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Dolce & Gabbana canceled a parade in Shanghai after the outcry over offensive racist publications on its social media accounts.
The controversy erupted after a video posted on the Italian fashion brand's page on the Chinese social networking site Weibo showed on Monday a Chinese model trying to use chopsticks to eat pizza, a cannoli and spaghetti.
Weibo users have accused the label of trivializing the country's culture and describing Chinese women in a racist way. The video was removed within 24 hours, but it had already been widely aired on social media, where the hashtag #BoycottDolce had begun to circulate.
Charges of racism and racial stereotypes escalated after what appeared to be a direct message conversation between Stefano Gabbana and fashion writer Michaela Phuong was shared by Diet Prada, an Instagram account known to have openly criticized the fashion industry. In the conversation, Gabbana appears to defend the campaign, make derogatory comments about China and Chinese commentators, and complains about the recording of the video.
Some of the biggest Chinese celebrities had been billed to attend the event, but announced Wednesday their withdrawal.
"Our motherland is more important than anything else, we value the strength and beauty of our cultural heritage," said Wang Junkai's executive, an extremely popular singer of the TFBoys group, as he announced his withdrawal. "I love my motherland," said actor Li Bingbing to 42 million fans on Weibo.
Chinese state media subsequently said that the event had been canceled and information circulated that the label would have been forced to remove the event by the local authorities.
Even the Chinese Communist Youth League has entered the fray, saying on Weibo that "foreign companies operating in China should respect China and respect the Chinese people."
The actor Talu Wang also tweeted about Weibo: "Respect is more important than anything."
Dolce & Gabbana has been contacted for a comment. The label claimed that his account and that of Gabbana had been hacked and that his legal office was "investigating urgently".
"We are sorry for the distress caused by these unauthorized messages. We have only respect for China and its people, "the company said on Instagram.
This is not the first time that the brand is driven into a general outcry of this magnitude. In April 2017, he published a Weibo campaign describing Beijing as an underdeveloped city. The message was deleted after complaints.
In 2015, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were targeted. to call children born of "synthetic" IVF, adding that they opposed gay adoption and that IVF pregnancies were "chemicals and a rented uterus". Dolce is then excused.
In 2012, Dolce & Gabbana was accused of appropriating racist images after sending mannequins to the podium, wearing earrings reminiscent of Blackamoor's works, denounced in the past for promoting trafficking. trade.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
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