A Russian fashion retailer has landed in hot water with conservative and pro-Kremlin figures after organizing a luxury brand trip for celebrities and influencers to the French ski resort of Courchevel.
Rendez-Vous, which sells mid-priced to luxury brands, celebrated its 25th anniversary and the 16th anniversary of its Courchevel boutique with the four-day trip earlier this month.
Attendees like media personality Ksenia Sobchak, blogger Oksana Samoilova, model Elena Perminova and stylist Alexander Rogov were reportedly flown in private jets and helicopters flights and entertained at lavish parties, with an eye-watering price tag of at least 30 million rubles ($395,907) in total.
One of the dinners alone reportedly cost over 1 million rubles ($11,242).
Ten company employees also reportedly took part in the trip.
Lawmakers and pro-Kremlin figures were quick to condemn the displays of luxury amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Ultra-conservative lawmaker Vitaly Milonov suggested that while Russia has many “patriotic companies,” Rendez-Vous might be better off relocating its business abroad.
“The Rendez-Vous party in Courchevel is a sabbath of Ukrainian ‘swine underlings’,” Milonov said, calling the female celebrities who attended the brand trip “gold diggers.”
Lawmaker Amir Khamitov argued that “extravagant parties” during Russia’s war in Ukraine are “immoral.”
“Unfortunately, despite the difficult period our country is going through, there are still those who believe it does not concern them and that they can continue living as they are used to,” Khamitov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.
“Holding such extravagant parties during [the war] and amid acute geopolitical conflicts is simply immoral and shows disregard for our soldiers, who risk their lives every day,” he said.
Another lawmaker, Alexander Tolmachev, said the trip organizers had failed to learn from previous scandals involving elite parties, referencing the 2023 “nearly naked” party hosted by blogger and TV personality Anastasia Ivleeva which sparked outrage among conservative and pro-war figures.
“Foreign travel and an outrageously expensive hotel for influencers alone were enough to provoke public anger,” he said.
The controversy intensified amid reports that Rendez-Vous had recently cut employee salaries and reduced bonuses, which make up a significant share of retail workers’ income.
The far-right Orthodox group Sorok Sorokov asked Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev to probe Rendez-Vous’ parent company for potential financial and tax violations.
“There is information that Rendez-Vous organized an expensive corporate event in Courchevel while simultaneously reducing salaries and bonuses for its employees,” the group said in its appeal.
“We request an investigation…for potential financial and tax violations, as well as possible infringements of the constitutional rights and freedoms of the company’s employees,” it said.
In a statement responding to the criticism, the company said Friday that salaries had not been cut and that fixed wages had been increased across all its stores.
It also said that the brand has been operating outside Russia, including in Courchevel, for 16 years and invited influencers to mark the store’s anniversary and to “build more effective engagement with partners.”
“We pay close attention to audience reactions and will take them into account when planning further projects and formats,” it added.
In 2024, celebrities who attended Ivleeva’s “nearly naked” party were forced to issue public apologies, while some lost advertising contracts and were dropped from New Year’s television programming.
Ivleeva herself was fined for organizing the event and later publicly expressed support for President Vladimir Putin in a break with her past comments.
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