Is Dolce & Gabbana plotting a China bounceback?

Chinese Canadian designer Susan Fang is the next participant in Dolce & Gabbana’s emerging talent program, Supported by Dolce & Gabbana. The news will see the Italian luxury maison assist Fang with creating and producing a new collection, scheduled to be unveiled during September’s Milan Fashion Week. British star stylist Katie Grand, the Shanghai Fashion Designers Association (SFDA), and the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) will also offer support as part of the program. “It is important to always have a story and emotions to tell, and through her delicate, romantic and dreamy designs, Susan manages to clearly convey her passion for this profession, with her young and fresh look,” Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, founders of the eponymous brand, said in a statement. The Supported by Dolce & Gabbana initiative has previously fostered rising designers including Miss Sohee, Tomo Koizumi, and Matty Bovan. Its aim is to provide financial, logistical and public relations support to the industry’s most exciting independent young creatives. Another bid for redemption? The launchpad’s partnership with Fang seems virtuous, and it is indeed another of the brand’s tentative steps into China’s cultural sphere. Earlier this month, the brand opened a new Dolce & Gabbana Casa flagship store in Zhangyuan, Shanghai. According to the maison’s website, it currently boasts 47 boutiques across the country. Some online critics have called the brand’s tie-up with Fang as an attempt at atonement for past perceived sins in China. “No amount of support can change [Stefano Gabbana’s] perception of China,” penned user Jingqishishang (鲸棋时尚) on Xiaohongshu. In 2018, the maison found itself embroiled in a widespread and now infamous controversy with its controversial ad, followed by leaked Instagram conversations stoking a viral media storm and PR disaster. The fallout was huge. After being abruptly forced to cancel its planned momentous (and expensive) Shanghai runway showcase, the brand was pulled from several Chinese retailers like NAP and e-commerce platforms including Tmall and JD.com. Local netizens also expressed their disdain online, with the hashtag #BoycottDolce trending on Weibo and shopper Xiang Kai taking to social media to burn over $20,000 worth of Dolce & Gabbana products. In the ensuing six years, the brand has been tiptoeing its way back into the mainland in a bid to regain its foothold. A sign of the times Dolce & Gabbana’s alignment with Fang may be an effort to make inroads with Chinese consumers. As a globally recognized designer, Fang has collaborated with major names including Victoria's Secret, & Other Stories, Zara and Adidas. Today, she is one of the most buzzy young fashion designers originally hailing from China. But the fashion landscape has shifted. Can Dolce & Gabbana grapple with relevance within the current style zeitgeist? With the rise of “quiet luxury” driving shoppers toward minimalist, versatile pieces, the ascension of competitors like Loewe and Bottega Veneta further threatens Dolce & Gabbana’s ability to catch up. To combat these hurdles, the brand has been accelerating its expansion in several first and second-tier cities across China since 2022. It’s part of a wider strategy, in which the maison is investing aggressively in its physical presence in lieu of domestic media marketing. The house is also leaning further into other divisions, most notably its Casa home goods line. Underlying tensions and a changing footprint Dolce & Gabbana’s recent crack at redemption in China is unsurprising, given the profit it is potentially leaving on the table. After their China PR scandal, the designer pair pivoted attention to the US. Partnerships and friendships with A-listers, like the Kardashians, have helped to increase visibility and virality for the brand. For the fiscal year 2023-2024, the company reported revenue increased 17% YoY to 1.871 billion euros ($2.04 billion), noting that the US market represents 28% of its turnover, compared to 16% from China. It maintains many flagship boutiques in many hero locations including Chengdu IFS and SKP malls, alongside Shanghai’s Citic Square and IAPM. Other gestures also point to possible shifts afoot. Earlier this week, the brand’s CEO, Alfonso Dolce, announced that the maison is open to bringing in new investors through a potential listing or other financial avenues, provided it does not compromise the company's ethical values. Alfonso Dolce, who leads the company with Gabbana and is the brother of founder Domenico Dolce, also stated that while a stock market listing was previously not a priority, it is now under consideration. During its 2010s heyday, Dolce & Gabbana held court over the luxury realm, with its opulent and excessive collections resonating deeply with wealthy Chinese consumers. In 2018, the brand had 58 boutiques across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, and signed up Chinese idols like Dilmurat Dilraba as APAC ambassadors. But in a period when wearability and authenticity reign supreme, the success of Dolce & Gabbana hinges on whether the brand can successfully make amends through genuine attempts at cultural reconciliation, while revamping its distinctive image to one more reflective of the current climate.

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Is Dolce & Gabbana plotting a China bounceback?