Chanel responds to criticism over advent calendar

Luxury house Chanel has responded to criticism following the release of its 825 dollar advent calendar that faced social media backlash due to the contents not meeting expectations.

Over the weekend, the fashion giant found itself at the frontlines of scrutiny after a host of TikTok users expressed their disappointment in the calendar. Displayed in unboxing videos on the platform, criticised gifts included the likes of Chanel stickers, magnets, an empty dust bag and a string bracelet with a No. 5 logo, causing buyers to question the price of the overall product.

Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, has responded to the backlash, saying the house did not expect to receive negative feedback for the calendar, which was made in celebration of the centennial anniversary of Chanel No. 5 perfume.

“This controversy is a bit of a shame because it was not what Chanel intended,” said Pavlovsky, in conversation with WWD. “Chanel thought it would please some of its customers by offering this type of product. Evidently, we see that you have to be careful and therefore, in future, we will certainly be much more cautious.”

TikTok creator Elisa Harmon, whose video of the calendar has now surpassed 15 million views, further alleged that Chanel’s TikTok account had blocked her following her analysis of the products.

An official statement by the brand read: “We have never blocked access to the Chanel TikTok account to anyone because it is simply not active. It has never been activated, no content has ever been published, it has no subscribers and no subscription. The page, therefore, appears empty to anyone who visits it.

“When Ms Harmon visited our page, she naturally found the usual message that she could not access this account, just like anyone else on the network.

“We are very committed to sharing our world and our creations with our followers on social networks. Our pages are open to everyone, and millions of followers follow us all over the world. They are of course free to express their feelings and opinions, whether they are enthusiastic or critical, if they respect the rules of good conduct in accordance with the uses of social networks - no defamation, calls to violence, threats, or intimidation.”

On the calendar itself, it continued: “We are aware of the comments that are currently visible under our publications and are sorry that this calendar may have disappointed some people. Directly inspired by the mythical silhouette of the No. 5 bottle, this calendar, only available for a short period, has a unique design and original content, which makes it a true collector’s item whose value cannot be summed up by the products it contains alone.”

The controversy comes on the heels of the label’s annual Métiers d’Art runway show in Paris. A film for the upcoming event will be shown as an animation depicting eight models close to the house, each illustrated by Remembers Studio, set to be revealed December 7 from 5pm CET.