Yesterday Hermes announced that because of massive “over-demand” for its handbags, the company will begin breeding their own crocodiles on farms in Australia. Note the word breeding. It’s a stark reminder that three to four crocodiles give their lives for every one of these coveted handbags.

And as @goodhuman reminded us on Twitter just the other day, “5,000 people a day die because of dirty drinking water and we are worried our bags don’t match our shoes.”

When you put it that way, our fashion demands do seem a bit silly, right? And a tad irresponsible as well. Maybe more than a bit and a tad, actually.

So I found the announcement from Hermes quiet disturbing. My best friend is Native American and I’ve always felt there was something honorable about the way the Native Americans connected with animals, giving thanks each time they took a animal’s life to satisfy their human needs and not wasting anything. Watching “Expedition Africa” last night, the African villagers killed a goat to feed the expedition team and it was again reiterated that goats are killed only when needed and then every single part is used. But does anyone in the world need a $50,000 handbag?

Plus we are so disconnected today from our fashion purchases that it makes it easy to forget that three little guys, let’s call them Larry, Curly and Moe, were killed to satisfy a fashion urge. I believe that if consumers had to watch the animals providing their food and fashion being killed, a lot more people would make environmentally responsible choices.

But I don’t expect that every fashionista is ready to jump on the vegan bandwagon just yet. And I appreciate that we live in a nation that awards us freedom of choice. So all I’m suggesting is that you gals who are determined to wear fur, leather and reptile skin do so with awareness of the far-reaching implications of your choices and consider choosing vintage for these items rather than new.

After all, there are plenty of beautiful vintage choices to be found, like today’s VPOD. This vintage 1950s-60s cognac crocodile skin handbag is in pristine condition and has the added bonus of costing about $49,000 less than an Hermes bag.

So it’s a perfect statement piece for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Vintage Skins.

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