After images appeared on social media apparently showing windows of Chanel boutiques in Paris plastered with stickers depicting Adolf Hitler, in an apparent nod to EU sanctions banning export of luxury goods worth over 300 euros ($328) to Russia, a similar incident has occurred in Moscow.
A Chanel store in the Russian capital’s Stoleshnikov lane, a short street with boutiques and shops offering luxury goods, sported stickers that depicted the logo of the brand intertwined with an image of Hitler. Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel, the French fashion designer, founder, and namesake of the Chanel brand, collaborated with the German government during World War II.
The French fashion house earlier shut its stores in Russia in response to Moscow’s special operation to demilitarise and de-Nazify Ukraine. The move followed numerous other businesses suspending their Russian operations over sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine developments.
Hermès, LVMH had been the first “out the gate”, followed by Chanel, Prada, Richemont, and others, joining leading Western consumer brands like Apple, Nike, and McDonald's in response to European Union sanctions.
Furthermore, the bloc also forbade the sale of such goods to individuals planning to use them in Russia.
Coco Chanel, French fashion designer
© East News/Boris Lipnitzki
Thus, the luxury brand stores in Dubai refused to sell clothes and accessories to their customers unless they were prepared to sign a declaration that they do not live in the Russian Federation and will not wear Chanel items in Russia. This was reported by a young Russian woman, an Instagram* influencer, who complained on social networks over being forced to sign such papers in order to buy a Chanel bag in the UAE.
'Russophobia in Action'
Anna Kalashnikova, a Russian socialite and influencer, accused Chanel of "Russophobia in action" on her Instagram account on Sunday after encountering restrictions and being unable to buy a pair of earrings and a bag at a Chanel outlet in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
"Since I often come to Dubai for Fashion Week, Chanel managers recognized me, approached me, and said: 'We know that you are a celebrity in Russia, we know that you will take your purchases there, so we cannot sell you our brand items'", Kalashnikova said in her post.
She said the unpleasant experience reminded her of how "Coco Chanel was not only mistress of a Nazi", but was a “fascist agent”.
"The actions of her legacy, her brand make you think about the biography of Coco Chanel. Supporting fascism and Russophobia is so low", Kalashnikova stated.
Several other Russian influencers and socialites also deplored the fact that they were barred from purchasing Chanel goods. They had purportedly been told that it was the brand's policy not to sell to customers who intend to bring the products back to Russia.
In a statement to Insider, a representative for Chanel said that the brand complies with "all laws" applicable to its operations and employees, including sanctions.
"This is why we have rolled out a process to ask clients for whom we do not know the main residency to confirm that the items they are purchasing will not be used in Russia", the spokesperson added.
"We recognize that this process of walking through the law has caused disappointment to some of our clients. We are currently working on improving this approach and we apologize for any misunderstanding this may have caused, as welcoming all our clients, regardless of where they come from, is a priority for Chanel", it was added.
In response to the story, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the brand of supporting Nazism by not selling products to Russian customers, as she recalled Coco Chanel’s ties to the Nazis of the Third Reich.
The luxury brand Chanel’s stance regarding the sale of its products in Russia and to Russians has infuriated many social media influencers in the country, who have taken the matter – and scissors – into their own hands.
Thus, decrying “Russophobia”, they have been boycotting the brand and ruining their Chanel bags, posting videos to Instagram.
Russian TV host and actress Marina Ermoshkina was cited by USA Today as claiming she was the first to start the challenge for Russian influencers to cut up their Chanel handbags.
Ermoshkina, who boasts 300,000 followers on Instagram, uploaded a video on Wednesday showing her with garden shears in her hands, cutting up a Chanel handbag.
Other influencers followed suit, with Russian model Victoria Bonya accompanying her own, similar, footage of a Chanel bag being decimated, with the words:
"If Chanel House does not respect its clients, why do we have to respect Chanel House?"
*Instagram is banned in Russia over extremist activity.