The Nanyang company has denied reports that its slippers, locally known as “Elephant-Star” and sold in Thailand for 109 baht per pair, were priced at 43,000 baht in Saudi Arabia.
Piya Sosothikul, director of Nanyang Marketing Co., Ltd, said on his Facebook page that a viral video, showing Nanyang slippers on display for sale in a luxury shop in Riyadh, is a fake.
“That was a clip from some years ago in China and it just emerged again recently. I wish to explain that it is not real,” Piya said.
The Nanyang Facebook page also denied the reports, titling its story “Funny story from abroad.”
The clip, which went viral among Thai netizens, shows three pairs of Nanyang slippers displayed in a high-end shop in Riyadh.
It also shows a sales person wearing black gloves while handling the slippers, similar to vendors of luxury handbags.
A tag on one pair indicated a price of 4,590 Riyal, or Bt43,624.
This caused a heated debate among and criticism from Thai netizens, who expressed astonishment at the outlandish price. One of them said he was proud to have had the opportunity to wear such an expensive item, even though he bought them for only Bt109.
The company has been producing Nanyang slippers in Thailand for 71 years. They feature a logo of an elephant standing in a star and have become a household name.
