Dolce & Gabbana China controversy: 2018
Dolce & Gabbana's 2018 Chinese chopsticks ad sparked a massive boycott and the brand has not recovered its presence in China since.
Snapshot · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
China Decode: Hong Kong's AI Crackdown, Lululemon’s Marketing Backlash, and World Cup Fever
Explore episode
Jun 23, 2026
Where this was said
The Pattern of Western Brand Disasters in China
At 25:58 · chapter starts 25:30
Lululemon is far from alone. Alice Han traces a pattern of increasingly costly brand missteps: Dolce & Gabbana's 2018 chopsticks ad, which destroyed the brand's China standing [1] — Alice Han "Dolce & Gabbana's chopsticks ad in 2018 destroyed the brand's China presence. Versace, Coach, and Givenchy sparked fury with T-shirts listi…" 25:30 ; Versace, Coach, and Givenchy's 2019 controversy over T-shirts listing Hong Kong and Macau as separate countries; H&M, Nike, Burberry, and Adidas in 2021; Dior in 2022; Arcteryx in 2025; and La Mer in April 2026, whose advertisement was seen as alluding to China's 19th-century 'century of humiliation.' James Kynge expresses bewilderment at the regularity of the mistakes, wondering whether there is a structural disconnect between China offices and global headquarters. The underlying message is clear: in a market of 1.4 billion people with vocal, hyperconnected consumers and a history of grievance, the cost of a cultural slip-up is asymmetric and immediate.
The Anatomy of a Brand Meltdown in China
Dolce & Gabbana's chopsticks ad in 2018 destroyed the brand's China presence. Versace, Coach, and Givenchy sparked fury with T-shirts listing Hong Kong as a separate country in 2019. The pattern is relentless. Western brands consistently underestimate how quickly Chinese online nationalism can erase years of investment.
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