production there and in Texas.

In a statement released to AFP on Tuesday, Birkin said: "Having been alerted to the cruel practices endured by crocodiles during their slaughter for the production of Hermès bags carrying my name... I have asked Hermès Group to rename the Birkin until better practices responding to international norms can be implemented for the production of this bag."

Responding to the news, PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said: "PETA, on behalf of all kind souls in the world, thanks Ms Birkin for ending her association with Hermès, which makes grotesque handbags that were revealed in a PETA exposé to be constructed from the skins of factory-farmed and cruelly slaughtered crocodiles."

However, in a response released yesterday by the Hermès Group, the company denied that the farm in Texas belonged to it and said it was "shocked" by the images broadcast by PETA. The company also says it imposes "the highest standards in the ethical treatment of crocodiles" on its partners, and organises monthly visits to its suppliers.

"Jane Birkin has expressed her concerns regarding practices for slaughtering crocodiles," the statement read. "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," the statement continues. "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."

The crocodile-skin version of the highly-coveted bag, often seen on the arms of celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, can fetch as much as $222,000.

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Felicity is a reporter for Newsweek Europe based in London. Twitter: @FelicityCapon

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