Exotic Skins

Exotic Skins

PETA look out - they have straps and zippers and they look good....

Crocodile: Balenciaga Weekender

Stingray

Alligator

In the past few years there has been an explosion in the use of exotic skins by handbag brands. Whereas before they were used by just a few designer brands, nowadays many brands offer limited editions, often in alligator or python. Coach, for example, a company known for their products being relatively affordable, has produced bags like the Legacy Crocodile Medium Duffle, which can be purchased at their website for $12K. Not to be outdone, Chanel and its peers have gone even further. Chanel, for instance, produced a few Diamond Forever Classic bags. The cost? $261K! The bag is made of white alligator skin and includes 334 diamonds. Not sure if I'd be comfortable wearing that out and about...might end up reading about my stolen bag at the Bag Theft Blog.

The range of exotic skins on offer has expanded significantly.
Ostrich skin is well-known, but have you ever seen a handbag made of South American ostrich? The leather has quill marks that are smaller and closer together than those of its relative. How about a bag made of stingray leather? Check out the Celestina Banyabes clutch, available for $1,445. And have you ever considered a bag made of salmon leather? Well they're not easy to find, but they're certainly original. The skins are small, so they have to be pieced together. That's the case also with frog leather. Yes, that's correct, it exists! I was offered frog leather for my brand and decided to pass, I found it a bit too real. But who knows, perhaps some people would appreciate it?

Fortunately, with the trade in exotic skins growing so much, there's an organization that controls that it's done properly. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, provides a list of species in which trade is prohibited, and another list in which trade can be done but with certain paperwork involved, to ensure that legitimate sources are used.

In our case, I have found that customers will easily buy cowhide yet with hair-on-calfskin leather or South American ostrich some find it “too much like an animal” even if it is sourced the same way (free range farms / by-product of the meat industry) than the “normal” cowhide leathers. And then many other ladies really appreciate exactly what creates the buzz, besides delightful to touch, exotic = unique!!

Author: Maria Estrada ( Want to become a Handbag Correspondent? )

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