Jane Birkin, the actress and singer the Hermes Birkin bag was named after, wants her name removed from the bag after claims of the mistreatment of animals.
The most expensive Birkin bag was recently sold in Hong Kong for $223,000, but the average bag costs around $10,000.
After hearing about PETA uncovering the brutal practices behind the making of the bags, Birkin released a statement on Tuesday, revealing she has asked Hermes to remove her name unless they decide to change their practices.
"Having been alerted to the cruel practices endured by crocodiles during their slaughter for the production of Hermès bags carrying my name, I have asked Hermès Group to rename the Birkin until better practices responding to international norms can be implemented for the production of this bag,” she said in a statement, The Telegraph reports.
The founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, has thanked Birkin for this gesture in a statement “on behalf of all kind souls in the world.”
Newkirk said, “Once, Birkin bags marked people as celebrities or at least members of the super-rich, but soon, no one will want to be caught dead carrying one, and animal advocates will then breathe a sigh of relief.”
image via INFphoto.com