Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana could be going out of style in China after a series of ads some said were racist were published this week.
Nov. 21 (UPI) — Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana could be going out of style in China after a series of controversial ads some said were racist were published to its Instagram and Twitter accounts this week.
Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana either canceled or postponed its highly anticipated fashion show in Shanghai after Chinese celebrities refused to attend, CNBC and CNN reported Tuesday and Wednesday.
The controversial ads show a Chinese model being instructed to use chopsticks to eat Italian pizza, as “stereotypical” Chinese music plays in the background, according to CNN.
“Don’t attempt to use the chopsticks as knives” and “just use your chopsticks like pliers,” the voiceover narration says.
The narrator, speaking in Chinese, mispronounces Dolce & Gabbana, which online commenters said is ridiculing the way some Chinese people mispronounce the brand name.
China Daily reported actress Zhang Ziyi and others have declined to attend the fashion show on Wednesday.
“Orientalism is expressed so explicitly in this ad. It’s very offensive to portray all Chinese ppl [people] in such a stereotypical way,” one commenter said.
Chinese luxury customers, who spend $72 billion annually, are a highly sought after demographic among European fashion houses. Dolce & Gabbana alone has outlets in 25 Chinese cities, according to CNBC.
The firm has since apologized, but mostly for what the company claims were “unauthorized” messages detailing racist comments from Stefano Gabbana that were posted to Instagram.
“We are very sorry for any distress caused by these unauthorized posts,” the company said.
