Plagued with 'racist' ad controversy, the Italian fashion house issues a second statement regarding the cancellation, expressing regret to the people who had worked hard for the aborted show.
- November 23, 2018
AceShowbiz - Dolce & Gabbana's designers have issued a second apology amid accusations of racism.
The Italian luxury brand, led by co-founders Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, was meant to hold a fashion show in Shanghai, China on Wednesday, November 21. However, the event was cancelled after a series of posts which appeared to trivialise Chinese culture were shared on social media, while Gabbana was also accused of sending distasteful messages from his own Instagram page, with a representative later claiming that both accounts had been "hacked".
As the controversy roars on, Dolce and Gabbana have posted another message to their 18.9 million Instagram followers, and insisted that the last-minute cancellation of the spectacle was "unfortunate".
"Our dream was to bring to Shanghai a tribute event dedicated to China which tells our history and vision. It was not simply a fashion show, but something that we created especially with love and passion for China and all the people around the world who loves Dolce & Gabbana," they said in a statement. "What happened today was very unfortunate not only for us, but also for all the people who worked day and night to bring this event to life. From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to express our gratitude to our friends and guests. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana."
In the first apology, the designers insisted that all posts had been "unauthorised". They added that their lawyers were urgently investigating the matter.
"We are very sorry for any distress caused by these unauthorised posts, comments and direct messages. We have nothing but respect for China and the people of China," the duo commented.
In the now-deleted videos, an Asian model could be seen struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks. Accordingly, critics took issue with the stereotypical Oriental appearance of the model, the outdated cultural symbols and the suggestion that the Milan-based brand deems its own cultural roots superior.
Amid the backlash, users of Chinese social media platform Weibo have expressed their outrage, with celebrities including TF Boys' Karry Wang, Dolce & Gabbana's Asia-Pacific brand ambassador, reportedly terminating his contract with the company, and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi indicating on Weibo that she would be boycotting the label.
