PETA Australia has welcomed the news that luxury brand Mulberry has banned the use of exotic skins in all of its future collections.
The label, which already has a fur-free policy, will stop using the skins of alligators, crocodiles, ostriches, lizards, or snakes in its designs from its spring/summer 2020 season.
PETA Australia spokesperson Emily Rice said that the organisation encourages other brands to follow in Mulberry's footsteps.
"Behind every handbag or wallet made with exotic skins is an animal who suffered tremendously.
"Mulberry's decision to ban these cruelly obtained materials is a sign of the times, and PETA calls on other luxury labels to follow its lead," she said.
Mulberry group sustainability manager Rosie Wollacott said that the business has remained firm in its decision to not use exotic skins.
"[W]e have spent a lot of time determining and then continually reviewing our sustainability metrics and targets.
"At an early stage of this process, we decided not to use exotics in our collections, and this remains our position," she said.
Mulberry joins Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, Paul Smith, Victoria Beckham, Vivienne Westwood and other brands in making the decision to ban exotic skins from designs.
In its mission to protect animals, PETA has released several exposés of the exotic-skin industry.
"Alligators are kept in fetid water inside dank, dark sheds before their necks are cut open and metal rods are shoved into their heads in an attempt to scramble their brains, often while they're fully conscious," PETA said in a statement.
"One-year-old ostriches are transported by truck to abattoirs, where workers turn them upside down in a stunner, slit their throats, and rip their feathers out.
"Snakes are commonly nailed to trees before their bodies are cut open from one end to the other as they're skinned alive," PETA said.
PETA is encouraging Australian designers to leave exotic-skin materials in the past and out of their collections.
Mulberry operates four stores in Australia.