Dakota Johnson Paid to Push Illegal Python Skins for Gucci, PETA US Says
On the heels of actor Dakota Johnson’s new campaign modeling snakeskin bags for Gucci, PETA US has rushed her a letter notifying her that the production of python bags is so cruel that selling them is illegal in California. Pushing her to stop promoting and wearing all exotic skins, the letter points to a recent PETA Asia investigation into a slaughterhouse that supplies Gucci, which revealed workers beheading and dismembering live animals to make the brand’s wallets, belts, and purses.
“Workers were caught on camera bashing reptiles over the head with machetes and hacking at their necks up to 14 times before they were decapitated for their skin,” writes PETA US Celebrity Outreach Principal Jessica Shotorbani. “There’s really no excuse to support such a violent industry. If she wants to advertise what’s in fashion today, that means mock croc and fake snake, all vegan skins.”
PETA entities’ investigations into the exotic-skins industry have also documented that workers inflate pythons with compressed air, electroshock crocodiles, shove metal rods into alligators’ heads in an attempt to scramble their brains, and cut snakes open with razorblades.
Nine out of 10 Gen Z consumers – who, together with millennials, boast £205 billion in spending power in the US alone – say that companies should show environmental and social consciousness in their business practices. Many companies – including Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Burberry, Victoria Beckham, Mulberry, and Carolina Herrera – have banned exotic skins, and many more are meeting the growing demand for sustainable, animal-friendly products by offering vegan options made from pineapples, mushrooms, apples, cacti, and other innovative materials.
