Chanel bans fur and exotic skins

PanARMENIAN.Net - Chanel has agreed to ban fur and exotic skins from its collections, saying it wanted to maintain ethical standards and following pressure from animal rights campaigners, CNN reports.

The internationally renowned French fashion house announced that it will stop producing garments and accessories made from animal fur, as well as leathery skins such as crocodile, lizard and snake.

A spokeswoman for Chanel told CNN that the decision was taken partly because it is not possible to obtain such products which meet the company's principles.

She said: "At Chanel, we are continually reviewing our supply chains to ensure they meet our expectations of integrity and traceability. In this context, it is our experience that it is becoming increasingly difficult to source exotic skins which match our ethical standards."

The spokesperson confirmed that new policy also applies to fur, adding that this decision provides "an opportunity to create a new generation of high-end products."

Chanel's creative director since 1983 is Karl Lagerfeld. He took the job 12 years after the death of its founder Coco Chanel. In a former role at Fendi, he introduced the use of skins such as mole, rabbit, and squirrel pelts into his designs.