Glamour Girl
The name “Chanel” is one of the most famous and potent symbols of French heritage in the world, rivaling the Eiffel Tower, the beret, the baguette, the café (and whatever other artifacts that make us Francophiles swoon). It’s not just a symbol, of course, but a living, thriving, multi-billion-dollar industry, employing thousands of people in all kinds of professions—not only the rarefied creatures of the catwalk, but also tailors, seamstresses, photographers, writers, accountants, managers, shop clerks, you name it.
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I wrote about the skills of the petites mains back in June. The people who actually sew the clothes, and all the intricate detailing of the clothes, by hand, are demi-gods in my book. So I was especially interested to read of this court case in France pitting one lone middle-class woman against an entire empire. An empire with an army of lawyers, limitless money, and the determination to grind down anyone who dares copy its designs. But when it comes to the designs of other people . . . ah, there the empire is a little less noble.
Whatever your take on this case, Carmen Colle hardly seems the unscrupulous, publicity-seeking hound Chanel is trying to make her out to be. Her almost saintly endeavors on behalf of working women, particularly working immigrant women, as outlined in the article referenced at the above link and this one, make it hard to believe she doesn’t have an honest claim. Whereas I find it all too easy to believe that this powerful corporation is trying to cheat her. And destroy her business in the bargain.
I can’t help but be reminded of a case here in Baltimore involving a Filippina woman named Sony who ran an eponymous restaurant downtown for many years. Until the Sony Corporation came along. They claimed that the name “Sony” belonged to them and only them, even though she had been living with this name since, uh, birth. She spent untold thousands of dollars trying to defend herself, then finally gave up. She closed the restaurant. Sony succeeded in driving this innocent, independent woman out of business. I remember being infuriated by the case at the time and both called and wrote the company to tell them that though I worked in radio and needed their equipment, which was acknowledged to be the best in the business, I’d be damned if I ever bought another piece of it again. They responded with the usual boilerplate corporate bs. I promptly went out and bought a Marantz tape deck, microphone, cable, and other accessories. That Marantz was a work horse; it never failed me.
Here’s to you, Madame Colle. Fingers crossed that you win this case.
(Photo of Chanel dress by Armando Grillo courtesy of style.com)
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/08/09 at 12:50 PM
