It seems a luxury shopping experience in Italy Savannah James, LeBron James’ wife, took an unexpected turn after she and her friend April McDaniel were allegedly refused service at a Hermès store despite having a scheduled appointment.
Show Some Respect
James talked about the incident with McDaniel during an Aug. 6 appearance on Danielle Robay’s “Question Everything” podcast. The friends were traveling through Europe and said they had arranged shopping appointments at luxury boutiques along the way.
The situation escalated when they arrived at the Hermès location in Milan and a saleswoman allegedly refused to accommodate their appointment.
“We had an appointment,” James said.
McDaniel said she immediately confronted the situation and claimed the employee was ultimately fired.
“And fired the lady,” McDaniel said, describing her reaction to the encounter.
The situation was eventually resolved, according to the women, with Hermès staff offering them a private shopping experience. McDaniel said they were taken into a private room where they were served champagne and macarons and shown an extensive selection of merchandise.
“They brought out everything,” James said.
McDaniel joked that the experience quickly turned into a luxury shopping spree, saying she was ready to purchase everything from handbags to bathing suits and silverware.
The women said the Hermès incident was not the only uncomfortable shopping experience they encountered during their European trip.
At a Chanel boutique in France, James said a sales associate repeatedly instructed her not to touch a miniature handbag that was on display. James said there was no signage indicating that the item was off-limits to customers.
“Typically when it’s like a exclusive situation, it’ll say, don’t touch,” James said. “I can read. Very much so. And I can see very clearly. And there was nothing that said, don’t touch.”
McDaniel said she was particularly frustrated by what she viewed as the treatment of her friend and joked about taking the matter directly to management.
There has been longstanding scrutiny of luxury retailers over how Black customers are treated in their stores. Hermès, in particular, has faced previous allegations involving racial profiling and unequal treatment, including a widely reported 2005 incident involving Oprah Winfrey. Though the Winfrey was over 20 years ago, similar complaints have cropped up over time although James and McDaniel did not suggest that the Milan incident was definitively motivated by race.
Hermès and Chanel had not publicly confirmed the women’s accounts.
Although married to a basketball billionaire, James has her own fortune, estimated to be at $100 million. She owns Reframe Beauty, a luxury skin care line, co-created with beauty entrepreneur Nick Axelrod-Welk.
