Some people love exotic skins for their accessories like handbags and wallets. Crocodile, Ostrich, Snakes, Lizard… even Stringray!
Well ok, I’ve given in to stingray. If you have ever been to Thailand, you’d likely have ended up with a stingray wallet at some point. They have a thriving industry of stingray wallets and bags in Thailand for some reason. Granted, those that are better made do last quite a long time but even they can be considered pricey, some going for hundreds. Well, relatively speaking of course 🙂
But do you go for exotic skins for your accessories like bags and wallets?
I don’t. Other than the fact that products made from exotic skins cost the earth, I don’t feel comfortable owning anything made of exotic animal skins.
I’m fine with leather from cows and lambskin, and in fact, I do prefer leather bags to non-leather ones. But I don’t go much further than that. Also, I have read that some exotic skins need special care – proper moisturizing and humidity which can be finicky. But the ultimate barrier of course is the price, due to the rarity of these exotic skins.
I’m fine with prints though so I’d do faux croc skin …. but nothing much more than that 🙂 Snake and lizard skin gives me the willies and I just don’t like the look of Ostrich – the dots on the leather caused by the follicle for feathers bug me.
Do you like accessories from exotic skins? Do you own any or do you intend to own any? Or are you just happy with faux print exotics 😉
Paris B
Irenekay says
February 13, 2011 at 9:55 amSay no to exotic skin!!! Just like saying no to furs!!! They may claim that the animal are only slain when they are dead but I don’t support it as it will encourage poaching in future. Maybe it has already starts now. Leather are fine just as long it’s breed animals like cows, buffalo… Lots of reptiles are endangered now..
ParisB says
February 13, 2011 at 11:07 amActually I don’t think the animals can be slain only if they are dead because the skin then isn’t healthy. So I believe exotic animals are killed specifically for the purpose of making such accessories. In terms of alligator and crocodile, I’m always a little sad that they had to die just for a bag or wallet.
Jenn says
February 13, 2011 at 10:28 amNo for me too. My mum used to own an eel skin bag sometime bag, but it was very delicate and didn’t last very long. I’m alright with sustainable leathers such as calf or lambskin, but no snake or lizard skin for me either. Strangely, i’m fine with alligator though! 😛
And oh, Ostrich skin makes my skin crawl for some reason!! >.<
ParisB says
February 13, 2011 at 11:07 amOoh yes! I’ve come across eel skin too and ostrich is so ‘geli’ *shudder*
electronicfly says
August 7, 2011 at 9:05 amMy sis owns an eel skin purse (dyed a beautiful green, if only I was more girly when my uncle gave it to us!) and it didn’t need any special care. It was ignored for quite a length of time too, but it’s holding up beautifully even after years of constant use 😀
Maybe with eel skin there are different tanning methods that changes the longevity?
Personally I am fine with exotic skin, but only those which are easily and are currently farmed. E.g. with eel, we’re eating them so often anyway, so if their skin can be made into a product instead of getting tossed as rubbish, wouldn’t that make more sense than say killing sharks to get just their fins (Yes, if I can I’ll ensure my table doesn’t order shark’s fin soup)
Mrs Top Monkey says
February 13, 2011 at 10:37 amOnly stingray and lembu for me.
I don’t do snake, it’s so icky. When I was little, my uncle bought my 3rd aunt a lovely wallet made from cobra skin when he came home from India. The wallet gave me the heebie-jeebies because they’d obviously made the wallet from the cobra hood bit because you could see the erm… design (for want of better word) of the hood on it. Horrible. I was scared for life. When I had to help fetch the wallet for her, I would use tongs.
ParisB says
February 13, 2011 at 11:11 amI’ve come across python, but cobra? I think i’d get the creeps out of that too! Snakes creep me out to start with *shudder*
Mrs Top Monkey says
February 14, 2011 at 2:08 pmI’m so embarrassed because I dare not help Connor when he’s doing the Reptiles flashcards on the iPad… ICKY!!!! “Erm, no Connor.. go ask Daddy to help you.” Remember the Brittanica encyclopaedias? I never read the S volume – because it had snakes, sharks and spiders. The only volume that remained brand new.
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 2:13 pmOMG!! ME TOO!! And those pictures were scary and icky ok! 😛 I even skipped the early pages of B because of the close up pictures of hairy Bees
LeGeeque says
February 13, 2011 at 12:44 pmIt used to freak me out but I’m getting a little used to it cos I spend so much time on net-a-porter – that site is evil I tell you! I won’t get it cos I can’t afford it but if I could, heck, why not? Take it to the max and get a croc skin birkin! (Rumour has it hermes has bought a croc farm up nth in australia breeding crocs just for their bags)
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:05 pmI read about that too – that Hermes has a crocodile farm just for making their bags. Still… it didn’t sound too right to me 😛 I’m likely to do a Birkin/Kelly in regular calf leather 🙂
Denise says
February 13, 2011 at 12:49 pmI, too, think it’s cruel and it just gives me the creeps. Just like my aversion to wigs, it just seems so unnatural and icky to me. Regular leather from cows and sheep are fine by me, though
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:05 pmDo you think it might be just that we are used to the idea of using cow and lambskin leather? Food for thought eh? 😉
Diane says
February 13, 2011 at 1:07 pmI received a bracelet gift from a friend made of turtle carapace. It looks nice but wearing it even for a few seconds freaks me out i felt like crying thinking of the turtle getting killed for it. Felt really horrible for the turtle.
