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Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – the vintage Hermès Elephant leather bag that sparked outrage and sent luxury fashion lovers reeling. Does Hermès still use elephant skin? Let’s explore the scandalous story of the controversial elephant leather bag and who the brand kills to make handbags.
Never forget Hermès Elephant Leather Birkin bags
While Hermès never officially sold elephant leather bags, the fashion brand made a series of bags from the skin of an elephant that was allegedly shot and killed on a safari in the 1980s.
Elephants, like the one killed for Birkin and Kelly leather bags, are highly social animals that bond closely with their families and mourn the death of loved ones. In their natural home, elephants spend their days socializing, swimming, browsing and playing.
Public outrage over elephant skin bags should get you thinking
When pictures of the elephant leather bag surfaced, social media erupted. Commenters were quick to express their disgust at the elephant leather bag, sharing things like “Who sees this and thinks it’s a fashion statement to accessorize an elephant’s skin?” and “…I’m definitely with PETA on [this] one.”

The cost of a Hermès Birkin bag
A Birkin bag can cost anywhere from around $10,000 to $2 million – and they all cost animals their lives. Hermès makes most Kelly and Birkin bags from the skin of two to three crocodiles and alligators, which are raised and forced to live on factory farms before workers skin and kill them.

Like elephants, crocodiles are curious, sensitive individuals who want to be left alone. They want to swim, build nests and protect their young, but instead they are stabbed, skinned and killed for “luxury” bags.

Take 10 seconds to help alligators killed for Hermès products
A PETA eyewitness investigation revealed that alligators at a Texas farm supplying a Hermès-owned tannery were crammed into dark, filthy sheds without access to sunshine, fresh air, clean water or basic medical care. A worker slashed the necks of more than 500 alligators as they struggled to escape. Many alligators fought for their lives – punching and kicking for minutes after workers tried to kill them.

You know every animal is somebody, so defend alligators now! Urges Hermès to stop selling exotic skins.