Luxury brand Chanel has been unveiling its limited edition sports accessories, including rugby balls, basketballs, skis, and surfboards.
This sporting series led by the brand’s head designer and creative director Karl Lagerfeld has attracted a lot of positive attention in the industry.
However, the French fashion house’s latest release wasn’t so lucky.
Chanel relaunched a very luxurious item made out of wood which was first released in 2013 – a boomerang.
Apparently it isn’t just any boomerang because it comes with a hefty USD1,325 (RM5,732) price tag!
Although there’s no actual justification for you to spend this much on a tool used mostly for sporting activities today, no doubt you’ll be paying for the name and status that comes with a brand like Chanel.
But the boomerang has gotten tangled in controversy not so much due to the high price.
The brand has gone under fire for appropriating the indigenous community in Australia, who also happen to be among the nation's poorest people.
In case you didn’t know, the boomerang was traditionally used by Australian aborigines as a fighting and hunting weapon.
It also carries substantial cultural attachments that are used to pass culture and tradition from generation to generation.
Gabrielle Sullivan, chief executive of the Indigenous Arts Code told BBC the boomerangs are a cultural symbol for the indigenous culture.
“I don't see how this is different from a cheap fake boomerang sold at the airport. It's just an expensive version of this,” she added.
"A lot of indigenous artists do artwork on them and this artwork is different in different parts of the country, it holds different meaning."
Even the selection process for the wood holds a significant cultural meaning.
In the aborigine community, boomerangs are made by indigenous artists. But most of the items that tourists bring home as souvenirs are not even produced by the local communities, and in many cases, not even in the country.
"Chanel and other luxury fashion brands hate it when people steal their logos and make copies of their products,” said artist Bibi Barba.
"So it would be a good point for them to make amends."
Following the controversy, Chanel responded in a statement, “Chanel is extremely committed to respecting all cultures, and regrets that some may have felt offended.”
The item is currently listed on Chanel’s official website under ‘Other Accessories’ it is 2017 Spring-Summer pre-collection.