In the comments under posts on Instagram, the new collection is met with outrage and ridicule.

And rightly so. In the month that has passed since Russian army forces invaded Ukraine, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded in real-time in front of the eyes of the world. Millions have fled their homes and country, entire cities have been bombed to pieces and hundreds and hundreds of men, women and children have been killed. Many of the Russian soldiers and troops entering Ukraine have the symbol 'Z' emblazoned on their uniforms and vehicles – and although the meaning of the symbol has not been officially confirmed, many have speculated that the "Z" symbol is an abbreviation of the Russian phrase "for victory." And so it is easy to see why then, when Louis Vuitton decided to bring out a new jewellery collection with a symbol that looks suspiciously like the letter 'Z' on rings, bracelets and necklaces, customers were shocked and outraged. As many social media users have noted, the initials “L” and “V” used in the jewellery design are presented in a way that resembles the letter “Z.” However, in the description of the collection, the luxury fashion house states that “the iconic initials ‘L’ and ‘V’ appear together, separate and intertwine in a multitude of combinations that become a metaphor of movement and a symbol of energy.” Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander appeared in an ad for the new LV Volt collection alongside rapper Kid Cudi and and Chinese actress Gina Jin. But according to social media users, advertising the collection in the light of recent events looks, to put it mildly, inappropriate. And over on Instagram, many accused Louis Vuitton of covertly supporting Russia's actions in Ukraine after seeing the images appear on the Louis Vuitton profile. "Lol – have nothing against LV and I can recognise LV in Z but come on," one person wrote. "Do you guys even watch the news? I wonder what the sales figures are gonna look like!" Another one wrote: "You must be kidding?!" A third one wrote: "This is literally a symbol of war! When you fire marketing & PR responsible for this you can donate their salaries to Ukraine!" Another commenter simply stated: "#StandWithUkraine #stopwar" Thousands more comments flooded the posts on the LV Instagram profile, and it is easy to see why. Louis Vuitton themselves have yet to respond to the controversy.