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WEDNESDAY 28 APRIL, 2010 |

Whose Skin are you wearing today?

by 7discountshop | 399 comments

The fashion world is so materialistic; but as human beings one should understand their responsibility towards the nature, the heritage and culture that is handed over to the next generation. A little understanding of this philosophy and small step towards the same can make a noticeable positive change.

This article talks about the way animals/reptiles' skin is treated to cover human skin.

The three levels of Cambridge Side Galleria near Boston were jam packed with an unusually humongous crowd, but the ambience was a silent whoosh of wind. There was a hint of excitement in each and every persons mind in the audience present. It was clearly evident that the audience was mesmerized and enthralled in the breathtaking appearances of models. Designers were showcasing their au courant collections of "Spring 2009" with the gratified looks on their faces.

The collection on display was so eye-catching that no one wanted to miss even a pinch of interesting details and message each one of those revealed-especially the young crowd, as they were visualizing those incredible outfits on their body curves and appreciating the hard work put in by the designers. Amidst the loud accolades, suddenly there was a wave of silence all over the place. Slow and steady, a model appeared on the side ramp wearing a red and yellow dress, embroidered with woolen fringes and beads. But wait! With her breath-taking outfit, she also wore a tube shaped scarf. The whole look of the model was a bit unique.

As she moved closer to the ramp and the spotlight, she became partially visible. The heavy detailing of the dress was worth a glimpse. The scarf was dazzling like all the stars of the Universe gathering in one galaxy. The model looked like a beauteous goddess. But suddenly, the scarf moved. It started wrapping itself around the gorgeous blonde.

WOW! It was a beautiful Albino python-a reptile. That very moment witnessed a mixed reaction and whisper among the breathless crowd.

The announcer loudly announced the designer's name-"Sherry Batra" and continued to inform the hypnotized crowd about the designer's concept- "STOP KILLING AND START LIVING WITH ORGANICS." The audience heavily applauded the way in which the model presented the designer's collection on the ramp. How friendly she was with reptile-fondling & kissing. People started to fall in love with everything they were watching. That was awe-inspiring. Most of the audience had never seen two of the most beautiful creations of the Mother Nature presented on one platform. The bedazzled reaction from audience was enough to substantiate the message, which reached across, about my whole concept.

Designers always have an eye for beauty. Beautiful reptile skin is a live example. POOR REPTILES! Reptile skin is admired by Designers and Consumers for its variation in texture and the glistening effect of brilliant translucent dyes applied during the finishing process. Manufacturers market Snake and Alligator skins, along with other reptile hides, for expensive luxury merchandise like shoes, handbags, wallets, jackets, vests, and trim on hats and gloves.

Millions of reptile skins are exported, imported, or smuggled every year, and much of this trade is in contravention to international trade agreements protecting endangered species. After weapons and drugs, illegal trafficking of live exotic animals is the third largest black market in the world. The animals are illegally hunted in the wilderness of countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, China and Philippines and are shipped to North America and European countries.

Many people have a deeply rooted fear of Snakes, in spite of the fact that these lovely creatures are extremely shy, harmless and like to avoid contact with any animal larger than themselves. At the same time, the skin of snakes is appealing and is considered, by many customers, appropriate for clothing and accessories. With this in mind, fashion designers market clothes and footwear, made from snakes, as elite. With the extra distinction of being unusual, they command high prices as prestige items. Interesting patterns, strong textures, a broad variety of colors, and the shiny surface add to the allure.

Being a designer, I got a chance to study every Era in textile history. I feel lucky that we are in 21^st century- not like the "STONE AGE ERA," where textile industry barely had any establishment. We do not need to kill the animals and wrap their skin around us. Thank God! We grew culturally and globalization has helped us to understand every subject in a broad manner. We are answerable to our future generations. We have so much social responsibility that we cannot limit our thinking to ourselves. We should practice and preach SUSTAINABILITY, so that our future generations can also cherish all the beauty and recourses created by mother earth. At this point, it is worth mentioning some hard facts about the leather tanning industry. This not only impacts developed countries but also has lasting repercussions on wildlife and environment.

Tanning prevents the natural decomposition of animal skins, providing suppleness, color, and a finished surface in preparation for commercial manufacturing into leather goods. At the slaughterhouse, the hides are superficially cleaned of hair and flesh, and then dried and preserved in a pre-tanning operation producing raw hides. At the tannery, more than 60% of hides are treated through a chemical-based process using chromium, in a series of soaking and rinsing procedures. Finally, the skins undergo finishing where they get their final dyeing and surface treatment. During this long procedure, the skins are transferred from vat to vat, soaked in chemical agents, and rinsed in water and chemical solutions. (Oak bark tanning, which is used on a more limited basis, doesn't preserve leather as well, but is less damaging.)

