Dolce & Gabbana cast an all-white Milan show and drew a '50 shades of white' backlash

At Milan Fashion Week menswear on January 17, 2026, Dolce & Gabbana presented a show titled "The Portrait of Man" with what looked like an entirely white cast of models — dark-haired, Italian-looking men, with disputed numbers of any Asian, dark-skinned or Arab models. Fashion commentator Lyas posted a video of the casting headshots calling it "50 shades of white" and pointing out the "audacity" of the title; the post drew more than 41,000 likes.

Model Bella Hadid, who is of Palestinian heritage, commented underneath Lyas's post: "Shocked people actually support this company still it's embarrassing... Been cancelled... years of racism sexism bigotry xenophobia... how are we shocked still?" The backlash became a global story, covered by mainstream and trade titles alike.

Dolce & Gabbana issued no response to the controversy. It was the latest in a documented pattern: the brand's 2012 Blackamoor earrings, a 2016 shoe dubbed the "slave sandal", and the 2018 ad of a Chinese model eating Italian food with chopsticks that led to a canceled Shanghai show and leaked Instagram messages from Stefano Gabbana insulting those offended. The label nonetheless remains popular with celebrities and clients, and is still covered by magazines that rarely mention its history.