In light of the recent controversy concerning John Galliano and the Dior design house, we took to the Philly streets to see how the label's sales are (or aren't) being affected.
We surveyed the scene at the Dior make-up counter at the Cherry Hill Mall Macy's. While the counter wasn't buzzing with activity, nor were the stations of other brands, which leads us to believe that the lack of customers had less to do with Galliano, and more to do with the time of day.
We sidled our way over to one of Macy's cosmetics counter employees, but upon mention of the scandal, said employee was dismissive and quickly changed the subject. The anti-Semitic remarks are much too ugly for a place that focuses solely on beautifying.
The scene was similar at the mall's Sephora store. Shoppers centralized around the Benefit and Sephora-brand displays, while a tumbleweed blew through the Dior aisle. However, when we asked the customers their opinions of the Dior drama, the most common response was that since Galliano had been dismissed from his position, proper restitution had been made.
The consensus of the Sephora staff was that the scandal will most likely not affect the brand's sales, as Galliano was given the axe quickly enough to avoid further ado. Furthermore, women are particularly loyal to their preferred cosmetic brand, which leads Sephora staff members to believe that customers are more likely to allow the scandal to fizzle as opposed to leading a boycott.
We also put a call into Fashion Forward, an upscale consignment shop in Chestnut Hill. Specializing in designer brands, the boutique is known to carry occasionally carry Dior, with saddle bags and shoes as the shop's most frequent offerings. The shop's owner, Ayana, tells us that she's yet to hear negative comments from customers about the scandal. However, she remarks that the lack of feedback could be due to the fact that the story is still relatively new. Either way, Ayana is keeping her fingers crossed that the drama won't adversely affect her small business.
Related Stories on The Feast:
The Feast/Shop New York: Local Shoppers Weigh in on the Dior Drama
The Feast/Shop Miami: Local Shoppers' Takes on the Dior Scandal
The Feast/Shop Chicago: News of Galliano Scandal Hasn't Hit Sephora Shoppers
The Feast/Shop San Francisco: Dior Shoppers Painfully Unaware of Dior Drama
