Breaking! Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, And Many Other High Fashion Brands Have Banned Exotic Animal Skins In Their Designs

We are pleased to announce that Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein have officially banned exotic animal skins. Their parent company, PVH Corp., made the decision following discussions with PETA. The animal welfare organization had voiced their concerns with both designers about the wildlife trade’s connection to contagious diseases like COVID-19.

“At Tommy Hilfiger, we’re committed to creating a better fashion industry by creating fashion that ‘Wastes Nothing and Welcomes All.’ We have always [taken] and will always take the environment, human rights, our community and related matters very seriously, which is why we don’t use fur or exotic skins in any of our collections. Together, we can drive fashion forward for good,” Hilfiger told PETA in a statement.

The severely crowded, filthy conditions in which wild animals are raised and slaughtered for their skins are similar to those that gave rise to the novel coronavirus, and they pose a potential threat of future pandemics. PETA has documented not only cruelty to animals, but also grossly unhygienic conditions on farms in the U.S., Africa, and Asia.

“PETA is toasting Tommy Hilfiger for banning exotic-animal skins from his collections,” said PETA’s Senior Vice President Dan Mathews. “Behind every crocodile-skin or snakeskin item is an animal who experienced a violent, bloody death. As wildlife biologists point out, in addition to being cruel and unnecessary, the capture, confinement, and slaughter of wild animals is what spawns pandemics like the one we’re all suffering through now.”

PETA and its affiliates have documented that in the exotic-skins industry, alligators are horrifically killed in the most heinous ways; snakes are pumped full of water to loosen their skin, which is peeled off, often while they’re still conscious; and feathers are yanked out of ostriches while the birds are still alive.

PVH joins Brooks Brothers, Jil Sander, Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, HUGO BOSS, Victoria Beckham, Vivienne Westwood, and many other companies in banning exotic skins.

Make Compassion The Fashion! 

You can help all animals and our planet by choosing compassion on your plate and in your glass. #GoVeg