Chanel Reopens Seasonal Store in Wealthy Russians-packed Turkish Town Bodrum
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Chanel has reopened its seasonal boutique ahead of summer at the Mandarin Oriental in Bodrum, one of the most popular coastal towns in Turkey that made international headlines in recent weeks as Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich parked his $600 million luxury yacht Solaris there, after leaving a port in Barcelona in early March after sanctions were imposed on him.
Open until Sept. 30, the Chanel boutique is located in the verdant gardens of the hotel, with the rooftop featuring a double C logo in black and white gravel. Customers can see the sky and sea from inside the boutique, which has been updated with cozy meridian sofas, poufs and small travertine side tables.
More from WWD
The store is selling the latest collections from the brand, which include the spring 2022, Métiers d’art and pre-fall 2022 lines, as well as the exclusive Coco Beach collection.
Bodrum has seen its holiday house rent prices skyrocket since the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out, as many wealthy citizens from both nations fled to the picturesque location, Turkish local press reported. The monthly rent of a villa in Bodrum during the high season is between 100,000 and 250,000 euros.
Before the war, Bodrum, where the Aegean Sea meets the Mediterranean Sea, has historically been a preferred destination for Russian and Ukrainian tourists to spend the summer. The town is filled with boutique hotels providing exclusive experiences.
It remains unclear whether the store will impose sales restrictions on Russian passport holders. But considering many of them might hold Turkish passports as well, the restrictions will be less of a concern.
Earlier this month, the brand was once again caught up in controversy as wealthy Russians, who fled to Dubai to continue their luxury lifestyles, found out they are no longer welcomed at Chanel in some of those countries. The brand was later accused of being “Russophobic,” and some Russian influencers began to post videos of them cutting up their Chanel bags as a result.
Chanel responded at the time that it rolled out “a process to ask clients for whom we do not know the main residency to confirm that the items they are purchasing will not be used in Russia,” because the brand had to follow the European Union and Swiss sanction laws, which include a prohibition on the “sale, supply, transfer or export, directly or indirectly, of luxury goods to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Russia or for use in Russia.”
The brand noted the “process of walking through the law has caused disappointment to some of our clients,” and is “working on improving this approach.”
Since the beginning of March, luxury players including LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Kering and Chanel have “temporarily” closed their stores in Russia in response to the escalating situation, although in some cases they continue to wholesale there.
