The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
NEW YORK, United States — LVMH is facing a boycott threat after the French luxury house invited President Donald Trump to the opening of a new Louis Vuitton factory in Texas earlier this week.
Grab Your Wallet, a group that calls on shoppers to boycott businesses associated with the Trump family and administration has added LVMH brands to its list of corporations to avoid, Shannon Coulter, one of the movement's founders told BoF.
Most brands on Grab Your Wallet's list were targeted for financial ties to Trump, including SoulCycle and the Hudson Yards mall in Manhattan. Stephen Ross, the developer of Hudson Yards and chairman of Equinox-owned SoulCycle, held a fundraiser for Trump in August. LVMH is the first owner of consumer brands to make the list that is not financially involved with the Trump family or administration, Coulter said.
Trump attended the opening ceremony of the Louis Vuitton handbag factory in Johnson County, Texas alongside LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault, Rimowa CEO Alexandre Arnault, Ivanka Trump, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and others.
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Hours after photos of Trump cutting the ribbon were posted online, social media users wrote they would boycott Louis Vuitton for its involvement with Trump.
"Shame on you standing next to the most corrupt President in American history to open your plant. I will never purchase anything with your name on it again #boycottlouisvuitton," one Twitter user wrote.
"There goes Vuitton's reputation," another tweeted.
Brands have faced a backlash for appearing to side with the administration from the start. In 2016, New Balance faced mass social media backlash after its vice president of public affairs told the Wall Street Journal the company believed Trump would help "things are going to move in the right direction." Under Armour chief executive Kevin Plank similarly faced criticism for calling Trump "a real asset for this country" on CNBC.
Bernard Arnault previously met the president at Trump Tower in 2017 to discuss job opportunities in the US; he also attended a state dinner in honor of French President Emmanuel Macron in April 2018.
Louis Vuitton opened the factory in part to move elementals of its supply chain closer to American consumers. It also could help protect the French luxury house from future rounds of tariffs. Trump has ordered some taxes on imports from the European Union, but so far handbags and other luxury goods have been spared.
Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion. All investors have signed shareholders’ documentation guaranteeing BoF’s complete editorial independence.
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