Dolce & Gabbana Cofounders Issue Personal China Video Apology

BEIJING — “Dui bu qi” — those were the words of a very somber-looking Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce saying sorry in Mandarin, as the two designers attempt to quell the firestorm about China which has seen high profile retailers, celebrities and fashion VIPs distance themselves from the brand.

The video was posted Friday afternoon on the brand’s official Weibo account and is at least the third public statement from Dolce & Gabbana addressing the furor. Gabbana and the brand had said earlier that the rude comments about China stemmed from a hacking and were not sent by the designer.

In this latest apology, the designers speak directly to camera while clad in all black. Dolce speaks first asking for the public’s forgiveness, followed by Gabbana who said that “we would like to apologize to all the Chinese around the world”.

The promotional videos which sparked the original controversy also appear to have been scrubbed from Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, two days after it was deleted from Chinese social media.

By Friday, the brand’s products had been pulled from leading department store Lane Crawford, which operates 10 stores around greater China, and disappeared from the Chinese arms of YNAP Group, and major Chinese e-commerce players including Tmall, JD.com, Secoo, among others.

A full translation of the apology below:

Domenico Dolce: “We thought a lot over the past few days and with much regret about what has happened to us and for what we have caused in your country and we deeply apologize. Our families always taught us to show respect for all different cultures around the world and for this we are sorry if we made mistakes in interpreting yours.”

Stefano Gabbana: “We would like to apologize to all the Chinese around the world because there are many, and we take this apology and this message very seriously.”

D.D.: “We have always been very much in love with China and we always visited this country and many cities many times and we love your culture. Surely, we have many things to learn and for this reason we apologize if we made mistakes in expressing ourselves.”

S.G.: “We will certainly not forget this experience and surely this kind of thing will never happen again, actually we will try to do better and we will respect the Chinese culture in every way. From the bottom of our hearts, we ask for your forgiveness.”

Both: “Dui bu qi” [“Sorry” in Mandarin]

For More Coverage, See Here:

Dolce & Gabbana Shanghai Show Canceled, Chinese Celebs Flee Furor >>

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