Celebs Clash with Campaigners over Python Skins

October 2007

You may think that a price tag of over £2000 may be deterrent for a simple fashion accessory, but you’d be dead wrong. The fashion industry is going ga ga over snakeskin accessories, and the animal activists aren’t amused. From shoes to bags, handbags to hats, scales are now visible everywhere. Department stores in London have stocked up with record quantities of snakeskin for the autumn.

Those behind this newfound craze are not hard to locate; Celebrities. J-Lo's favorite is a metallic python accessory by Zagliani, an Italian company injects skins with Botox to get an ultra-soft feel. Eva Longoria is also regularly seen with an exotic python tote by Prada. Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller are also said to be head over heels in love with their metallic python flats by Chanel.

Although pythons are not officially endangered, animal rights activists are concerned about the fact that exotic skins are making a comeback in the market. Such fashion trends, when they catch on, threaten the survival of many species as the skin trade is an almost entirely unregulated business that often pushes species to the brink of extinction.

Animal Activists are currently planning advertising campaigns of their own, showing the reality of the snake skin trade including the barbaric methods used to obtain snake skins; something which is hoped to make many fashionistas think twice!

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