Chanel apologises to actress after she claimed, she may have been racially profiled at store

LOS ANGELES: The House of Chanel has issued an apology after "Empire" actress Gabourey Sidibe claimed she was racially profiled, while she was trying to buy a pair of glasses at one of its stores in Chicago.

A representative for the high fashion house said the company was sorry that Sidibe "felt unwelcome and offended" at the store, reported E! Online.

In an essay published in Lenny Letter this week, the Oscar-nominated actress said she tried to buy a pair of glasses and a pair of sandals for her "Empire" co-star Taraji P Henson at a Chanel store near her apartment in Chicago and was initially snubbed by a saleswoman.

"I'd love to pretend she was being polite, and I'm sure she would love to pretend she was polite, but she was actually condescending. I knew what she was doing. She had decided after a single look at me that I wasn't there to spend any money.


A representative for the high fashion house said the company was sorry that Sidibe "felt unwelcome and offended". (Image: AFP)

"No matter how dressed up I get, I'm never going to be able to dress up my skin colour to look like what certain people perceive to be an actual customer," wrote Gabourey.

Following Sidibe's long note, Chanel released a statement that read, "CHANEL expresses our sincerest regret for the boutique customer service experience that Ms Sidibe mentioned in the essay she published on a website.

"We took her words very seriously and immediately investigated to understand what happened, knowing that this is absolutely not in line with the high standards that CHANEL wishes to provide to our customers."