Crocodile tears

The rise of the Colombian designer Nancy Gonzalez epitomised the American dream. She started making belts on a home sewing machine in Cali and later saw her bags on the arms of A-listers including Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham; on screen in Sex and the City; and in exhibitions at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. But on Monday she was sent to a US prison after pleading guilty to smuggling skins of protected reptiles – including caimans and pythons bred in captivity – for her signature crocodile designs in hot pinks and neon greens. Bypassing strict US trade laws, she recruited friends and family as couriers, who carried the bags on commercial flights from Colombia to the US, leading prosecutors to compare her to a “cocaine kingpin”. The designer, who has already served 14 months in a Colombian prison, now faces another 18 months behind bars. In 2019 New York fashion buyers were lauding her creativity and humanity. They may now want to reach for the huge black umbrella she hid behind outside court.