PETA has beef with Pharrell Williams over his new crocodile skin LV handbag.
As Louis Vuitton's new Menswear Creative Director, Williams has released the handbag in four colorways, named "Millionaire Speedy," which is set for retail at $1 million. While the accessory is high fashion, nonprofit anti-animal cruelty organization PETA has made a strong stance against Williams, 50, even addressing him in an open letter.
Per TMZ Hip Hop, the letter, written by PETA Senior VP Lisa Lange, extends "an invitation the likes of which you’ve never been offered before."
While bashing Williams for the LV handbag, the letter slyly references songs he's been a part of.
"When you were made men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton, we hoped animals would get lucky and that you would choose vegan fabrics, which are the preference of today’s ethical and environmentally conscious consumers. But we aren’t happy to note your newest design, the 'Millionaire' Speedy bag, which is crafted from crocodile skin, because when it comes to animals being used for fashion, it isn’t beautiful—it’s abuse."
Lange also accused Williams of being idle to the torture of crocodiles for the luxury wear, graphically describing LVMH suppliers "cutting live crocodiles’ necks open and ramming metal rods down their spines while they were still conscious."
"Another investigation revealed that workers at facilities supplying LVMH struck pythons repeatedly on the head, suspending them in the air, inflating their bodies with water, and disemboweling them -- even as they moved about," Lange continued.
Lange then requested that Williams visit a crocodile factory farm for a change of heart. "You’d want to bring along nose plugs and high boots to wade through fetid, waste-filled water," she wrote. "If we go to an indoor tank, also bring a flashlight, because you won’t see daylight. There are no blurred lines here. Killing wildlife for a bag isn’t cool—it’s cold. Are you up for this trip?"
In February, Williams was confirmed as LV's Menswear Creative Director, succeeding the late Virgil Abloh, who died in November 2021 from cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. “I’ll always pay homage to him,” Williams told GQ in August. “I always knew Virgil was special. “It’s like we’re collaborating in spirit.”
