Come with me, from the Far East Cashmere and China to Africa, on one last exploration of exotic fabrics, their history and meaning beyond being luxury (or everyday) products: crocodile leather.
People have been wearing animal skins for thousands of years, but unlike today when croc leather and similar items are bought with a whole lot of money to show off wealth, in ancient times it was not just a matter of status but the skins were worn in full awareness of the worth of the animal, the animal as a whole, not just the skin! In ancient Egypt, for example, where crocodiles were thought to be divine, priests wore crocodile skins to connect with the spirit of these sacred creatures. Elsewhere in Africa, warriors wore crocodile armour in the belief that in some magical way the skin would bestow the power and fearlessness of the animal to them.
Croc skin fascinates until today. It is indeed mysteriously beautiful and beautifully mysterious. But honestly not much is left of this mystery once you have visited a croc farm as I did some years back. At first, I was fascinated by the huge female crocs lying in the sun, laying eggs, which then were collected and matured in a special warming room until the little crocs hedge. But my fascination waned quickly when we stepped into the next room and saw literally hundreds of arm-length crocodiles piling over each other in a putrid water puddle of 4 square metres, waiting to be turned into precious leather bags, belts, wallets and watches. Someone might argue that croc mass farming prevents the extinction of wild crocodiles. I really wonder as at least in those parts of Africa where I have been, people kill wild crocs not because of their skins but because they are dangerous to humans and livestock (the skins of big wild crocs are far too rough and damaged to be used for luxury products).
Seeing these wild animals being exploited like this really made me realize how humans’ thirst for luxury and well-being degrades (in every sense of the word) the natural world around us. In this sense, using mustard wool for the larissa jacket does not only give this classic motorcycle jacket a new twist but might make it a bit more animal friendly.
Photo by Charles Cantin
Jan 12, 2010, 09.35 PMby lisag2224
Such a sad story and not just limited to crocodiles unfortuntaley. The fur industry (especially in China) is just as bad, if not worse!
May 31, 2009, 07.18 AMby safemme
Oh I sure hope so…I wear leather shoes, but still, this story sickens me. :(
May 29, 2009, 06.56 PMby sweet-saboo
If the wool for the cycle jacket was raised humanely, & the sheep it came from didn’t end up as someone’s dinner, you could be right.