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Hermes Sued in Antitrust Class Action over Birkin Bag Sales

(FILES) This picture taken on December 20, 2017 shows the logo of the French fashion main house and luxury goods Hermes outside a shop in the fashionable and luxurious street "rue du faubourg Saint-Honore" in Paris. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken on December 20, 2017 shows the logo of the French fashion main house and luxury goods Hermes outside a shop in the fashionable and luxurious street "rue du faubourg Saint-Honore" in Paris. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
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Hermes Sued in Antitrust Class Action over Birkin Bag Sales

(FILES) This picture taken on December 20, 2017 shows the logo of the French fashion main house and luxury goods Hermes outside a shop in the fashionable and luxurious street "rue du faubourg Saint-Honore" in Paris. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)
(FILES) This picture taken on December 20, 2017 shows the logo of the French fashion main house and luxury goods Hermes outside a shop in the fashionable and luxurious street "rue du faubourg Saint-Honore" in Paris. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

French luxury house Hermes has been sued in California over claims it unlawfully allows only customers with "sufficient purchase history" with the company to buy its famed Birkin handbags.
Hermes is violating antitrust law by “tying” the sale of one item to the purchase of another, two California residents alleged in the proposed federal class-action lawsuit filed on Tuesday in San Francisco, Reuters said.
The company's sales associates are driving the scheme by pushing customers to buy shoes, scarves, jewelry and other items to gain an opportunity to buy a Birkin, the lawsuit said.
Hermes and attorneys for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuit calls the Birkin handbags, long seen as a status symbol, an “icon of fashion.”
Consumers cannot purchase a Birkin online from Hermes, and the leather bags, which are handcrafted and can cost thousands of dollars each, are not displayed for sale in the company’s retail stores, according to the lawsuit.
“Typically, only those consumers who are deemed worthy of purchasing a Birkin handbag will be shown a Birkin handbag (in a private room),” the lawsuit claimed.
Hermes sales associates do not earn commissions on Birkin bag sales and are instructed to use the handbags "as a way to coerce consumers to purchase ancillary products," according to the complaint.
The lawsuit said it was seeking class action status for thousands of US consumers who bought Hermes goods or were asked to buy them in order to purchase a Birkin.
Hermes operates about 43 stores in the United States, including eight in California.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages and a court order barring Hermes' allegedly anticompetitive practices.

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Fashion

It’s Met Gala Time! Get Yourself Suitable with This Guide on What to Expect

Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
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It’s Met Gala Time! Get Yourself Suitable with This Guide on What to Expect

Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)

As springtime sunshine finally hits New York City, the Met Gala beckons — one of the most anticipated and visible parties in the world.

This year, the theme — “Tailored For You" — is focused on classic tailoring. As always, the dress code is inspired by the spring exhibit at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is the first Met show to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme. The show looks at the evolution of Black style over the centuries through the lens of dandyism.

Here are some key things to know as fashion's biggest night approaches:

When is the Met Gala? The gala happens the first Monday in May — this year, May 5.

What exactly is the Met Gala? Not everyone knows that the gala is actually a fundraiser for the Costume Institute, the only self-funding department at the Met. Last year the evening brought in a whopping sum of more than $26 million to the museum's coffers.

Was it always this big? Definitely not. It started in 1948 as a Manhattan society midnight supper – held at various places like the Waldorf Astoria and the Rainbow Room. It took many years before it turned into a global event and one of the starriest nights of the year.

Who's hosting the 2025 Met Gala? Each year brings a new group of celebrity co-chairs. This year they are Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, and A$AP Rocky — along with Anna Wintour, the influential Vogue editor who always oversees the proceedings. NBA superstar LeBron James is honorary chair.

Who else is attending the Met Gala so far? Word on attendees trickles out slowly in the weeks leading up to the event. But this year there’s also a huge additional host committee with stars from various fields. (They don’t have specific host duties, other than showing up and, it goes without saying, looking fabulous.)

It includes athletes Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, Angel Reese and Sha’Carri Richardson; filmmakers Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Regina King; and actors Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald and Jeremy Pope, and musicians Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monáe and André 3000.

Also in the group are author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; artists Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson and Kara Walker; playwrights Jeremy O. Harris and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; and fashion figures Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan and Olivier Rousteing.

Can anyone buy a ticket to the Met Gala? In a word: No. You cannot just buy a ticket. The right question is: If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost?

If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost? Individual tickets start at $75,000. Generally, though, companies buy tables. A fashion label, for example, would then host its desired celebrities. A table of 10 starts at $350,000 this year, as it did last year. There will be approximately 400 guests.

How strict is the dress code? The code is meant to be a guide, not a hard rule, and loose interpretation is encouraged.

How do guests spend the evening? Guests enter the museum and walk past an enormous flower arrangement in the museum’s grand lobby – always a talking point. Often there is an orchestra playing nearby. At the top of the grand staircase, Wintour and her co-hosts form a receiving line. Guests then head to view the exhibit, which is followed by dinner. The most hotly anticipated guests sometimes arrive around dessert time for maximum impact (we're looking at you, Rihanna).