Multi-billion dollar French fashion empire Christian Dior invited controversial Kuwaiti blogger and social media influencer Sondos Alqattan to view their latest Spring-Summer 2019 Ready-to-Wear line, extending her an invite to their fashion show in Paris in September.
On July 10, 2018, Alqattan posted a video to her some 2.3 million followers on Instagram in which she criticised Kuwait’s new laws that granted Filipino domestic workers in the Gulf state one day off per week and prevented employers from keeping their passports.
Following the outrage sparked by her comments, brands like MAC, Shiseido, Max Factor and French perfume brand M.Micalle stepped forward to renounce her views and cut ties with her.
An unapologetic Alqattan retaliated by saying that she will reveal all the brands that have severed collaborations with her, so that her 2.3 million followers can, in turn, boycott them.
Personal invite
Alqattan posted a personal invite from Dior along with a collection of Instagram photos and more than 30 Instagram stories from her trip to Paris.
The invite, addressed in handwriting to “Madame Sondos Alqattan”, and signed-off with “Sincerely yours” from Pietro Beccari, President & CEO, Christian Dior Coutre, read: “It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you in Paris on the occasion of our Spring-Summer 2019 Ready-to-Wear show, on September 24. I hope this experience will be the opportunity for you to discover further the unique world of Dior. I wish you a very pleasant stay.”
It is understood by Arabian Business, however, that Alqattan attended in a private capacity and was not paid to be present.
Alqattan’s Instagram feed shows a photo of her invite accompanied by an opened Dior box containing the brand’s new monogram oblique canvas zip clutch, which amassed 34,173 likes.
Another blogger, @therealfashionblogger, posted the same clutch on her Instagram feed on October 1, with a caption that read: “Thank you so much Dior for this amazing gift from the SS19 Fashion Show in Paris last week.”
Alqattan’s feed has been consistently flooded with photos of Dior merchandise over the past months.
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