French fashion house Louis Vuitton is facing an unexpected wave of negative feedback for its new jewelry collection. The LV Volt, which was unveiled on Tuesday, was said to be an expression of support for Russia’s attack against Ukraine by symbol-conscious critics.
The collection came under fire for using a common symbol of electricity, the lightning bolt, as a motif. Commenters reacting en masse with ‘vomit’ emojis on the brand’s Instagram page apparently believe it to be too similar to the letter ‘Z’.
The Russian military has used the letter ‘Z’ to mark combat vehicles used in the offensive against Kiev. Supporters of Ukraine claim this now-tarnished letter of the English alphabet should be treated like the Nazi swastika.
In Russia, the letter has been used by some as a sign of support for the government in the face of Western sanctions imposed on the country in retaliation for the military offensive.
It is difficult to imagine that Louis Vuitton is secretly supporting the Russian operation. Like dozens of other luxury brands, it has suspended sales of its goods in Russia, shutting down over 100 outlets earlier this month – and presumably, the development of the LV Volt collection required much more than a month.
In a similar incident, Elle Russia was accused this week of being pro-war after running headlines about Gen Z on the cover of its March issue.