Italian fashion influencer Ferragni to donate $1.3 million in deal to settle antitrust investigation

MILAN (AP) — Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni will donate at least 1.2 million euros ($1.3 million) as part of an agreement with Italian antitrust authorities investigating misleading messages that led consumers to believe that proceeds from purchasing Easter eggs bearing its logo would go to a children’s charity, officials said Friday.

The three Ferragni companies will donate 5% of their profits over three years, with a minimum amount of €1.2 million, to a charity for disabled children called Children of the Fairies, the antitrust authority AGCM said.

The egg’s producer, Cerealitalia Industrie Dolciare, a subsidiary of toy company Giochi Preziosi, will donate at least 100,000 euros ($108,000) to the charity.

The payment would be intended to “compensate consumers who, by purchasing the product, wanted to make an economic contribution to the ‘Fairy Children’ organization,” the AGCM statement reads.

The companies also agreed to separate their commercial activities, including advertising, from their charitable activities.

Ferragni posted a message on social media confirming the deal. In January, it was fined 1 million euros for a similar programme involving charity communications relating to the sale of a traditional Christmas cake.

The deals were a blow to Ferragni, who had spent years building a reputation in the fashion industry, first as a blogger and then as a front-row influencer and businesswoman who launched her own clothing, accessories and makeup brands. She also served on the board of luxury group Tod’s, a three-year term that expired in March.