‘False assumption’ from London Fashion Week over exotic leather
Senior figures from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have issued forceful criticism of a decision by London Fashion Week to ban exotic leather from its shows from 2025.
The chair of IUCN’s committee on sustainable use and livelihoods, Dr Dilys Roe, has said London Fashion Week was making an assumption that exotic leather was unethical. “It’s a false assumption,” she told The Guardian.
She said that snakeskin leather was not from endangered reptile species, and that, in many communities, people have an incentive to support and carry out conservation initiatives for species such as crocodiles.
She also made the point that if a consumer invests in an expensive handbag made from exotic leather, it guarantees the bag will stay in use for many years. She said this was the opposite of fast fashion.
