Dolce & Gabbana's 'chopsticks' ad insulted China — and cost the brand its biggest market

In November 2018, Dolce & Gabbana released a series of promotional videos on Chinese social media showing a Chinese model attempting to eat Italian food — pizza, spaghetti, cannoli — with chopsticks, accompanied by a patronizing voiceover. The ads were immediately condemned as racist and culturally insensitive, and the backlash was swift and enormous.

The crisis deepened when Stefano Gabbana's private Instagram messages, in which he insulted China and its people, were leaked and went viral. Chinese celebrities cancelled appearances at a planned D&G fashion show in Shanghai, the show was cancelled, and major Chinese e-commerce platforms including Tmall and JD.com pulled D&G products.

The damage was severe and lasting. China had been one of D&G's fastest-growing markets, and the brand was effectively locked out for years. The case became a landmark example of how cultural insensitivity in marketing, compounded by the personal conduct of a founder, can destroy a brand's position in a critical market almost overnight.