Sex and The City bag designer Nancy Gonzalez was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

In the early 2000s, Nancy Gonzalez handbags were popular and their designer a model of success. He, who grew up in a modest environment, in Colombia with florist parents, managed to conquer the world of glamor and luxury in just a few years. At that time, his creations could be seen on red carpets on the arms of Britney Spears, Eva Longoria or Sofia Vergara and were sold at Saks, Harrods and Bergdorf Goodman. Wealthy Americans, fond of ostentatious displays of wealth, snapped them up. It must be said that Nancy Gonzalez bags had the distinction of being made of exotic and colorful reptile skins, from orange alligator to fuchsia python. Eccentric luxury that matches the trends of the times to the point of finding its way to the small screen.

Fashion’s fictional grandmother Miranda Priestly (The Devil Wears PradaBlair and Serena, the duo who run Constance High School (Gossip girl) as well as the quartet Sex and the city , made up of Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda, all had a few pieces of Nancy Gonzalez that they proudly displayed. Dazzling popularity, which inevitably declined with the growing success of quiet luxury, and which finally came to an end in July 2022. That day, the designer was arrested during a search of his Colombian home. He was accused of smuggling bags made from the skins of protected species from Colombia into the United States.

Nancy Gonzalez was then detained in Colombia for fourteen months before being extradited to the United States in August 2023 to await her trial. It finally happened in federal court in Miami this Monday, April 22nd. During the trial, the designer admitted to recruiting more than 40 couriers, including some employees and friends, to carry the bags on commercial flights. If the customs officers asked questions, they were instructed to take four each and declare that these items were gifts for loved ones.

Although trade in these products is not prohibited, this type of import is subject to close monitoring by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to which both countries are signatories. Defense attorneys noted that only 1% of the products imported into the United States are unlicensed, and that the skin is from captive-raised animals, not wild animals. According to them, handbags were not intended for trade, but for exhibition and loan, in showrooms or during Fashion Week.

Nancy Gonzalez, for her part, claimed that she “made bad decisions under pressure”, although the judge said that US officials had already warned the designer in 2016, noting her “suspicious” and “rude” behavior. While prosecutors, who likened his behavior to that of cocaine dealers, asked for a 37-month sentence, Judge Robert Scola ultimately decided on 18 months, given the harsh conditions in the Colombian prisons where he served his preschool years. judicial custody. Nancy Gonzalez said she was sorry. “I apologize from the bottom of my heart to the United States of America. “I never intended to offend a country to which I owe infinite gratitude.” He is due to report on June 6 to begin his sentence. His brand, in turn, did not survive the shipwreck, which was declared bankrupt after the arrest.