Dolce & Gabbana sue pair for reposting online 2018 anti-China rant that cost it sales in Asia, as label shuts more stores in China

Founders of Diet Prada Instagram account reveal Italian luxury brand has sued them for defamation over repost of remarks attributed to Stefano Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana is reported to be seeking US$670 million, including sums for lost sales in Asia. The label recently shut three more stores in China

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Published: 10:03am, 8 Mar 2021Updated: 2:27pm, 8 Mar 2021

Dolce & Gabbana, the fashion brand that in 2018 made headlines after falling from grace in China, is in the news again, this time for suing the founders of Diet Prada, the Instagram account that reposted anti-Asian comments attributed to one of the designers.

On the eve of a fashion show to be held in Shanghai in November 2018, the label released a promotional video on Chinese social media that many internet users inside and outside of China deemed offensive.

Stefano Gabbana, co-founder of the label, privately messaged an Asian-American woman who had raised concerns about the video, which she saw as demeaning to the Asian community. In the message exchange Gabbana hurled insults at her and the Chinese people. Gabbana later said that his Instagram account had been hacked.

Diet Prada, which is known for calling out fashion labels for issues including cultural appropriation and inappropriate behaviour, published the exchange, leading to a public outcry that eventually led to the cancellation of the Shanghai show and to Gabbana’s permanently deleting his Instagram account amid calls on social media to boycott the brand in China and around the world.

A model presents a creation from a recent Dolce & Gabbana collection. Photo: Dolce & Gabbana via Reuters

More than two years after those events, it has come to light that the Italian company has sued Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuler, the founders of Diet Prada.