The second vice-president of the Government and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Diaz, has responded to the controversy generated in social networks after the dissemination of images in which her daughter, Carmela, appeared with an alleged luxury handbag of the brand Marc Jacobs during a visit to the National Ballet.
The accessory, a Tote Bag model of the renowned U.S. firm, is sold in its original version for more than 250 euros, which generated a wave of criticism towards the Galician politician for considering inappropriate for a minor to wear an accessory of such value.
Days later, the leader of Sumar wanted to clarify the origin of the bag and put an end to speculation. In statements to Espejo Público (Antena 3), Diaz confirmed that the bag was a copy acquired in a Portuguese flea market, and that it had been a family gift.
“I’m quite upset that my daughter was lied about.”
The Minister of Labor was visibly upset by the controversy, especially by the public exposure of her minor daughter.
“And look at this controversy. I am very upset that my daughter, who is 13 years old, who accompanies me to all events -and I will continue to do so- has been involved in a falsehood. “, expressed firmly the vice-president in Susanna Griso’s program.
More than a million freelancers in Spain bill €1000 a month.
If you deduct the fee and taxes they can earn €600 a month.
€600 costs the purse of the 13-year-old daughter of Yolanda Diaz. 13 years pic.twitter.com/jWXx9mGJNI– Lucia Etxebarria (@LaEtxebarria) October 23, 2025
According to her, the bag that caused the commotion was not a luxury or original brand, but a copy that her daughter had received as a gift from her cousins during a family vacation.
“The bag cost 25 euros at the Vila Nova de Cerveira fair.”
Diaz detailed the origin of the accessory and took the opportunity to make a reference to his personal life: “As you know, I spend my summer in Bayonne, we often go to Portugal, and in this case my daughter’s cousins gave her a bag that costs 25 euros at the fair in Vila Nova de Cerveira,” he explained.
The program host then added that the original Marc Jacobs model could be priced up to 500 euros, to which the minister nodded and confirmed that hers “was a copy”.
Diaz insisted that her daughter is not to blame for anything and regretted the media impact the affair has had on her family environment. “What bothers me is not what they say about me. My daughter does ballet and has always come. This Sunday she didn’t want to come and said: ‘I don’t want to because they’re going to take pictures of me. “she confessed, visibly affected.
A spontaneous gesture that ended in controversy
The incident occurred during a National Ballet gala, an event that Yolanda Díaz attended accompanied by her daughter. The images, taken at the exit of the event, quickly went viral on social networks, where several users identified the bag as The Tote Bag by Marc Jacobs.
The alleged luxury of the supplement was the subject of debate and criticism, especially in an economic context marked by inflation and the social measures promoted by the Ministry of Labor itself.
However, with his clarification, Diaz wanted to settle the controversy and put the focus on what he considers an unnecessary invasion of family privacy.
The contradiction with a government campaign
Beyond the personal component, the vice-president’s statements have generated some political noise, as they contrast with an official government campaign against counterfeit products launched almost a year ago.
On November 22, 2024, the Executive presented the initiative under the slogan “The harm of counterfeits is real”, a campaign that sought to raise public awareness of the consequences of acquiring counterfeit products.
The objective was to make visible the negative effects of this type of purchases in different areas -economic, health and environmental-, as well as to warn about the damage caused to companies and employment.
The fact that the vice-president herself now admits to having defended the use of a copy acquired in a Portuguese flea market has been interpreted by some sectors as a contradiction with the message promoted by her government.
