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Has Luxury Become a Dirty Word in France?

Brands like Dior, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent have always sold a piece of Paris — the world’s temple to luxury fashion — along with their handbags. But France’s bi-polar relationship with luxury is boiling over once again.
Longchamp store on Champs Elysées during the 18th Yellow Vests protest | Source: Getty Images
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Has luxury become a dirty word in France, the world’s temple to luxury? Judging by the recent outbursts of populist violence in the country’s capital you might think so. “Thanks for the cashmere” was just one tag left by “black bloc” protesters last Saturday on a luxury storefront on the Champs Elysées in Paris, where stores belonging to Bulgari, Longchamp,

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About the author
Laurence Benaïm

Laurence Benaïm is a contributing writer at The Business of Fashion. Benaïm is a highly respected Frence journalist and author who writes scholarly, cultural, and artistic observations about fashion.

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