How a mid-market shoe chain tried to play luxury – and walked straight into a scandal
I would like to suggest that we discuss rather than condemn. But let’s be honest, we are going to condemn. And here’s why.
The other day, a lavish corporate party took place in the ski resort of Courchevel, France. Normally, what happens in Courchevel is none of our business. But this one was effectively funded with our money, the money Russian customers leave in the tills of Rendez-Vous – a mid-market shoe chain.
The company was celebrating its 25th anniversary and the 16th anniversary of its Courchevel boutique. Did you even know they had a store there? I didn’t. I waited years for one to open in my hometown of Volgograd, a city of over a million people. It never happened. I eventually moved away. Not because of the shop, of course. Although judging by the scale of this party, management might flatter themselves into thinking otherwise.
The first obvious question is: who was this celebration for?
Was it for the customers who have been buying shoes for years in regional shopping centers? Or for a small circle of celebrities who, frankly, do not care whether they celebrate an anniversary in Courchevel, Dubai, or a private villa somewhere?
I checked the brand’s social media. Dozens of posts show guests arriving by helicopter, dining with French singer Patricia Kaas, snowboarding, drinking expensive alcohol. The guest list included Russian celebrities Ksenia Sobchak (TV star and daughter of the former St Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak), Alexander Rogov, Lena Perminova (ex of erstwhile London Independent owner Alexander Lebedev), Oksana Samoilova and other familiar internet personalities. The event has already been compared online to Moscow’s infamous 2024 “naked party,” and not as a compliment. Because that one caused a major scandal in Russia.
Instead of applause, the brand received a wave of anger.
This is where the problem lies. Rendez-Vous is not a luxury house. It is a mass-market chain with mid-range positioning, even if some items carry ambitious price tags. It is not Jimmy Choo trying to reinvent itself, nor 12Storeez. For decades it has worked with ordinary consumers – people who buy practical shoes, not helicopter lifestyles.
And suddenly it tries to play luxury.
The gap between perception and reality is glaring. A brand built on mass demand has attempted an elite performance without the products, positioning, or audience to support it.
Let’s be blunt. I would bet the Courchevel store contributes a microscopic share of the company’s total profit. The guests at this party do not buy these shoes, so they bring precisely zero profit. They are decoration.
In the comments, people openly talk about boycotting the brand. They say they do not want to sponsor Samoilova’s holidays. That sentiment should terrify any marketing department.
The absurdity goes even further. I recently saw a Rendez-Vous shopping bag promoting the company’s agricultural project: from 2024, customers can receive two kilograms of potatoes as a gift with purchase. Picture the scene: Sobchak with a $240 pair of boots in one hand and a sack of potatoes in the other. Helicopters, influencers, potatoes, “shoes for everyone.” This is identity chaos, not bold brand strategy.
The brand looks torn between wanting to appear elite and needing to make money from mass consumers. It wants Courchevel and Krasnodar fields at the same time. The French Alps and the south of Russia.
In stores, this confusion is visible too. I recently went in to buy walking boots for strolls with my daughter. Instead, I was greeted by racks of clothing and aggressive upselling. Turtlenecks, accessories, everything except focus. Perhaps those are meant for party guests.
The company has not properly addressed the backlash. In today’s environment, silence is read as arrogance. Or as proof there is no convincing explanation. Audiences expect dialogue. Brands are no longer allowed to pretend customers are invisible.
From a marketing perspective, this is a classic own goal. When a mass brand behaves like an out-of-touch elite, people feel mocked. Especially “in a difficult time for the country,” as many commenters point out.
What should they do? Speak. Explain. Show respect to the people who actually fund the business. Better yet, reward customers directly: loyalty bonuses, real benefits, visible appreciation. Remind them who you work for.
Right now, Rendez-Vous looks like a brand that forgot where its money comes from, and decided to fly to Courchevel to find out.
Editor’s note: In a strange, and entirely unrelated, postscript to this episode the hotel hosting the Courchevel store apparently burned down this week. French media report that the Grandes Alpes Hotel has been burning for two days. Over 260 people have been evacuated. Meanwhile, the Rendez-Vous outlet has already vanished from Google Maps.
This article was first published by the online newspaper Gazeta.ru and was translated and edited by the RT team