Stella McCartney Takes on Leather Trade

This is the first post of 2012 and probably I should have started on a more positive note… But I couldn’t help myself from sharing this video with you. It was terribly disturbing and I believe people should see it in order to make informed decisions when it comes to this issue. Truth of the matter is the most of us love leather products and appreciate their undeniable superior quality. Nevertheless, while none of us can argue the quality issue when it comes to leather, can we accept this level of cruelty and slaughter?

The luxury industry depends heavily on leather trade, as a huge percentage of their revenues comes from this product category (leather goods & accessories). My question now is whether designer brands and fashion houses will ever be able to replace leather with other materials that can offer similar product quality and thus not affect revenues. Probably the answer lies in the hands of customers, because at the end, they are the ones creating the demand and the ones who have the buying decision.

Nevertheless, I believe that one of the most important aspects when it comes to manufacturing within luxury industry SHOULD be the concern towards the people and processes involved in it, ensuring that abuse, cruelty or inhuman conditions are NEVER allowed and that all rights (human or animal) are ALWAYS respected.