Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana of Dolce & Gabbana have filed a €4 million defamation suit against popular fashion commentary blog @Diet_Prada, accusing blog co-founders Tony Lui and Lindsey Schuyler of causing them to lose revenue and other opportunities surrounding their controversial 2018 #DGlovesChina campaign.

Dolce&Gabanna faced widespread criticism for what many perceived as stereotyping Chinese culture in an advertising campaign before a Shanghai fashion show. The ad campaign included a video in which a Chinese woman attempts and fails to eat Italian food with chopsticks. It was uploaded, but removed within 24 hours, though it remained visible on Diet Prada. Diet Prada also posted screenshots of anti-Asian remarks allegedly sent from Stefano Gabbana’s Instagram account (he later said his account was hacked). As a result of the furor, the runway show was canceled. In response to the lawsuit, Liu told the Cut, “As an Asian-American, I’m part of a community that is often misrepresented. Like many people of color in the United States, there’s pain that stems from seeing ourselves depicted through inaccurate, harmful stereotypes. Often, it leads to racism and violence.”

He continued, “For two years, I’ve stayed silent and carried the burden of this lawsuit on my shoulders. During this time, the world was forced to reckon with the systemic racism in the U.S. that led to the murder of George Floyd and countless other Black lives, as well as the xenophobia that further fueled Trump’s anti-Asian rhetoric in the age of COVID-19. In the outpouring of support for these communities being targeted, we all continue to see the power of solidarity and speaking truth to power. Diet Prada will continue to be a platform to elevate these crucial issues.”

We definitely see Diet Prada’s point. Dolce & Gabbana committed a huge cultural misstep and didn’t do the proper research to ensure their commercial wasn’t offensive. As an outsider looking in, the commercial seems benign, but obviously there are cultural cues that neither Dolce & Gabbana nor I are aware of. When stepping foot into a new country and culture, it’s of prime importance to offer the utmost respect. D&G fell short, and now are blaming their errors and the fall out on a media organization that was simply reporting the news.

What do you think?

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