The Origin: Mexico

Most exotic leathers could come from anywhere. This one could only come from Mexico.

Crocodylus moreletii, a crocodile native to the wetlands of southeastern Mexico, belongs to a narrower category: a precious skin defined not only by species, but by origin.

Its natural range extends across Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, with roughly 80% of its distribution in Mexico. Its commercial use is strictly regulated under international conventions and Mexico remains the only country where a handful of farming operations exist.

Within that framework, certification is what separates a legitimate origin from the rest.

CITES regulated

Crocodile farming emerged in the 1950s: as wild populations declined, conservation and commerce found a shared interest in breeding.

When CITES came into force in 1975, farming expanded worldwide under two models: closed-cycle breeding, and ranching — the collection of wild eggs, which gives landowners a direct reason to keep habitats intact.

Few industries can say their existence protects the ecosystem they depend on. This one can.

ICFA certified

The International Crocodilian Farmers Association sets the standard for responsible crocodilian farming: animal welfare, the environment, and the people who work in it.

MORELET is the only maison working from its own ICFA-certified Morelet's crocodile farm.

That places the house at the origin of its material, and keeps quality, responsibility, and traceability under direct control.

Animal welfare

On the farm, welfare is measured, not assumed: water quality, density, handling, health. The conditions that protect the animal are the same ones that produce a fine hide — the two have never been separable.

The standard extends to the people who work the land, at every stage the house oversees.

  • CITES regulated

    Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Signed by 185 governments: the most widely adopted conservation agreement in the world.

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  • ICFA certified

    International Crocodilian Farmers Association.

    MORELET's farm is the only certified one for Crocodylus moreletii; one of the house's partners is a founding member.

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  • IUCN CSG members

    The IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group: researchers, wildlife managers, and farmers working on the conservation of the world's 23 living crocodilian species.

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