Chromium sulfate is the most dangerous ingredient used, but many other chemicals are required, including alcohol, coal tar, degreasing agents, dyes, emulsifiers, formaldehyde, formic acid, lead, lime, resin blenders, sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, sulfuric acid, waxes, and zinc. (In all, 250 different toxic chemicals and heavy metals are used.) Tanning leads inevitably to the production of waste, occurring as wastewater, solid material, volatile compounds, and gases discharged into the air. This environmental impact is well documented and is a subject of serious concern. In addition to being a hazard in the workplace, the pollution contaminates ground water, nearby lakes, and rivers, seriously affecting humans and wildlife. The effluents clog sewers and are brought into irrigation systems where they affect soil productivity and fertility. High incidences of lung cancer, leukemia, and ulcers are reported among factory workers and in the local population. In most western industrialized countries, government scrutiny ensures that contaminants are ameliorated through sophisticated treatment facilities, but this is far from true among cottage tanners in underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh, where tanning is frequently adjacent to poverty-stricken population centers and no pollution control abatement exists. Even with environmental protection standards in place, India suffers scandalous levels of toxic hazards because of tanning. Examples like this are significant because with lower labor costs and less demanding environmental restrictions, developing countries have competed successfully with developed countries for more than 60% of world leather production.

When we talk about the development in the developing countries, it is related to the overall development of a country .The occupation and trade practices adopted by the workforce have a significant role and impact on their family values, social behavior and overall development within the framework of their countrys administration. There is a major need of education to understand the whole concept .Since every action is linked to its reaction, it is very important to understand how their act can cause serious problems. A vast number of innocent children are also involved in this unfair business practice since child labor is a very significant issue in the developing countries .The malnourished children quit study and start earning in a very young age by leather trade since their poor families cannot support them .Some of them never ever go to school. I, somehow, feel blame worthy for letting our haut monde mar their future for their own selfish needs? We can not circumlocute this subject. We have to question ourselves for what we are offering in our legacy to the next generation. We have to encounter and endure the bitter fact and seek some intelligent solution.

Universities like YALE have done studies about this subject and brought some disturbing truths in the light, which clearly show serious consequences for our society. According to these studies, animal abuse, child abuse as well as other forms of violence in the society is inextricably linked. Children who are cruel to animals are often, themselves, the victims of abuse. Unable to strike back at their adult abusers, the children vent their rage and need for control on beings that are smaller and weaker. A large percentage of violent criminals begin by abusing animals as children. When society's responses are: "boys will be boys!," "it's only an animal!," or "they'll grow out of it!", neither the children nor the animals are helped and as soon as they are old enough, they direct their violence to people.

Animal abuse may be the first clue in identifying a future rapist or killer. The human-animal violence link has increasingly led police and child welfare authorities in the U.S. to cooperate and is now saving lives. In Atlanta, when a law school graduate, frustrated at not finding a job, began to mutilate cats and kittens, animal welfare authority's notified police. The police obtained a warrant to search his apartment, where they found photos of six women in his apartment complex that he had been stalking, along with the detailed plans to execute the same on the innocent women. Those women are alive today because the police understood that violence is violence, no matter who the victim is and they took the animal abuse very seriously.

I would like to reiterate that we have no right to abuse and kill reptiles- snakes, pythons, and alligators for our narcissistic approach towards an avertible fashion statement. We should now think before using leather clothes and accessories. Rather than destroying our heritage by designing a simple purse, shoes jacket and write the future of our coming generations with permanent black dye that will take years and years to fade with a long lasting impact; we should guide it to the path of sustainability. Studies have also shown that humane education helps children develop empathy, respect, and compassion for animals-which later metamorphose into humane attitude towards people. Whether or not we like animals, if we want to live in a healthy and non-violent society, one of the most important things we can do is to respect animals and to teach young people to respect them. Fostering positive attitude and kind behavior towards animals contribute to the development of a benevolent humane society and an improved quality of life for all living beings.
Not only the leather industry but the textile industry is also causing damage to the environment. Textile industry uses more water than any other industry with the exception of agriculture industry. At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw material into textiles. Also, 25% of the world's pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. This causes irreversible damage to people and the environment and still two-thirds of a garments carbon footprint occurs after it is purchased.

That's why the substantial commitment towards making sustainability a trend is imperative.

We need to awaken and encourage each other towards the use of sustainable materials and methods. Sustainability can be put into style and together, we all can make a BIG difference.

News for Sunday 25 April, 2010