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you’re surprised that fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana managed to offend the global Chinese community before what was to be its largest fashion show ever in Shanghai last week, you haven’t been paying attention to the house’s history of bad behavior. Now, prominent Chinese and Chinese American San Franciscans are expressing their dismay over a video ad and brand’s response, even if recent events are not exactly a surprise to fashion followers.
“This was all consistent with the designers’ past carelessness,” says Charlie Gu, founder of international influencer marketing consultant firm Kollective Influence in San Francisco and a specialist in the Chinese designer and luxury markets. “They not only offended a consumer that is a large part of their business and a country they want to foster a relationship with, they insulted a global consumer demographic.”
Gu and others point out that between the brand’s controversial ad campaigns and runway shows, and Stefano Gabbana’s tendency to pop off on social media like a bigoted uncle at a family holiday, it was only a matter of time before they made such a major mistep. Between San Francisco’s large Chinese American population and the Chinese tourist wealth that the city’s role as “gateway to the Pacific” attracts to its department stores and designer boutiques, the brand’s actions could potentially cost it big in San Francisco.
On Nov. 19, the company released a series of video ads meant to stir anticipation for the “Great Show” in Shanghai. The ads featured an Asian model trying to eat Italian foods such as pizza, spaghetti and a cannoli with chopsticks, struggling and giggling. The backlash on social media was swift, with many accusing the brand of insulting and stereotyping Chinese culture. It was made worse when an alleged Instagram conversation between Gabbana and model Michaela Tranova was leaked online that showed Gabbana making derogatory comments about China. The company released a statement that the company, along with Gabbana, had been hacked on Instagram,
but the damage has been done. The show was canceled, and retailers in Asia, including Lane Crawford and major e-commerce players Yoox-Neta-Porter Group, Alibaba, JD and Secoo, responded by dropping the brand.
Monique Zhang, founder of San Francisco’s Chinatown Fashion Week and Jade Week, says that if the videos were an outrageous marketing stunt meant to appeal to Chinese consumers, they missed the point.
Consumers of any demoIf
graphic “don’t want to be put down,” says Zhang, especially not wealthy Chinese or Chinese American fashion clients. She also calls the video’s emphasis on the mishandling of food especially disturbing to Chinese viewers, since it implies a lack of competency and sophistication in Chinese culture. “Are Italians laughing at us?” Zhang asks. “If so, why should we buy Italian goods?”
Dr. Carolyn Chang, a San Francisco plastic surgeon and well-known presence in the city’s philanthropy and fashion scenes, says her initial reaction to the videos and comments “was one of shock, dismay and disbelief.”
“In this world of perfectly curated Instagram photos, expertly crafted PR images, and deliberately crafted and placed news stories, how could this happen?” asks Chang. She has been a client of the brand and hosted events with them in the past and says that although she has a good relationship with the San Francisco Dolce & Gabbana boutique, “Certainly right now I do not feel comfortable wearing or buying Dolce.” If videos of Chinese fashionistas
across the world destroying their D&G pieces on social media are to be considered, Chang’s sentiments ring true for many.
Dolce & Gabbana, one of the world’s most well-known, and copied, Italian fashion houses, has been especially popular in San Francisco since the opening of a multifloor boutique on Grant Avenue on Dec. 22, 2015. Domenico Dolce was a star guest at the Fine Arts Museums’ Mid-Winter Gala, which the brand also sponsored. Dolce & Gabbana apparel and accesssories have been everpresent at the city’s major gala nights. But in light of the China controversy, will the brand remain popular in a city that not only has large and prosperous Chinese and Chinese American populations, but also prides itself on being on the right side of social issues?
Following the show’s cancellation, the designers released a video apology that fell somewhere between hostage video and the film “The Room” in believability. It did little to quell anger, coming on the heels of previous accusations of the brand stereotyping and fe-
tishizing Asian cultures in past collections, and in a 2017 “Dolce Loves China” campaign.
For Chang, the videos “might have been forgiven as accidentally insensitive due to a lack of understanding of cultural perspectives,” but the leaked statements “are just simply offensive in any culture,” she says. “There is no way to construe them as being accidentally offensive.”
But is there any redemption for the brand? From its outdated portrayals of sexuality to its embrace of first lady Melania Trump, controversy seems to be part of Dolce & Gabbana’s DNA.
Gu says that the next few months are “critical” for rehabilitating the brand, and that it starts with the company “really showing that they care about making things right with the global Chinese demographic.” “Who knows what the future will hold?” says Chang. “The fashion attention span is short, and what is out always comes back in style eventually.”
“Certainly right now I do not feel comfortable wearing or buying Dolce.”
Dr. Carolyn Chang, plastic surgeon