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Zoe Low

The founders of the Italian fashion label Dolce & Gabbana have issued an apology to the Chinese people after a growing backlash over Stefano Gabbana’s “racist outburst”.
In a video released on Friday, Gabbana and Domenico Dolce spoke of their love and respect for Chinese culture.
“We offer our sincerest apologies to Chinese people worldwide,” said Gabbana.
Dolce continued: “We hope our misunderstanding of Chinese culture can be forgiven.


“We’ve always been very crazy about China, we’ve visited it a lot. We’ve been to many cities. We love your culture.”
The video ended with the pair saying the single word “sorry” in Mandarin.
The fashion house has faced intense anger after an Instagram conversation in which Gabbana described China as a “country of s***” was leaked.
The brand had already faced widespread criticism for an advertising campaign which featured a Chinese model struggling to eat Italian dishes like pizza and cannoli with chopsticks, prompting accusations that it was stereotyping the Chinese.
D&G products removed from Chinese e-commerce sites after ‘racist’ remarks
The resulting backlash has forced the fashion chain to cancel a show in Shanghai and retailers in mainland China and Hong Kong have stopped selling its products.
Protesters have also targeted the chain’s flagship store in the heart of Milan’s fashion district.
Video footage of a protest in Milan on Wednesday, which showed dozens of Chinese people holding “not me” signs outside the store on the upscale shopping street Via Monte Napoleone, has been widely circulated on social media.
The protesters included Liu Xingyu, a male model who had appeared in one of the fashion house’s Milan shows.

The term “not me” has been adopted worldwide by people angered by Gabbana’s comment.
The company had previously apologised to “China and the Chinese people” and expressed regret that its Shanghai event had been cancelled, while Gabbana claimed that his Instagram account had been hacked.
On Thursday, Gabbana shared a post by another Instagram user that defended the brand and its founders.
“If Dolce & Gabbana was racist, they wouldn’t pay tribute a lot of times to China or Japan, or even having Chinese models on their shows runways or advertising … I’m a proud Albanian, I worked with them and never saw racism in them! I’m so sorry for people who always see only the half empty glass,” the post said.
Dolce & Gabbana dropped by Hong Kong’s biggest luxury department store
The company said the cancellation of its show in Shanghai was “very unfortunate not only for us, but also for all the people who worked day and night to bring this event to life”.
Chinese celebrities, including Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Zhang Ziyi and actor and singer Chen Kun, who had been signed up to attend the multimillion-dollar event, have since joined the chorus of criticism.
The brand’s Chinese ambassadors, including Karry Wang Junkai, a member of the popular boy band TFBoys, and actress Dilireba, have also terminated their contracts.
Friday’s video may not have been enough to appease the fashion house’s critics.
Chinese social media users have scorned the apology, saying it lacked sincerity.
“We have a right to reject your apology, go make money off other countries, you aren’t fit to make money in China,” wrote one Weibo user.
“The apology was posted by the hacker,” other users joked.


Meanwhile, a screenshot of a WeChat conversation between a customer seeking a refund and a representative from Dolce & Gabbana’s children’s line has gone viral on Chinese social media.
In it, the woman says she no longer wants to wear the brand for fear people would “throw s***t at her” and asks for the 2,400 yuan (US$345) deposit she paid the company to be returned.
Five fashion and beauty brands that riled the Chinese web
Beijing has opted out of getting involved directly in the issue, and foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Thursday it was not a diplomatic issue and China did not wish to escalate it into one.
“Instead of asking the foreign ministry spokesperson, it is better to ask the ordinary people in China to see how they view this issue,” said Geng.


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Dolce & Gabbana founders ask Chinese people for forgiveness after ‘racist outburst’

Stefano Gabbana (right) and Domenico Dolce released a video apology. Photo: Handout

=== PHOTO CAPTURED FROM WEIBO === Chinese people in Milan protested Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana in front of its store on one of the worldÕs most expensive retail streets following founder Stefano GabbanaÕs Òracist outburstÓ this week. Photo: WEIBO.

Not just Dolce & Gabbana: five other brands that riled Chinese with fashion and beauty faux pas

Chinese actress Angela Baby poses during the photocall prior to the Christian Dior's Spring-Summer 2019 Ready-to-Wear collection fashion show in Paris, on September 24, 2018. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

Tarte Cosmetics

This image shows model Yana V wearing: -White canvas dress (HK$17,500) by Celine -Black choker necklace by Prada -Pink leather biker jacket by Philip Plein  In Hong Kong on December 17, 2015. Photography: Olivia Tsang Stylist: Jolene Lin Hair: Jean T @ A Ten Studio Makeup: Marian Woo Model: Yana V @ Model Genesis Photography assistants: Styling assistant: Tse Yiu Hei Vincent [10APRIL2016 POST MAGAZINE FASHION] PHOTO / Olivia TSANG

Balenciaga pre-fall 2018

Not great after all: workers remove signs that read “Dolce & Gabbana The Great Show” at the Shanghai Expo Centre after the luxury brand’s fashion show this week was cancelled. Photo: Kang Yuzhan/CNS/Reuters

How Chinese internet users roasted Dolce & Gabbana amid ‘racist’ ads fallout

A woman leaves a Dolce & Gabbana in Shanghai on Wednesday, the day the label apologised for insulting remarks co-founder Stefano Gabbana posted on Instagram about critics of the brand’s recent advertising campaign. Photo: (Chinatopix/AP

‘Ask the Chinese people’: China calls for understanding in Dolce & Gabbana insult row

Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana found itself an internet sensation of the wrong kind after two incidents this week that angered Chinese shoppers, who have brought their spending power and influence to bear in protest. Photo: AP

(FILES) This file picture taken on June 18, 2011 during the Men's fashion week in Milan shows designers Stefano Gabbana (L) and Domenico Dolce acknowledging the audience at the end of the Dolce & Gabbana Spring-Summer 2012 Menswear collection. The trial of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, accused of fraud of around one billion euros ($1.4 billion) as part of an enquiry into reports the company had failed to declare 840 million euros in revenues opened on December 3, 2012. AFP PHOTO / FILES / OLIVIER MORIN --58-- [05JANUARY2014 QUIZ POST MAGAZINE]

Dolce & Gabbana cancels show in China after celebrities and models boycott over founder Stefano’s ‘racist online outburst’ and controversial ad campaign

Dolce and Gabbana’s campaign had come under fire for showing a Chinese woman in a red D&G dress trying to use chopsticks to eat pizza, spaghetti and a giant Italian pastry. Photo: Instagram

Screen shot of conversation allegedly by designer Stefano Gabbana in Instagram that says “And from now on in all the interviews that I will do international I will say that the country of shit is China” went viral on mainland social media on Wednesday noon, hours before the brand’s fashion show event “The Great Show” in Shanghai. Photo: Instagram

Chinese e-commerce sites remove Dolce & Gabbana products after anti-China slur by company founder

Photo: Xiaohongshu

This staged photo, taken from the D&G Instagram site, shows models wearing the brand’s clothing walking through Tiananmen Square in Beijing, interacting with locals. Photo: Handout

News

China

People & Culture

Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce issue video offering their ‘sincerest apologies’ to Chinese people globally, apologise for ‘misunderstanding Chinese culture’
The Italian fashion brand has faced a growing backlash after Gabbana’s comments describing China as a ‘country of s***’ were leaked


Demonstrators picket the Italian fashion chain’s store in one of the world’s most exclusive fashion districts over the founder’s comments about China.


China society

Fashion