Louis Vuitton accused of promoting prostitution in short film
A letter published by left-wing French newspaper Liberation condemns and accuses Louis Vuitton of "assimilating luxury with the world's second most profitable criminal activity after drug trafficking."
Haute mon dieu!
A letter published by left-wing French newspaper Liberation accuses Louis Vuitton of "assimilating luxury with the world's second most profitable criminal activity after drug trafficking" - prostitution. Signed by the Scelles Foundation Against Sexual Exploitation, several politicians, and a leading French lawyer who calls the short film, "an extremely shocking representation of women," the group condemns a short film released by Love Magazine for objectifying women's bodies and portraying prostitution as "playful" and "enjoyable."
The video in question is a lingerie-inspired short by filmmaker James Lima who shot a group of Louis Vuitton's fall 2013 runway models at a show fitting. The idea was developed by Love editor-in-chief Katie Grand, who serves as a style consultant to designer Marc Jacobs - notably the creative director of Louis Vuitton. In the short, models dressed in skimpy (but expensive) clothes and sky-high stilettos stand on street corners and alleys, as they wait for cars to pick them up. Essentially, the video alludes to the activity of prostitution.
The letter states that intertwining luxury with prostitution is "very damaging." The signed parties say they are "trying to fight the idea, to which some young women in France subscribe, that prostitution is banal and just a way of getting money to buy clothes."
In a statement to the Telegraph Wednesday, Vuitton says the video was exclusively "created and broadcast" by Love.