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A champagne industry body has written to the celebrity Delevingne sisters demanding they stop making references to the drink in the marketing of their vegan prosecco brand.

Della Vite, founded by Cara, Poppy and Chloe Delevingne, has been accused of exploiting the reputation of champagne, by Comité Champagne, the Times reported.

Della Vite marketing materials feature the slogan: “Cheat on champagne” and: “Warning: This is not champagne”.

It has emerged Della Vite received a letter from the industry body, which describes itself as “defending the joint interests of champagne houses and growers”, demanding they stop making reference to champagne in their marketing.

The sisters refused and the brand has continued with its campaign. Della Vite doubled down and shared a redacted image of the cease-and-desist letter on social media on Wednesday.

The caption read: “Love letter from our friends at Champagne. As Oscar Wilde once said, ‘The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.’ Salute!”

Poppy Delevingne, 39, an actor and model, told The Times the campaign was meant to be “fun, cheeky and a little provocative” and they “genuinely didn’t think we’d done anything wrong”.

She added: “The severity of the response was unexpected, but we were also pleased to see the campaign making an impact and getting noticed.”

In the letter, which has been seen by the Times, the Comité Champagne wrote: “Any use of the internationally renowned name ‘champagne’ other than in reference to the sparkling wines entitled to this appellation constitutes an unfair exploitation of its reputation.

“Moreover, such misuse risks tarnishing the name and damaging the goodwill associated with the champagne destination.”

Numa Heathcote, chief executive and co-founder of Della Vite, told the newspaper: “We see this reaction as proof that modern challenger sparkling brands are reshaping the conversation around quality. If the established champagne world feels a little unsettled, it’s because a new generation of drinkers is defining luxury on its own terms and brands like Della Vite are part of that shift.”

Della Vite was founded by the Delevingne sisters in 2020.

Della Vite and Comité Champagne have been contacted for comment.