The director of Mont-Saint

Thomas Velter admitted to ICI Cotentin on Tuesday that “the images are beautiful” but regrets the use of views of “the Marvel” without prior permission or compensation from the haute couture house.

“Anger but above all disappointment”, said Thomas Velter, general manager of the Mont-Saint-Michel public establishment in the Manche department, to ICI Cotentin on Tuesday, March 24, due to the use of the image of the location in a Jacquemus advertisement without prior permission. For several days now, advertisements from the haute couture house Jacquemus have been circulating on social networks, filmed in the bay, in the salt marshes, with Mont Saint-Michel and Tombelaine as a backdrop.

“It would be ethically sound and respectful not to use and appropriate Mont-Saint-Michel, a jewel of our French heritage, as a mere commercial object!” initially wrote the site director on LinkedIn. Thomas Velter, when questioned by ICI Cotentin, acknowledged that “the images are beautiful” but regrets the use of views of “the Marvel” without prior permission or compensation, like a sponsorship to help with the renovation of the heritage.

“For Mont-Saint-Michel, we are planning 40 million euros in investments over the next ten years, so all public establishments, whether it’s Chambord, Versailles, or others, seek sponsorships. We reached out to Jacquemus two years ago to say ‘come to Mont-Saint-Michel, we can imagine a very beautiful collaboration’. No response from Jacquemus, and two years later, we see this advertisement!” explained the general manager of the Mont public establishment.

Contacted, the haute couture house Jacquemus did not respond to ICI Cotentin’s requests.