Dolce & Gabbana Files 670 Billion Won Defamation Lawsuit Against Blogger Who Raised 'Anti-China' Controversy

2018 promotional video (left) criticized for disparaging China and Dolce & Gabbana logo. Photo by Yonhap News, Dolce & Gabbana official website

[Asia Economy Reporter Nahana] Italian luxury brand Dolce&Gabbana has been revealed to have filed a massive defamation lawsuit against fashion bloggers over a racial discrimination controversy that erupted in China.

According to the AP News on the 6th (local time), Dolce&Gabbana filed a defamation lawsuit worth over $600 million (approximately 677 billion KRW) in an Italian court in 2019 against Tony Liu and Lindsey Skyler, the operators of the fashion blog 'Diet Prada.'

The lawsuit was brought to light after the two bloggers recently disclosed it directly on Instagram.

Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School and their attorney, criticized, "This lawsuit is intended to silence 'Diet Prada' and its two operators."

Previously, in 2018, Dolce&Gabbana released a promotional video ahead of a major fashion show in Shanghai, China, showing a Chinese female model awkwardly eating pizza and spaghetti with chopsticks.

This sparked outrage in China for belittling Chinese people and culture, and 'Diet Prada' also introduced and criticized the related controversy.

Additionally, the blog operators revealed, "Stefano Gabbana, the company's designer and co-founder, sent direct Instagram messages (DMs) to 'Diet Prada' containing harsh derogatory remarks about China," which further fueled public criticism.

Ultimately, the fashion show was canceled due to boycotts by Chinese models and attending stars.

Later, Gabbana claimed his Instagram account was hacked and denied making the remarks, but as the situation worsened with boycott movements, he and co-founder Domenico Dolce posted an apology video.

The blog operators stated that Dolce&Gabbana is demanding compensation in this lawsuit for the brand image decline since 2018, the cancellation of the Shanghai fashion show, and the decrease in sales in the Asian market.

Director Scafidi told AP, "An official apology and quietly filing a lawsuit are mutually exclusive actions."

Meanwhile, after disclosing the lawsuit, 'Diet Prada' has raised over $38,000 (approximately 43 million KRW) in legal fees to date.