Luxury French fashion house Christian Dior has denied any business collaboration with controversial social media influencer Sondos Al Qattan after the Kuwaiti blogger was invited to view the brand’s latest Spring-Summer 2019 Ready-to-Wear show in Paris in September.
In a statement to Arabian Business, Christian Dior said Al Qattan was invited to the show as a private client, not as a social media influencer partnering with the brand.
“Sondos Al Qattan was invited to the Spring/Summer Ready-to-Wear show by the local Dior boutique. Dior Couture does not collaborate with Al Qattan as an influencer and does not have any business relationship with her beyond the capacity of a client,” the statement said.
In July this year, Al Qattan came under fire for posting a video to her 2.3 million followers on Instagram in which she criticised Kuwait’s new labour laws, which grant Filipino domestic workers in the Gulf state one day off per week and prevent employers from keeping their passports.
The outrage sparked by her comments led major brands including MAC, Shiseido, Max Factor and French perfume house M.Micalle to cut ties with Al Qattan and renounce her views.
An unapologetic Al Qattan retaliated at the time by saying that she will reveal all the brands which severed collaborations with her, so that her 2.3 million followers can, in turn, boycott them.
In light of the influencer’s attendance to the Dior show in September, the multi-billion dollar French house said in its statement that the blogger’s views do not align with those of the brand.
“Her views and opinions do not represent in any way the views of Dior,” the statement said.
During her trip to Paris, Al Qattan had posted a personal invite from Dior along with a collection of Instagram photos and more than 30 Instagram stories.
Dior was given the opening slot at Paris Fashion Week and received rave reviews for head designer Maria Grazia Chiuri’s newest collection and its dance-inspired debut choreographed by Sharon Eyal.
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