Scandal involving Dior

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee are facing a scandal that could affect the outcome of a crucial election in April 2024.

The “Dior bag scandal” emerged after President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife chose to remain silent amid a wave of public opinion stemming from a video released in November 2023 by the Voice of Seoul YouTube channel. The secretly recorded video showed the first lady of South Korea accepting a Dior bag from a Korean-American pastor in September 2022.

Pastor Choi is known to be involved in activities related to North Korea, supporting a policy of rapprochement with Pyongyang.

The Dior bag, which costs about $2,300, could put Kim Keon Hee in violation of anti-bribery laws.

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South Korean President's wife is facing a scandal over "receiving a Dior bag"

The incident might not have escalated if it was just an unknown bag or a normal brand, costing only a few hundred thousand or a few million VND. But the bag was Dior - a brand that was once loved by Princess Diana (Lady Dior).

In its 77-year history, the Dior brand has always positioned itself as a high-end, classic brand. The bag that Ms. Kim received as a gift is worth more than 55 million VND.

The luxury bag, with its high price tag, also means it could expose the recipient to corruption.

Previously, Dior was a rare brand that maintained a cooperative relationship with Johnny Depp during the long legal battle between the actor and Aquaman beauty - Amber Heard. Johnny Depp was in trouble when Hollywood shunned him. Dior was said to be affected as well.

However, the actor's victory in mid-2022 in the Pirates of the Caribbean series has helped Dior's Sauvage men's fragrance line, which Johnny Depp has been the face of since 2015, become highly sought after.

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Photo of Chinese woman holding Dior bag causes controversy. Photo: Globaltimes

Luxury brands are associated with many scandals.

As a brand that is positioned as a luxury brand, Dior's limited edition products always make people want to have them. The price of Dior branded bags is very high, and they can be bought and sold again and even make a profit. Therefore, luxury brands like Dior are often used as luxury gifts for people with status and wealth in society.

High material value also means a lot of money and sometimes scandal.

However, the French brand's reputation is also due to the battle to assert its number 1 position, cultural factors in different countries and efforts to pursue a "classic" style.

It can be seen that, in its history for many decades, the Dior brand has led the world fashion market, from the classic dresses that created a fashion revolution in France in the years after World War II. Then it made waves in New York, Sydney, London, Hong Kong (China),...

After dresses, in 1955 Dior launched the first lipstick under the brand, followed by ready-to-wear clothing for children.

In 1978, Dior's parent company, the Boussac Group, declared bankruptcy. Dior was acquired by the billionaire behind Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) - Bernard Arnault. He is the second richest person in the world with a fortune of 184 billion USD as of January 25, 2024.

This billionaire continued the "classic" path of founder Christian Dior (1905-1957) and previous Dior artistic directors and also expanded into menswear.

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Chinese people protest against "Dior copying Ma Dien dress" in Paris.

The reason Dior is associated with many scandals is probably because this brand often leads the world fashion industry, attacking large luxury markets around the world. Dior's target customers are people with money and power.

However, the “classic” style orientation and the effort to expand into new markets also create cultural conflicts. Recently, in the process of penetrating the multi-billion dollar luxury goods market of China, the brand owner Dior was opposed to new experiments associated with local culture.

Fashion brand Dior faced fierce criticism on social media over an advertising photo that was seen as denigrating the image of Chinese women, at the end of 2021. The photo was displayed at the Dior fashion exhibition at the West Bund Art Center in Shanghai and then posted on social platforms.

The photo was taken by famous Chinese photographer Chen Man of a model with slanted eyes, freckles, ghostly makeup, dark skin, wearing traditional Chinese clothes and holding a Dior bag.

Many criticized the photo for depicting Chinese women in a stereotypical Western way. Some Chinese newspapers said the photo showed Western fashion brands’ pride and prejudices about aesthetics and culture. Many netizens also pointed out that the photo did not fit the typical Chinese beauty standards: white skin and big eyes.

According to Global Times, in mid-2022, Dior was also protested by Chinese people, accusing the brand of "cultural appropriation". Accordingly, the black pleated long dress in Dior's Fall 2022 collection bore many similarities to the traditional Ma Dien dress of China from the Ming Dynasty.

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Frédéric - Alexandre was nominated by his billionaire father to the board of directors of the LVMH empire.

After being accused of copying the design of the Ma Dien dress, Dior was also criticized for using motifs similar to ancient Chinese paintings on a sweater with a floral and bird motif. Dior later recalled all of these products in the Chinese market.

The fact that luxury brands are often associated with celebrities also carries a lot of scandal risks.

Recently, the third son of LVMH boss Bernard Arnault - Frédéric Arnault has the opportunity to become the leader of the luxury empire after billionaire Bernard Arnault (74 years old) at the beginning of the new year 2024 planned to nominate 2 of his 5 children to the Board of Directors of LVMH. Billionaire Arnault and his family currently own about 48% of LVMH shares and nearly 64% of voting rights in this empire.

Frédéric Arnault (29 years old) is rumored to be the boyfriend of Lisa BlackPink. Lisa has fallen out of favor and is suspected of being "banned" by the Chinese market after the stripping scandal at Crazy Horse nightclub.

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