Galia Lahav ‘Deeply Sorry’ for Distress Among Chinese Customers
LONDON — Israeli bridal label Galia Lahav said it is “deeply sorry for any distress caused to our valued customers in China,” as the brand’s China distributor ran into financial trouble and customers are demanding compensation for unfulfilled orders.
According to posts on Xiaohongshu, angry customers and regional distribution partners who paid big deposits never have not had their orders fulfilled since 2022.
More from WWD
Xiaohongshu user Cielote, who shared her unfortunate experience in a series of posts, said “after spending over 100,000 renminbi and waiting for eight months, I thought I would get my custom-made wedding gown this weekend, but I was told that due to a dispute between the China distributor and the headquarters in Israel, Galia Lahav’s store in Shanghai has been forcibly closed by the mall and all the employees were forcibly dismissed.”
“As for my wedding dress, the salesperson told me that there would be no delivery from Israel at the moment. I don’t know if it is not done or if they don’t want to send it to the country,” the user said, adding that she is gathering evidence and has made an appointment with an attorney.
She later updated that she was offered to take two gowns from the Galia Lahav store at the Bund Finance Center as a temporary solution, but the samples were too big for her wedding next month.
It’s understood that more than 50 customers and regional partners of Galia Lahav are joining forces to defend their rights.
In a statement sent to WWD, the brand said, “Our attention was recently drawn to these concerns, and we are handling them with utmost care and urgency. The lack of service provided by our China distributor has led us to stop our business operations with them, as we do not feel that their standards are aligned with those of Galia Lahav, which has high-end values.”
The brand added that it is taking “immediate steps to rectify this situation. Our headquarters teams are working diligently to reach out to each impacted bride to provide assistance and support during this challenging time and establish a new partnership with a reputable distributor in China.
“We at Galia Lahav remain committed to delivering our customers the highest-quality products and services worldwide to ensure that our valued customers receive the same exceptional service and attention to detail that we are known for worldwide,” it said.
The high-end bridal brand, which counts Paris Hilton, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Christine Quinn among its fans, operates five flagships worldwide. They are in Shanghai, Miami, Los Angeles, New York and Tel Aviv.
The Shanghai one is operated under Galia Lahav (Shanghai) Business Management Ltd., a company that’s registered under Zhongwei Wang, who has not been able to be reached since the brand got into financial trouble.
A spokesperson from the Bund Finance Center, which is owned by Lanvin Group’s parent company Fosun, told WWD that Galia Lahav’s China partner has been unable to pay rent in a timely manner since the beginning of 2023, and it is in touch with the distributor to find ways to alleviate the situation.
In response to the demands of consumers, BFC said it immediately communicated with the brand’s China distributor and urged it to comply after discovering the abnormal operation of the store, and also coordinated with consumers’ demands.
“Since the brand had a good reputation as the first store in China in BFC for three years, we actively communicated with the brand to find ways to relieve the situation.…After communication, the brand gave a solution: a discount for sample wedding dresses, and priority for consumers with complete documentation. In this process, our company also actively coordinates and urges the brand to deal with relevant follow-up matters after internal coordination and decision-making to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of consumers,” said the spokesperson.
The brand’s distributor in Hangzhou, who goes by the name Fiona, told local business media Jiemian that the collaboration with the China distributor went well until 2022, when the brand stopped fulfilling orders.
The Hangzhou distributor also revealed that a manager from the brand in November updated them that none of the orders had been submitted to headquarters because of financial problems, and she was promised to get a refund by March 15. But no money has been received so far.
According to users on Xiaohongshu, the brand told them that its headquarters had not received any orders from the Chinese distributor for two years. The reason given was that “weddings are forbidden during the pandemic.”
Best of WWD
