US President Donald Trump and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault at the Louis Vuitton factory opening in Texas | Source: Getty
PARIS, France — Louis Vuitton designer Nicolas Ghesquière has made it clear he wants nothing to do with Donald Trump.
On Sunday morning, the luxury brand’s women’s artistic director took to his personal Instagram account to publicly distance himself from the American president, three days after Trump joined LVMH Chairman and Chief Executive Bernard Arnault to inaugurate a new Louis Vuitton factory in Texas. Rimowa Chief Executive Alexandre Arnault, Louis Vuitton Chief Executive Michael Burke and Ivanka Trump were also in attendance.
“Standing against any political action. I am a fashion designer refusing this association #trumpisajoke #homophobia,” he wrote.
The post received praise from many industry figures, including Louis Vuitton’s accessories creative director Camille Miceli, who commented on Ghesquière’s post with clapping hands and heart emojis.
Paco Rabanne Creative Director Julien Dossena, makeup artist James Kaliardos, Veronika Heilbrunner, former Elle UK editor-in-chief Anne-Marie Curtis and stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray were among others who took to the comments section to show their support of the designer. Model Teddy Quinlivan commented, “BRAVO Thank you for standing on the right side of history ❤️❤️.”
Louis Vuitton declined to comment. Ghesquière did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Louis Vuitton is LVMH’s flagship fashion label, expected to net €12 billion in sales this year. The new factory opening came as part of a commitment to create 1,000 jobs in the US over the next five years. The initial investment will cost LVMH $50 million.
Ghesquière is not the only one to take issue with the luxury brand’s Trump association. Thursday’s highly publicised event sparked backlash on social media, while Grab Your Wallet, a group that calls on shoppers to boycott businesses associated with the Trump family and administration, added LVMH to its blacklist.
“Creating jobs is not an excuse to ignore morally repugnant behaviour,” Shannon Coulter, one of the movement’s founders told BoF earlier this week. “Businesses are willing to look the other way in order to work with the Trump administration, but it’s a worrisome trend.”
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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