The Dolce & Gabbana China ad scandal has been all over the fashion news this week and has caused the company not only millions in sales but also has tarnished their reputation world wide. If you are unfamiliar with the events that transpired this week here is a recap: Dolce & Gabbana released a campaign video ad in order to promote their upcoming Shanghai fashion show. The video ad included a Chinese model struggling to eat Italian food such as spaghetti and pizza while using a pair of chopsticks. There was incredible backlash to the video campaign and accusations started to pour in accusing the brand of racism and cultural insensitivity. This lead to them postponing their Shanghai fashion show.

The situation got even worst when screenshots of DM's sent from Stefano Gabbana's Instagram account were leaked by dietprada.com. These screenshots included disturbing and offensive remarks about the Chinese culture, people and the country. The brand has released statements saying that these messages were a result of their accounts being hacked, but this did not stop celebrities from boycotting the company and retailers such as YNAP from cutting ties with them.

   

The future for the company's international market remains uncertain. They have issued many written apologizes and have released an apology video via YouTube (link below). China is one of the largest and most valuable luxury markets in the world and that fact is not only clear to the company but to the Chinese people as well. It might be a long road to forgiveness, but the brand is hoping that their Shanghai fashion show will be a way for them to win back their Chinese fans and market.