Fail Dolce & Gabbana · 2018
Chopsticks, cannoli, and a cancelled show in Shanghai
What happened
Ahead of a Shanghai mega-show, D&G posted videos of a Chinese model struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks. Screenshots of a designer's private replies then circulated. The show was cancelled the day it was due to open, celebrities withdrew, and Chinese platforms delisted the brand.
What went wrong
The films played a Chinese woman as clumsy in front of Italian culture; the leaked messages removed any reading of the campaign as affectionate. In China, that combination turns into platform delisting, not a news cycle.
The rule
In China the downside is market access, not sentiment. Anything that can be read as looking down on Chinese consumers is an existential risk to the business there.
Takeaway
Assume every DM is a press release. And assume the local platform is a stakeholder with a veto.
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