The Privilege to Party: Bottega Veneta Criticized for Afterparty at Soho House during Lockdown

With the lockdown extended every few weeks and more intense measures implemented in seemingly unsuccessful attempts to minimize COVID infections, we are all looking for a way to relax. I’m sure everyone would enjoy a normal party right now; be able to listen to music, dance and drink with friends without constantly fearing the virus. We may all want it, but that doesn’t mean it’s fair given our current situation. And that certainly doesn’t mean that a party full of famous people will go unnoticed in this climate.

Italian luxury fashion house Bottega Veneta faces stiff criticism after staging a fashion show showcasing their Lounge 02 collection in the concrete halls of Berghain, followed by an afterparty at Soho House in Mitte on Friday. Local celebrities like Oumi Janta, Honey Dijon and Sven Marquart were in attendance, as well as more internationally known names such as rappers Skepta, Slowthai and Burna Boy, American designer Virgil Abloh and Daniel Lee, creative director of Bottega Veneta. Photos and videos from the Soho House afterparty were shared on social media, showing no social distancing, masks or adherence to increasingly stringent lockdown measures.

Members of the Berlin Soho House are canceling their memberships to signify their rejection of the posh hotel and members’ club. “Due to the pandemic and its regulations, which I fully support, I have not been allowed into the Soho House Members Club for six months now. I paid the full membership fee for the entire time and never complained, ”says Chris Walter, a local club member for six years. “Why would Soho House hold an exclusive afterparty, completely ignoring, hurting and completely mocking our health care system, the health of its staff, German law and, of course, their club members?” He specifies that it is people like him who finance the club and allow it to exist. Several other members have indicated that they have canceled their memberships.

BerlinClubMemes, the popular Instagram meme, has received a number of DMs from alleged Soho House employees and posted these posts about their story anonymously. The posts described the treatment of staff by Soho House over the past two weeks as they hosted the entire Bottega Veneta team. The messages report that the club did not provide COVID testing to employees until the last two days of the label’s stay. “Bottega Veneta employees have come from all over the world to stay at the Soho House hotel,” said an anonymous employee. “None of the standard government-required quarantine regulations (5-10 day self-isolation) appeared to be being followed.” The same staff member also said their concerns about health regulations were immediately dismissed and were “told to find another place to work”. According to another anonymous post shared on the history of BerlinClubMemes, Soho House Berlin made 700,000 euros thanks to the arrangement with the label.

This behavior naturally raises questions about how the lockdown and quarantine measures seem not to apply to people with privileges. Soho House staff, who risked their health, earned minimum wage, while the hotel raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars. BerlinClubMemes shared memes criticizing the party all weekend. “Wealthy people from all over the world witnessed these events, amid a German-wide lockdown and growing numbers of corona,” the page owner wrote. “Thank you very much, idiots!”

Soho House and Bottega Veneta appear to face the majority of the backlash, while few dare to criticize Berlin’s most notorious club. It seems Berghain’s golden and simultaneously gritty reputation protects the club, while the posh hotel and expensive fashion house are more appropriate villains.

This scandal highlights how far the privilege extends, even in Berlin. The privilege of partying may not seem important elsewhere, but in Berlin this right keeps so many people sane. This display of blatant disregard will not go unnoticed in the city where people flock for its freedom and equality, especially when it comes to nightlife.

Diesen Artikel auf deutsch lesen.

Adri
through Adri
April 13, 2021
in Fashion, Party

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