Chanel and Saint Laurent join forces against plagiarism

Chanel and Saint Laurent released a joint statement, reported on WWD and shared in two stories on their respective Instagram profiles, in which they pledge to defend the heritage of French luxury fashion houses and condemn all plagiarism and counterfeiting:

"French fashion and couture houses are essential elements of the heritage of France. Their creativity, savoir faire and their ability to inspire millions of people around the world contribute to the global influence of French industry. We must protect true creativity and ingenuity from parasitical companies whose business models depend on plagiarism and counterfeiting."

In the statement, the two brands talk about a relationship of mutual respect and collaboration:

"Chanel and Saint Laurent also have a long history of mutual respect and are aligned and support each other in defending creation against all attempts from actors whose business models undermine or dilute the value of their creations and investments."

Saint Laurent FW21 - Chanel Couture Spring 2022

Saint Laurent FW21 - Chanel FW15

Saint Laurent FW21 - Chanel FW21

Saint Laurent FW21 - Chanel Resort 2020

Saint Laurent FW21 - Chanel SS19

This statement comes as an unexpected step, after less than a year ago the two houses were the protagonists of a rumored case of dissing. Following Saint Laurent's FW21 collection, full of tweed suits and maxi-jewels recalling Chanel's style essentials, Bruno Pavlosky, president of the company founded by Madame Coco, had harshly commented on the outfits:

"How sad to see a brand like that parasite another brand. Saint Laurent is a magnificent brand. I think it’s such a shame not to write your own history and to have to sponge off someone else."

Just to avoid fuelling rumours of some sort of feud between the two brands, Chanel clarified to WWD that the new anti-plagiarism line does not directly refer to any particular company:

"We are not referring to any company with this announcement. We are sharing this statement to express our common commitment to protect creativity and savoir faire from business models that depend on plagiarism and counterfeiting. Both houses are aligned and, where appropriate, will support each other in defending creativity from parasitical business practices."

Could this sort of armistice be the first step towards a real collaboration like the one between Fendi and Versace?