Italy’s anti-trust authority has fined Italian fashion blogger-turned-businesswoman Chiara Ferragni €1 million for improperly communicating a charitable contribution tied to sales of a traditional Christmas cake sold with her logo.
Balocco, the company that produced the cake, was also fined €420,000 for giving consumers the impression that part of the earnings from sales of the Ferragni-branded pandoro would benefit the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin.
Ms Ferragni apologised in an Instagram post and pledged to donate €1 million to the hospital to give “concreteness” to her apology. However, she intends to challenge the fine, stating that she had not provided sufficient oversight to the communication surrounding the cake sales and would no longer tie charity with commercial activities.
Ms Ferragni started as a fashion blogger and went on to sell clothing, accessories and makeup under her brand in addition to doing promotional work as an influencer. She is also on the board of directors of Tod’s luxury fashion group.
The Italian premier, Giorgia Meloni, criticised influencers who promote “expensive panettone making believe that they are for charity when the price only pays for millionaires’ fees” without naming Ms Ferragni. The agency noted that the Ferragni-branded “Pandoro Pink Christmas” cakes sold more than €9 each, compared with the usual €3.70 price tag.
