‘Ridiculous’ ban on exotic animal skins at London fashion week criticised by experts
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Trade can help protect species – and real skins are often more sustainable than synthetic alternatives, say conservationists. Conservation experts have criticised a decision by London fashion week to ban exotic animal skins from its 2025 shows as “ridiculous”, warning that it is ill-informed and could harm the protection of many snakes, crocodiles and reptile species.
![[A model’s feet, wearing boots with a snakeskin pattern]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7af10b4739ca403f17d5ec4e5a6b0e64c11fb7ed/0_245_4134_2480/master/4134.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Last month, the British Fashion Council’s deputy director for policy and engagement, David Leigh-Pemberton, told parliament that next year’s fashion shows would prohibit the use of skins from alligators, snakes and other animals. In a statement, the council said the ban was part of a wider range of standards to promote sustainable practices in the fashion industry.
But scientific experts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), one of the world’s leading conservation bodies, have condemned the decision, saying exotic skins are often far more sustainable choices than leather and synthetic materials. They say a ban would undermine economic incentives for communities to conserve species – warning that claims the decision was made for sustainability reasons were “wrong”.
Luxury bags made from exotic skins can sell for tens of thousands of pounds, with some of the money going to the conservation of the species from which they are made. Daniel Natusch, chair of the IUCN snake specialist group, questioned the basis of the decision. He pointed to examples of community groups in Papua New Guinea and along the Zambezi River that had developed sustainable harvesting systems for exotic skins that benefited communities and wildlife overall.
