DOLCE & GABBANA WANTS TO MOVE FORWARD. BUT IN FASHION, WHO EARNS FORGIVENESS?

Dolce & Gabbana was already known to court controversy before #DGLovesChina. Domenico Dolce raised eyebrows in 2015 with his comments about IVF that sparked a call for boycott started by none other than Elton John. (Dolce has since apologized, blaming his strict Catholic upbringingand telling Vogue in 2015, "I've done some soul-searching. I've talked to Stefano a lot about this. I've realized that my words were inappropriate, and I apologize. They are just kids.") As a brand, Dolce & Gabbana previously made missteps with racist products like "slave sandals" or Blackamoor earrings. And after former First Lady Melania Trump wore some of its pieces in 2017 — reportedly purchasing off-the-rack, though that didn't stop Gabbana from promoting the appearances on Instagram — it responded to calls for another boycott with its own tongue-in-cheek #BoycottDolce&Gabbana T-shirt, complete with a campaign centered around a fake protest. Gabbana was no stranger to making headlines for his antics on social media, either. The Italian brand has been making a years-long push towards reconciliation and rehabilitation following a 2018 racist incident. 

Still, some are unwilling to forgive and forget. In 2018, ahead of a blowout fashion show intended to woo its Chinese clientele, Dolce & Gabbana released a series of racially insensitive videos featuring a Chinese model attempting to eat Italian foods with chopsticks. The campaign was perceived as racist and arrogant, and the backlash on social was swift, prompting the brand to delete the series from its Weibo account. The model, Zuo Ye, has since claimed that the videos nearly ended her career. Dolce & Gabbana was already known to court controversy before #DGLovesChina. Domenico Dolce raised eyebrows in 2015 with his comments about IVF that sparked a call for boycott started by none other than Elton John. (Dolce has since apologized, blaming his strict Catholic upbringingand telling Vogue in 2015, "I've done some soul-searching. I've talked to Stefano a lot about this. I've realized that my words were inappropriate, and I apologize. They are just kids.") As a brand, Dolce & Gabbana previously made missteps with racist products like "slave sandals" or Blackamoor earrings. And after former First Lady Melania Trump wore some of its pieces in 2017 — reportedly purchasing off-the-rack, though that didn't stop Gabbana from promoting the appearances on Instagram — it responded to calls for another boycott with its own tongue-in-cheek #BoycottDolce&Gabbana T-shirt, complete with a campaign centered around a fake protest. Gabbana was no stranger to making headlines for his antics on social media, either.