Chanel faces wrath of Russian influencers destroying bags to protest sales ban
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Russian influencers are now cutting up Chanel bags as an act of protest against the company's decision to halt sale of its products to individuals who intend to take them to Russia.
According to BBC, Chanel said it is adhering to the EU sanctions, which ban the sale of Russia luxury goods priced at more than US$327. It now requires consumers, who it does not know the main residency of, to confirm that the items they are buying will not be used in Russia.
In response, Russian model Victoria Bonya posted a video of her on Instagram cutting up a Chanel bag. The video, which had over 89k likes at the time of writing, was captioned: "Never seen any brand acting so disrespectful towards their clients as Chanel. #byebyeChanel."
At the same time, TV presenter Marina Ermoshkina said on Instagram that Chanel is "just an accessory" and does not play a role in the lives of consumers. Instead, its female consumers have been the face of this brand since it was their goal to purchase a Chanel bag when they were younger.
"Not a single bag or thing is worth my love for my Motherland. I am against Russophobia, I am against a brand that supports Russophobia," Ermoshkina said in her Instagram post. She added that Chanel is "an accessory that at some point decided to humiliate people, [her compatriots] and decided to discriminate people on the basis of nationality, which [she] will not tolerate". Ermoshkina also urged those who agreed with her to boycott Chanel.
Similarly, Russian DJ Katya Guseva also supported Ermoshkina's call to boycott Chanel, explaining on Instagram that she has since removed Chanel bags from her life after learning about the brand's policy towards Russians. However, Guseva clarified that she is not calling for anyone to destroy the products of brands. Instead, she explained that not a single bag is worth her love for Russia and her self-respect. Like Ermoshkina, Guseva said she is against Russophobia.
In response to the incidents, Chanel explained that it "complies with all laws applicable to [its] operations and employees globally, including trade sanction laws," a BBC article reported. The brand also apologised for any misunderstanding caused and said it is is currently working on improving this process. Last month, Chanel was among the luxury brands including LVMH, Hermes, and Kering to temporarily shut its stores in Russia.
Over the past few weeks, other brands including Watsons, UNIQLO, McDonald's, and Nike suspended operations in Russia while major agency networks WPP, Publicis Groupe, dentsu, and Omnicom Group also pulled out of Russia.
Just yesterday, Reuters reported that Russian forces attacked eastern Ukraine with missiles and artillery. According to The Wall Street Journal, Russia's main plan at the moment is to capture parts of the eastern Donbas region that has yet to come under its control. Meanwhile, more than 4.2 million have fled the war in Ukraine, many of the children, WSJ said.
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