Another day, another controversy involving Stefano Gabbana of Dolce & Gabbana.
The luxury fashion house has once again found itself in hot water, this time over a series of racist videos it posted to social media.
The videos were created to promote the now-canceled “The Great Show” in Shanghai, which was being billed as D&G’s “tribute to China.”
The first video is set to stereotypical Chinese music and depicts a giggling Asian model in a sparkly dress struggling to eat a piece of pizza with chopsticks.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
The second and third videos, which have since been deleted, showed the same model unable to figure out how to eat a cannoli and a bowl of spaghetti with chopsticks.
Hilarious, right?!
Not many people seemed to think so. A public outcry ensued, followed by so many brand ambassadors and models pulling out of “The Great Show” that D&G had to cancel the whole thing.
But that’s not even the worst of it.
Related: Will You Accept Dolce & Gabbana’s Late Apology For Denouncing Gay Adoption?
Stefano Gabbana, who has a long history of making inflammatory remarks, made the situation worse by allegedly firing off an angry message to fashion writer Michaela Phuong on Instagram.
In the DM, Gabbana claimed never wanted to delete the racist videos, and that they were removed because of his “stupid” office.
“China Ignorant Dirty Smelling Mafia,” he added, referring to China as “the country of (poo emojis)”.
He later took to Instagram to deny sending the message, claiming his account was “hacked”, and adding that he loves “China and the Chinese Culture.”
As a result of the controversy, the brand, which first entered the Chinese market in 2005 and now has 44 boutiques in China, including four in Shanghai, rushed out a statement saying: “We are very sorry for any distress caused by these unauthorized posts. We have nothing but respect for China and the people of China.”
But this isn’t the first time D&G has been criticized for trashing China.
Just last year, it received heat for a campaign depicting Beijing as a filthy, underdeveloped city, showing high fashion models posing alongside trash collectors, taxi drivers, and poor street vendors. The campaign, which was later deleted, was, ironically, titled #DGLovesChina.
If #DGLovesChina, it sure has a funny way of showing it.
Related: Gay Dad Has Message For Dolce & Gabbana: Surrogacy Creates Loving, Well-Adjusted Children
Wicked Dickie
These guys are so freaking clueless. Not to mention Dior fronting a Mexican tribute campaign.
dean089
“We’re going to celebrate Mexican culture, just not with any actual Mexicans involved.” Of course, the only interest I ever have in these high-end designers is to laugh at their sense of self-importance.
Click >>> www.g-letshave.fun
Absolutely agree with you. And i would like to recommend all of you one unique place to find what you exactly need. It is for gay singles only. Just look at my name /\/\/\. There are a lot of real gay sugar “daddies” and frivolous gay singles looking for love and pleasure.
AlexEf
I am so tired of all this pc bs. The ad is light and not racist at all.
Donston
It’s not “pc bs”. Gabbana has said unabashed racist and misogynistic things in the past. He has also claimed he’s not “gay” because he’s a “real men” and has spoken out against same-sex couples raising children and against gay marriage.
They’re scummy, troubled people who happen to have a ton of money because of clothes. They deserve no benefit of the doubt.
AlexEf
Donston, I don’t care about D&G anymore and I don’t want to go personal on them for the same reason, but the ad itself is pretty safe and even non-provocative.
Donston
I’m not coming down on them for the ad, which I think is more tacky than racist. I said they have lost any benefit of the doubt.
Hussain-TheCanadian
I didnt even understand the message of the ad, if chinese culture and fashion are the point of the celebration, why show this bizarro upside down ad?
Are they saying the chinese are not familiar with pizza? Why is there even a pizza in the ad?
Even I can think of a nice media campaign for the event, and I’m not even an excepert in marketing, fashion or chinese culture.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
D&G are vile noxious smcubags. Gay men denouncing Gay marriage and adoption. I hope their garbage rags wind up on the Marshalls 99% off rack
Prax07
So is it racist for actual chinese people to act like sterotypical Chinese jokes?
There’s a chinese takeout place near me run by a family, they’ve been here for decades, the children born here, schooled here all their life. They can speak perfect English without any accent, I’ve heard them do it, yet when you call to place your order you’re greeted with “Herro, Forage (Foliage) resrant. You praca orda? You wan genna soh’s spessa combanation?”
okiloki
Your statement is just plain ignorant. For the record, yes White people can use minorities to further stereotypes; they’ve been doing it for centuries. Also, the kids at your local restaurant could speak perfect English but their parents probably still have accents, which you just did a racist imitation of. Even though we were born here and speak perfect English, that hasn’t stopped racist asses from speaking with fake accents to us and treating us as if we don’t belong in this country. You obviously haven’t experienced racism and most likely are used to being the one dishing it out rather than receiving it which explains for the lack of empathy or common decency.
Evji108
It’s all rather odd. Who approved this ad campaign? Why would anyone go along with this in the first place?
Evji108
I don’t think it’s racist either, just stupid and pointless.
Kangol
Are you Chinese? Are you Asian American or Asian?
Yooper
From my view the ad is lighthearted and silly, nothing racist. As for D&G, I don’t run with that crowd so not much to say.
Large Hardon Collider
Spaghetti = lo mein or any similar noodle, so spaghetti should be easy with chopsticks for any native Chinese. (And we’re always being told that the Chinese really “invented” spaghetti.) Most cannoli are the size of typical Chinese rolls, should be doable with chopsticks.
D&G “received heat for a campaign depicting Beijing as a filthy, underdeveloped city, showing high fashion models posing alongside trash collectors, taxi drivers, and poor street vendors.” Sounds like how British rock stars like the Stones played that New York stereotype for decades for all it was worth… until it no longer applied (NYC being now so squeaky clean, safe, Disney-fied, and dull). When the new Beijing becomes totally boring there won’t be much point in going there to see it.
Gabbana is definitely a d***k, but it seems like some of this is just the Chinese dictatorship stirring up more phony “outrage” than Chinese people are actually feeling about this. Suddenly we’re supposed to believe they’re all as sensitive and woke as Yale undergrads. Yeah right.
Prax07
@Okiloki Actually the parents Can speak with barely any accent. Their daughter, who used to Always speak without any accent since she was born here has also started answering the phone with the fake “City Wok” accent. The only one that doesn’t do it is their son. So are they racist for the fake accent? Ive been going there since the 1990’s and they’ve only been “performing” with the accents the past few years.