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Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana was at the centre of yet another controversy this week, being accused of racism following some offensive social media posts.
Ahead of their ‘Great Fashion Show’ in Shanghai, the label released three promotional videos on Instagram, showing a giggling Chinese model attempting to eat Italian food with chopsticks. In one video, the model struggles to pick up a cannolo with chopsticks, only to have the voiceover ask, “Is it too huge for you?”
The tone-deaf videos had the kind of response you’d expect. “Are you teaching Chinese people how to use chopsticks? We would like to teach you to respect the difference of culture” one user commented. Another said, “It’s almost 2019 now, I don’t understand why a huge brand will still have the stereotype and make fun of it.”
Following the backlash, racist private messages from co-founder Stefano Gabbana were leaked and went viral on social media platform Weibo (Instagram is blocked in China). Gabbana denies the messages were written by him, claiming that his account had been hacked, reposting the screenshot with ‘not me’, emblazoned over the top in large red font.
“We are very sorry for any distress caused by the unauthorized [sic] posts,” the duo posted on their official Instagram account. “We have nothing but respect for China and the people of China.”
But the damage was done. The show, scheduled to go ahead on Wednesday night, was swiftly cancelled after two models pulled out and a number of Chinese fashion power players started to call out the label.
"You don't love China, you love money," wrote French-Chinese model Estelle Chan, who withdrew from the show. "China is rich yes but China is rich in its values, its culture and its people and they won't spend a penny on a brand that does not respect that."
Actress Zhang Zhi also took Dolce & Gabbana to task online. “Self inflicted,” the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star wrote on Weibo. “Starting today Miss Zhang and her team will not buy and use any D&G products.”
Chinese model, Chu Wo, posted on Instagram: “Here [is] some Chinese culture I’d like to share. (YI ZI QIAN JIN) The meaning of these four words in Chinese is every single word that people [has spoken] is like a thousand heavy gold and you CANNOT take it back easily.”
And perhaps in the ultimate power move, Vogue China editor-in-chief Angelica Cheung allegedly flew immediately back to Beijing from Shangai after hearing of the controversy.
The whole messy saga reeks of Western Imperialism. In an official statement, Dolce & Gabbana said, "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." It reads as though they believe they were doing China a favour, bringing their Eurocentric vision to the East.
And the video concept itself is straight-up embarrassing. A caricature of the giggling, submissive Asian woman, is it any wonder that it copped such flack? (Not to mention the fact that that pasta likely descended from Asian noodles, so there’s really no need for Dolce & Gabbana to be schooling the Chinese in Italian cuisine.) It's that tired old trope of Europeans coming to the East to teach them their ways. But what this backlash shows is that these stereotypes are dated, and it’s time for brands to come up with new ways to engage markets because if they don't, the consequences can be disastrous.
Vogue China’s Angelica Cheung puts it best. “As I have voiced time and again publicly and privately, western brands seeking to enter and expand in China should be aware of Chinese cultural sensibilities,” she told Women’s Wear Daily. "Instead of dictating everything from head office, they would gain a lot from listening to the opinions and insights of their Chinese teams.”
Dolce & Gabbana’s blunder is not only awkward, it’s expensive. According to Bloomberg, China currently makes up a third of luxury good spending and is slated to make up half of the world’s luxury spending by 2025. The country has established itself as an economic powerhouse, which means Western brands trying to enter the market need to get rid of dated ideas of “the west is best” and come up with sophisticated and nuanced ways to cater to new markets.
Chinese consumers have money to spend and it’s time for brands like Dolce & Gabbana to take the country more seriously. Because Dolce & Gabbana needs China more than China needs them.
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