Burberry has confirmed that it will no longer use exotic skins in its collections.

Exotic skins include any skins that do not come from cattle. Snakes, crocodiles, alligators, and ostrich skin are a few examples. But due to animal welfare concerns and rising pressure from activists, a number of companies have banned their use in recent years.

Burberry joins brands including Karl Lagerfield, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Victoria Beckham, Chanel, and Moda Operandi with its new ban, which it confirmed in its FY22 earnings call this week.

Animal rights organization PETA welcomed the news.

“During Burberry’s annual meeting last year, PETA UK asked when it would make good on its commitment to be ‘a force for good in the world’ by banning exotic skins,” said PETA UK’s vice president Mimi Bekhechi in a statement yesterday.

“We’re delighted that after years of pressure from PETA entities around the world, that day is today.”

Is luxury fashion getting more ethical?

The news comes four years after Burberry announced a ban on fur and angora. At the time, the brand’s chief executive Marco Gobbetti said: “Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible. This belief is core to us at Burberry and key to our long-term success.”

“We are committed to applying the same creativity to all parts of Burberry as we do to our products.”

Several brands have banned fur in the last few years, including Gucci, Prada, Armani, Michael Kors, and Versace. In 2018, Donatella Versace, Versace’s artistic director, told The Economist’s 1843 magazine: “Fur? I am out of that. I don’t want to kill animals to make fashion. It doesn’t feel right.”

The world of luxury fashion is consistently innovating. Coperni recently teamed up with Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams to launch apple leather bags. Danish brand Ganni went one step further, pledging to ditch leather completely and replace it with plant-based alternatives.

Nicolaj Reffstrup, Ganni’s founder, said:  “Selling leather products, although highly profitable, will soon be as outdated as smoking on TV.”