If an umbrella costs £1,300, you would expect it to be waterproof. So did the Chinese consumers who shelled out this much money for a designer umbrella made by Italian designer brand Gucci in collaboration with sports brand major Adidas. In fact, the product which is yet to launch in the Chinese market has faced several flak on social media over its description as a sun umbrella. The product information suggests that the product is not waterproof and is meant for decorative purposes. According to the BBC, one Weibo user wrote that the umbrellas was a useless fashion statement, albeit a big one. Another user wrote that as long as he is poor, the companies won’t be able to trick him into buying this useless accessory.
Not only in China, but there have also been amusement and bewilderment among social media users from across the globe over this unique collaboration between Adidas and Gucci. One Twitter user wrote he rather be cheated into investing in a Ponzi scheme rather than buy this useless article.
He said, “Imagine buying a $1600 umbrella as a status symbol, discovering it doesn’t stop rain, then finding out it was never intended to work in the first place. I’d rather get publicly swindled out of $1600 in a low-level Ponzi scheme than be seen holding a Gucci umbrella.”
Responding to the criticism, Gucci told Beijing magazine Caijing that while the umbrella may seem useless, it has a collector’s value comparable to paintings and other arts.