Jane Birkin asks Hermes to rename the Birkin bag

Birkin released the following statement: “Having been alerted to the cruel practices reserved for crocodiles during their slaughter to make Hermès handbags carrying my name… I have asked Hermes to debaptise the Birkin Croco until better practices in line with worldwide norms can be put in place”, Birkin said in a statement.

Birkin stated she had signed actor Joaquin Phoenix’s Mercy For Animals petition to “shed unique skins from your wardrobe” in protest towards the “hundreds of thousands of reptiles slaughtered annually and became footwear, purses, belts and different equipment”.

Hermes Birkin bags one of the world’s most exclusive handbags.

A fuchsia Hermes crocodile Birkin bag with a diamond-studded clasp and lock set a record as the most expensive handbag ever sold at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong last month, fetching $222,000 ($1 = 0.9051 euros).

Celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, J-Lo and Tamara Eccleston have been spotted toting Hermes bags.

PETA concluded the belly skins of these factory farmed crocodiles and alligators are “sent to a Hermes-owned tannery, where they end up being used for “luxury” items such as Birkin and Kelly handbags”.

It might not be as blasphemous as it sounds: Jane Birkin-the namesake behind the coveted Hermès bag-is making her admirable social conscience known by asking the French label to remove her name from the upcoming crocodile model because of the unjust way the animals are treated.

But the cherished handbags recently became the focus of an expose by rights group Peta on crocodile farms from Texas to Zimbabwe, where the reptiles are allegedly crammed into barren concrete pits before being “cruelly hacked” to death.

The luxury brand also said that an investigation was being conducted into the farm’s practices and that “any breach of rules will be rectified and sanctioned”.

Hermes responded to Birkin’s statement saying it respects her emotions and was also shocked by PETA’s findings.

“Hermes imposes on its partners the highest standards in the ethical treatment of crocodiles”.