An L.A.-made bag brand serves up the look of exotic animal skins — without the animal
As an animal lover and fashion fan, Rivers Eight founder Amanda Schuon had an of-the-moment style dilemma. “I have exotic-skin pieces that I got years ago,” she said, “but it started to make me feel a little uncomfortable.”
That feeling motivated Schuon to create Rivers Eight, an eco-chic travel accessories brand that offers faux versions of exotic skins including python, stingray, caiman, lizard and alligator belly in the form of crossbody bags, coin purses, cosmetic cases, waist packs, clutches, computer sleeves and decorative trays.
“We’re part of this important and exciting wave of designers and fashion houses that are starting to eliminate exotic skins,” said Schuon, who launched Rivers Eight last fall. At the end of 2018, Chanel announced it would no longer use exotic animal skins for its forthcoming collections, and in February Victoria Beckham joined the French fashion house when she publicly stated her label would abandon exotic skins.
Schuon said she sees these moves by brands not as trends but as the future of fashion. “We can replace that same look with a material that is completely cruelty-free,” she said during a phone interview. “I felt that this was an opportunity to develop an alternative material that could still be beautiful and wearable but that eliminated the use of any animal.”
Using rubber molds, the synthetic pieces are handmade locally and range from $18 to $450 . “I wanted to create something that looked and felt genuine but that was durable and not precious,” she said of the pieces, which are available at
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