French Fashion Brand Lemaire Apologizes for Controversial Campaign Accused of Insulting China

French fashion label Lemaire has apologized after one of its promotional campaigns became embroiled in controversy, with netizens accusing it of being culturally insensitive toward China.

The controversy erupted on April 25, when netizens flagged a series of promotional images for the "Objets Senteur" fragrance collection. The visuals featured a long braid, a traditional long gown and scissors — a combination that many interpreted as an inappropriate use of historical symbols associated with colonial-era caricatures of Chinese people.

Amid the growing outcry, the brand swiftly removed the disputed content and disabled comments on related social media posts. The images could no longer be found on Lemaire's Facebook page or other overseas social media platforms since the backlash.

Lemaire said yesterday that it had failed to fully consider how the piece might be perceived in light of diverse cultural perspectives and sensitivities, and expressed sincere apologies for any confusion or discomfort caused by the presentation of the objects and images in the campaign.

Publicly available information shows that Lemaire was founded in Paris, France, in 1991 by Christophe Lemaire, the former creative director of Hermès.