The iconic French fashion house Louis Vuitton has reportedly sent Filipino singer Regine Velasquez a bouquet of flowers after she alleged that she was discriminated against in their New York City store almost a decade ago.
Velasquez first mentioned the alleged discrimination in an Oct. 2 YouTube video in which she showed off the clothes and shoes in her closet.
In the vlog, Velasquez is seen holding a golden peep-toe heel, which she said was a Louis Vuitton she bought in New York when she visited it for the first time.
She said she saw the shoe displayed on the rack from the store window but was allegedly denied entrance by a salesperson who told her they didn’t have the shoe in her size. She asked if she could at least try it on, but the salesperson allegedly dismissed her with a bitchy “Um, no.”
“Your grandma was discriminated against!” Velasquez exclaimed in the video in a mix of English and Filipino.
She then went to luxury store Neiman Marcus across the street out of annoyance and bought 20 pairs of shoes. After her shopping spree, she returned to Louis Vuitton with an armful of shopping bags — à la Pretty Woman — at which point the store’s staff had the good sense to treat her with a little respect.
“And that’s when they sold me the shoe,” Velasquez added.
“But it’s okay. I don’t think you should feel bad when you’re discriminated [against]; you should go back and kick some ass. Right?”
Right.
Velasquez recounted the story in an interview on the talk show Tonight With Boy Abunda yesterday, where it was revealed that the singer received flowers from Louis Vuitton as an apology when they caught wind of the incident.
Another guest on the show, actress Sharon Cuneta, shared a similar incident in which she was allegedly snubbed at a Cartier store overseas, while host Boy Abunda also spoke out against the apparently racist incidents, adding that people should not be discriminated against based on their appearances.
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