Cole Haan bows to pressure on exotic skins
08/03/2010
US footwear brand Cole Haan has announced that it will no longer include exotic leather in its mix of materials.
The company includes the skins of alligator, crocodile, lizard, snake and ostrich in the list of banned materials.
A spokesperson for Nike, which owns the Cole Haan brand, Nate Tobecksen, said products using this list of materials would be eliminated after the summer retail season.
The supply of exotic skins is limited, but it almost always ties in with meat supply, as is the case with most of the leather industry. For example, even in Cole Haan's domestic market, in the US, Louisiana has a month-long alligator hunting seasons, with most of the meat going into local delicacies or for export, especially to the Far East.
In recent seasons 34,000 or 35,000 alligator skins have come into the supply chain during that one month.
Hide traders ship most Louisiana alligator skins to tanneries in Europe, especially in France and Italy. Demand for alligator leather is high for shoes, handbags and other accessories.
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