On Saturday, Russian model Victoria Bonya appeared to be carrying a Chanel purse in an Instagram post.
In a previous Instagram post, Bonya dismantled a Chanel purse and accused the brand of “Russophobia.”
Commentators questioned Bonya’s tweet due to her vehement opposition to the brand.
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A Russian model and influencer shared a photo of herself with what seemed to be a Chanel bag on Instagram on September 3 — five months after she slashed a Chanel bag in protest of the fashion house’s decision to close its Russian outlets.
Victoria Bonya, who has over 9 million Instagram followers, was one of several Russian influencers who spoke out against Chanel after the company ceased trading in Russia in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The designers accused Chanel and other brands that closed Russian boutiques of “Russophobia” and nationality-based discrimination.
A tweet from VICTORIA BONYA (@victoriabonya).
Why must we respect Chanel House if Chanel House does not respect its clients? Bonya stated in an Instagram video posted on April 5 in which she seemed to cut a Chanel quilted purse into two halves using industrial-grade scissors.
On September 3, Bonya shared a photo of herself in a car with the message, “Dubai!” Commentators were quick to note that the bag Bonya was carrying in the photo appeared to be a similar black Chanel bag to the one she smashed in her April video.
“Didn’t you cut out the identical bag from the photo?” one commenter queried, while other top remarks, written in Russian but able to be translated using the Instagram app, appeared to criticize the influencer.
A tweet from VICTORIA BONYA (@victoriabonya).
One commenter exclaimed, “Chanel is back?!” while another said, “Chanel cut bag on point,” getting 470 likes. “She was raised,” remarked a second commenter.
Bonya said on Instagram on April 11 that she would be auctioning “all” of her Chanel bags and donating the earnings to “those who are in need at this time.”
“Chanel’s nationality-based discrimination against Russian clients is inexcusable and intolerable. When did fashion become a political tool for racial discrimination?” She commented on the post.
Bonya did not answer to Insider’s request for comment immediately.
According to the BBC, Chanel stores remain closed in Russia, and the brand has also ceased selling products to Russian consumers abroad. Several Russians have claimed on social media that they were turned away from Chanel outlets while shopping abroad.
A Chanel spokeswoman told Insider in April that the company complies with “all regulations” pertaining to its operations and personnel, including trade sanctions.
A tweet from VICTORIA BONYA (@victoriabonya).
Bonya produces modeling-related content on Instagram and has a TikTok account with 450,000 subscribers where she films herself preparing for modeling jobs.
In May, when she walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, the influencer was met with severe hostility. According to the Daily Mail, some Twitter users stated that Bonya should not have been invited to the event, citing images of the model wearing a T-shirt and swimwear carrying Putin’s image that had emerged in numerous news articles.
The outlet reported that a spokesperson for the Cannes Film Festival explained that a “few” Russian media outlets that supported the “anti-war position of the festival” were invited to attend the event. However, when asked for comment, the spokesperson did not provide an explanation for Bonya’s attendance. Insider’s request for comment was not immediately met by festival representatives.
In a series of May Instagram posts, Bonya stated that she was “invited” to the festival but was “discriminated against” at the event, stating that she was asked to leave the red carpet, though she did not specify by whom, in a caption that was written in Russian but can be translated using the Instagram app.