Controversy erupts as luxury brand Giambattista Valli sends Chinese customer's dress to actress Anya Taylor-Joy

Taylor-Joy, 28, appeared in the dress—a black velvet off-the-shoulder bodysuit embellished with white silk organza roses from Giambattista Valli’s Spring 2024 Haute Couture collection—at the London premiere of "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" on May 17.

British-American actress Anya Taylor-Joy attends the London premiere of "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" on May 17, 2024. Photo from Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Instagram

According to WWD, Chinese influencer, entrepreneur, and social activist Lu Min, who is a VIP client of Giambattista Valli, publicly voiced her frustration on social media shortly after the event.

Lu Min stated that she had tried on the dress at the brand’s showroom in January. Having made a deposit of 200,000 yuan (US$27,576), she was scheduled to collect the dress this month.

She thus rebuked the fashion house for permitting Taylor-Joy to wear her dress without seeking her permission, which she regarded as a breach of the unwritten rules governing high fashion client services.

Her video expressing displeasure quickly became viral, amassing millions of views across different social media platforms.

In response, a spokesperson for Giambattista Valli explained to WWD that clients must specify their request and pay additional fees for exclusivity on a haute runway look at the time of placing the order, if they wish to secure exclusivity.

"Without such specification and the down payment of the exclusivity fee, the piece may be made available to other clients," this person further added. "As the client knows, this time there was no such request made."

Nevertheless, Lu Min found this explanation unsatisfactory, referencing her extensive history of purchasing couture from other fashion houses.

"When they [other luxury brands] decided to loan out a look that I’ve purchased, it’s happened with Lady Gaga and Julianne Moore before, they have always shown respect and notified me first, then made visible changes to the look," she recounted.

She further asserted that Giambattista Valli failed to inform her about the need to request exclusivity during the order process. Consequently, she demanded an apology from the brand and vowed never to purchase from them again.

While some industry experts endorsed the brand’s stance, others disagreed.

Fashion historian and curator at Paris’ Palais Galliera Museum Alexandre Samson remarked that "historically, it was rare that a client had exclusivity on a model."

Meanwhile, fashion historian, writer, and couture expert Tony Glenville considered the incident a significant oversight, commenting: "It’s a lack of understanding of the culture of haute couture."

"It’s all about manners and in this case, I think the house behaved badly," he elaborated.

Giambattista Valli was established in 2005 by the eponymous Italian designer, who is among the select non-French designers admitted to the historic Chambre Syndicate de la Haute Couture, the authoritative body of the French fashion industry. The designer debuted his first Couture collection in July 2011.

Taylor-Joy first appeared on television in 2014 in an episode of the detective drama "Endeavour." Since then, her acting career was marked by numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

She has also been nominated for a BAFTA Film Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Her notable roles include performances in "Split," "The Queen’s Gambit," and "The Menu."