Fashion in the news: the best fashion reads this week

Every Friday, FashionUnited selects the most interesting reads about the fashion industry published across UK and international news outlets. Here’s what you may have missed this week:

Dolce & Gabbana accused of racism

While last week Victoria’s Secret was the one deemed out of touch and out of time, this week it was Dolce & Gabbana’s turn to be accused of being oblivious to consumers’ shifting attitudes towards diversity. The Italian label, which was planning a major fashion show in China, had to cancel the event last minute due to a public outcry regarding its advertising campaign, which included a video featuring a Chinese woman trying to eat Italian foods using chopsticks. At the end, when trying to eat a cannoli, a male voice asks “is it too big for you?”.

Social media users not just from China but all over the world found the ad racist and sexist, and the situation only got worse after a series of alleged screenshots of Stefano Gabbana arguing with Instagram users were unveiled by Diet Prada. Gabbana supposedly said the ads weren’t racist because “everybody knows the Chinese use chopsticks and eat dogs” and the ad was only taken down from Chinese social media because his team is “as stupid as Chinese superiority”. Last but definitely not least, the fashion designer allegedly called China “a country of [series of poop emojis]”.

While Chinese celebrities pledged to never wear Dolce & Gabbana again and e-commerce websites removed D&G items from their catalog, Bloomberg published a thought-provoking opinion piece titled “D&G’s Racism Row Shows the Worst of Fashion”. The international news agency argues the whole fashion industry needs to change or risk alienating customers.

Does fashion have a cultural appropriation problem?

Speaking of controversy, the BBC has delved into the issue of cultural appropriation in the fashion industry. Many fashion designers have been accused of taking traditional costumes from certain cultures and using them in different contexts which may be offending to those who belong to said culture. Just think of Gucci models wearing Sikh-style turbans, Gigi Hadid wearing dreads for Marc Jacobs, and Victoria’s Secret angels in native American headdresses. Is that OK?

Better together

Fashion is all about collaborations these days, especially in the luxury sector. H&M and Moschino, Off-White and Ikea, Fendi and Fila, Supreme and Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Vivienne Westwood… The list goes on and on. Vogue UK investigated the trend and tells you why teaming up has become so attractive for fashion companies.

Is recycled plastic the future of fashion?

A growing number of brands seem to think so, such as Gucci, Stella McCartney and Adidas. The Guardian published a comprehensive article about these brands this week, reflecting on the role the fashion industry can play in fighting plastic pollution. However, garments from recycled plastic have both defenders and detractors in the fashion industry, so if you’re interested in finding out what the other side says, head over to our article published last week: “How Sustainable is Recycled Polyester?”

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