Chanel, stung by backlash over US$825 advent calendar, says it will be ‘much more cautious’ with launching products
- The French luxury house is forced onto the defensive by a backlash over the contents of its sold-out advent calendar, which left some buyers disappointed
- One buyer’s video of her opening compartments containing stickers and a dust bag went viral. Chanel will be more cautious in future, its president says
Chanel has responded to a backlash that began in China weeks ago over its US$825 advent calendar filled with items like stickers and string bracelets.
Bruno Pavlovsky, the president of the French fashion house, spoke with Women’s Wear Daily about the limited-edition item, which was created to honour the 100th anniversary of Chanel’s No. 5 perfume. He said the controversy has been “a bit of a shame”, and was “not what Chanel intended”.
“Chanel thought it would please some of its customers by offering this type of product,” Pavlovsky told WWD. “Evidently, we see that you have to be careful and therefore, in future, we will certainly be much more cautious.”
The sold-out advent calendar was designed to look like Chanel perfume.
Pavlovsky went on to note that the advent calendar wasn’t intended to be sold to a large audience. It was instead offered in limited quantities and sold out immediately, despite its high price tag.
