For some Russian influencers, the question is simple: “If Chanel House does not respect its clients, why do we have to respect Chanel House?”
Russian influencers and socialites are destroying their Chanel bags in protest after the luxury fashion house barred Russians from purchasing new items amid the war in Ukraine.
Several Russian women have shared videos of themselves using scissors and gardening shears to destroy their luxury accessories.
“Bye-bye,” Russian model Victoria Bonya said in an Instagram video she shared Wednesday after claiming that “Chanel House does not respect its clients.”
She stares into the camera waving the scissors in the air after cutting her classic black quilted purse in two.
“Never seen any brand acting so disrespectful towards their clients as @chanelofficial,” the blonde model captioned her video.
Wealthy Russians first began sharing their outrage toward the French fashion house several days ago after Chanel banned them from purchasing their luxury products across the world.
The couture fashion house pulled business out of Russia in protest of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, along with many other brands, but the Russian fashionistas did not expect to be barred from shopping in other countries.
Russian interior designer and influencer Liza Litvin whined about her experience being refused a Chanel bag in a top Dubai mall, East2West reported.
She shared that Chanel “has a new order that they only sell after I sign a piece of paper saying that I won’t wear this bag in Russia.”
Litvin explained, “They asked for my ID details and I gave my Russian phone number.
“Next, the manager said that starting from today they were selling to Russians only if they sign an agreement not to wear their items in Russia.”
Chanel’s French corporate offices confirmed the new policy which they claimed was forced upon them because of European Union and Swiss sanctions on luxury items.
“The latest sanctions restrictions of the European Union and Switzerland prohibit ‘the sale, directly or indirectly, of luxury items to any natural, legal person or entity in the Russian Federation or for use in the Russian Federation,’ ” the company said in a statement.
Customers are now being asked “to confirm that the products they purchase will not be used in Russia.”
“We understand that these measures, aimed at complying with the requirements of the law, may create certain inconveniences for some customers. We are currently working to improve the procedure and apologize for any related misunderstandings and inconveniences,” Chanel said.
To protest the “Russophobia,” the former Chanel clients are destroying their products in front of millions.
Russian TV host and actor Marina Ermoshkina used garden shears to cut up a dark gray handbag to support her Motherland.
“Not a single bag, not a single thing is worth my love for my Motherland,” she explained in her Instagram caption. “It’s not worth my respect for myself. I am against Russophobia, I am against a brand that supports Russophobia.”
“Chanel is just an accessory,” she added. “An accessory that at some point decided to humiliate people, my compatriots, decided to discriminate against people on the basis of nationality, which I will not tolerate. After all, the main thing is principles, and not what is in your hands, but what is inside you.”
Russian DJ Katya Guseva followed Ermoshkina’s lead using scissors to destroy her black chained bag and posting a video to explain her protest.
“I always dreamed that a Chanel handbag would appear in my wardrobe, and it happened last year,” she wrote in her caption. “But after I learned about the brand’s policy towards Russians, I decided to remove these bags from my daily life until the situation changes.
“I am against Russophobia, I am against the brand, which supports Russophobia and discrimination against women based on nationality. We Russian girls are beautiful whether we have a Chanel bag or not,” she continued.
Some viewers appreciated the Russian protest while others mocked them for their complaints about luxury fashion accessories amid a war that has killed thousands.
A rep for Chanel could not be reached by The Post for comment.
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