PARIS, July 29 (UPI) — French luxury goods manufacturer Hermes Group has produced an Elle Birkin bag for 31 years – now, its namesake wants nothing to do with it.
Actress and singer Jane Birkin issued a statement Tuesday, saying she became aware of the practices the company used to make the bag.
She said crocodiles were cruelly slaughtered in the process and that she has asked Hermes Group to rename the bag until better practices are found for the bag’s production. The announcement came after a recent PETA investigation into alligator slaughter at the farms that Hermes uses as suppliers.
The Paris-based manufacturer replied to Birkin, saying her comments regarding the practices do not influence Birkin and the company’s friendship. It also sain an investigation is underway at the Texas farm Birkin implicated.
The manufacturer added the farm does not belong to them and the crocodile skins that are supplied by the farm are not used to make Birkin bags. Furthermore, Hermes said it has organized monthly trips to its suppliers for more than 10 years and that its suppliers conform with slaughter standards set forth by U.S. agencies for the protection of nature, such as the Fish and Wildlife Service.
The manufacturer did not comment on whether the bags would be renamed.
Hermes’ Birkin bags are expensive — upward of $150,000 — and can sometimes take years to become available for a consumer.
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