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:06 pmOh turtles do get killed for their shells, which makes me very sad too 🙁
eliza says
February 13, 2011 at 3:22 pmI’m against animal skin bags, wallets and the likes~!! >..>, even though I don’t really like crocodiles….
Just for a thought….I wonder if animals can still smell the wallet or bag made out of an animal. Animals sense of smell are really strong. I remember reading an article years ago that a lady brought a snake bag to the zoo, she was nearly attacked by some animals. But they weren’t really sure whether it’s really the bag that caused the commotion.
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:07 pmOoh that’s a good question! The tanning and treatment process does get rid of most smells though, and with all the dying I would expect that the leathers smell just of chemicals LOL! But still, we never know right?
tracy says
February 13, 2011 at 3:25 pmnot into exotic skins at all – the thought of eel, croc, stingray, ostrich et al give me the willies.. i mean the animals are creepy.. like you, i don’t mind faux croc though. and leathers and calf skin, i quite like.
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:08 pmI find most creepy except maybe Ostriches… I just don’t like the look of ostrich skin >.< Faux croc is nice right? And no crocs got harmed in the process 😉
Monstro says
February 13, 2011 at 3:48 pmI agree with Irenekay. These exotic animals are going extinct, so best to boycott. You could probably find them in faux. Lots of fake croc and snake out there too 🙂
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:08 pmYep! I sometimes wonder if those that tout to be the real thing might actually be faux…
Stephanie/Yukaeshi says
February 13, 2011 at 9:26 pmI’m not very comfortable with skins of animals which are slaughtered just for their skins, but am OK with cow leather- since they’re slaughtered not only for their skin but also for their meat and other parts. I do quite like the texture and unique-ness of snake and crocodile skin, though 😛
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:10 pmActually I wonder if cows or sheep skin used in accessories are from cows and sheep killed for their meat? You know like how dairy cows aren’t meat cows and vice versa? 😉 I’m actually more creeped out by exotic skin than by the pity factor, to be honest because even for regular leather something gets killed. But I do like how croc skin looks… less so snakeskin hehe…
april says
February 13, 2011 at 10:35 pmi have to confess that everytime I see an alligator or snake at the zoo, or even a life-sized stuffed one at some natural history museum, my brain goes, “ooh, that could have been a nice bag”.
But no, I have never been into exotic skins because I don’t enjoy the look of it. I just don’t fancy them. But my brain recognises the monetary value of such things.
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:11 pmLOL! I like your honesty! Especially if its got nice looking scales right? 😉
Connie De Alwis says
February 14, 2011 at 12:24 amAfter having spent a day in a Jimmy Choo boutique seeing bags and shoes made out of snake skin… ugh… cannot. And they used pony skin for bags! Pony! Poor pony! Nope, no exotic leather for me. I don’t even eat exotic meat. Commercial animals are fine. The stingray wallet looks interesting though!
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:12 pmActually a Pony is just a small horse, so pretty much the same way we get cow skin and lambskin, we get pony 😉 But the pony items I see all tend to be pony hair which I don’t like. I don’t like my bags or accessories still with the hair/fur on it >.<
xin says
February 14, 2011 at 8:55 ameeeeee say no to stingray because they are delicious when grilled! if u show me the wallet i think i might faint
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:13 pmBut they take the skin and then the grill the rest for our delicious feast! 😉
mrsdjones says
February 14, 2011 at 10:29 amI love cow leather but not the exotic animals. Poor thing, being hunt just for the skin! I would buy faux croc and snake skin anytime though. They look so pretty in bright colors! 😀
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:15 pmI love the look of croc skin actually so faux croc is right up my alley! I don’t quite like snakes – geli 😛
Charlene says
February 14, 2011 at 3:01 pmBut.. but..
Chanel caviar bags look so good! 😛
Caviar leather is from dried stingray skin i read.
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 3:18 pmEeps! It better not be because they cost a bomb 😛 But I think the Chanel Caviar leather is calf leather, just textured to be hardier 🙂 Its quite different from stingray skin if you hold them up side by side 😉
Charlene says
February 14, 2011 at 5:31 pmReally? That’s good to know 😛 It’s somewhr in my wishlist. I think i have a thg for square-ish bags (read GST). Now im less guilty whn im dreaming.. hehe
ParisB says
February 14, 2011 at 5:39 pmHehe… glad to put your mind at rest! 😉 I’m thinking of the PST or GST too … in beige maybe 😉
Amanda says
February 14, 2011 at 10:32 pmNo exotic skins for me. I find them… ewww, especially snake skins! I can’t even look at snakes on the tv without having goosebumps… let alone carrying a snake skin handbag.
tass says
February 15, 2011 at 9:30 pmGosh…snake/croc/lizard/ alll exotica reptiles… i will faint…. if i (ever) got the bags from these exoticas, someone can go ahead and steal them while i am unconscious.. muahhaa..