Croc farms struggle to produce top-quality skins
17/10/2013
Luxury groups Kering and LVMH, whose brands include Gucci and Louis Vuitton, only use the top 10% of skins. “These are prehistoric animals that rely on instinct to protect themselves,” said Loic Bellet, marketing executive of Via La Moda, which makes crocodile handbags in Johannesburg. “Obtaining a perfect skin is not easy.”
Exotic animal skins make up almost 10% of the total revenue from handbag sales for luxury brands and can sell for 30 times more than their bovine counterparts.
To help avoid abuse of crocodiles and protect them in their natural habitat, each crocodile skin needs a certificate proving it is not in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
“It’s complicated to buy exotic skins,” said Jean Cassegrain, CEO of leathergoods firm Longchamp. “The supply is very limited.”
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