Yves Saint Laurent is selling and promoting cigarettes bearing its designer logo.
The cigarettes are packaged in a sleek black box with a gold trim and are sure to appeal to fashion-conscious young women.
It is not the first luxury brand to cash in on the addictive habit. Givenchy, Versace, Pierre Cardin, Christian Lacroix and Cartier have all lent their names to cancer sticks at some point.
In recent years tobacco advertising has been banned in Australia, the US and Europe and smoking indoors is against the law in many major cities across the world.
Governments in these countries have spent copious amounts on anti-smoking messages in a bid to drive down the number of deaths caused by the dangerous habit.
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As a result of this Yves Saint Laurent is targeting women in Asia and Russia in its advertising campaign.
The luxury brand has released an advert to promote their cigarettes featuring a model bearing an uncanny resemblance to Kate Moss.
The supermodel sparked controversy and was heavily criticised after she smoked on the Louis Vuitton catwalk earlier this year.
Yves Saint Lauren, which claims that its cigarettes will instantly make women more attractive, has come under fire for its irresponsible advertising strategy.
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health believes that Yves Saint Laurent should be ashamed of themselves.
"We won’t see Yves St Laurent cigarettes on sale (in the UK), as tobacco companies are banned from using brand sharing to promote smoking in the UK, or anywhere in Europe,” she said.
"Sadly in Russia and many parts of Asia, young people are not yet protected from such tobacco industry tactics, and glamorous brands like YSL can be used to suck them into an addiction that will lead to death and disability.”
