PETA isn’t giving up its dispute with luxury fashion label Hermès so easily.
The anima-rights group announced on its website today that it has a new strategy to protest the fashion house’s use of exotic skins: It has become a shareholder.
PETA said in a statement that it has purchased one share of Hermès stock in order to gain access to the company’s shareholder meetings so it can protest both inside the company and out.
“PETA’s investigation revealed that the grisly source of Hermès’ accessories are living, feeling animals, some of whom were painfully mutilated and left to die,” said PETA EVP Tracy Reiman. “PETA will be campaigning outside the company, and, as a shareholder, also working from the inside to demand a ban on exotic animal-skin accessories, including crocodile-skin bags and alligator-skin watchbands.”
Hermès shareholder meetings usually occur in late May or early June.
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In recent days, Hermès has come under fire after longtime brand muse Jane Birkin asked the label to remove her name from the iconic Birkin bag she inspired. Birkin’s request came after she saw a film made by PETA that showed the abuse and mistreatment of crocodiles sourced by Hermès for its bags.
Since the videos surfaced, Hermès has said that it’s investigating the farms, but it also the skins from the farms depicted in the video don’t supply skins for the Birkin bag.
