Dolce & Gabbana Now Seeking $660 Million From Diet Prada in Defamation Suit

March 9, 2021

Dolce & Gabbana is reportedly seeking more than half a billion euros in

The fashion watchdog, which revealed the 2019 case for the first time last week, initially said that the Italian label is claiming a total of 4 million euros — 3 million for itself and 1 million for co-founder Stefano Gabbana.

The legal battle stems from a series of now-deleted D&G ads in 2018, which Diet Prada had criticized for their “stereotypical and sexist depiction of a Chinese woman.”

The watchdog also exposed a disturbing conversation between Stefano Gabbana and an Instagram user, in which he allegedly called China “the country of sh*t.”

The fashion house initially responded by claiming that both their and Gabbana’s Instagram pages had been hacked, prompting an internal investigation.

Shortly after, co-founders Gabbana and Domenico Dolce released an apology video, saying “From the bottom of our hearts, we ask for forgiveness.”

In an update on Monday, Diet Prada announced that their legal team had spoken to the Associated Press to give a full picture of the damages D&G is trying to claim.

Aside from the initial sum reported, the fashion house is seeking 450 million euros (nearly $535 million) to restore the brand image, over 8.6 million euros (over $10 million) for the cancellation of a Shanghai show, another 8.6 million euros for staff expenditures, and 89.6 million euros (over $106 million) for lost Asian sales between November 2018 and March 2019.

All these put D&G’s total claims to at least 560.8 million euros, or over $660 million.

“A public apology and a quiet lawsuit really cancel each other out in my mind,” Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School, which is coordinating Diet Prada’s defense, told the Associated Press.

D&G reportedly filed the suit in a Milan civil court in 2019.

In a brief filed by defense attorneys last week, they argued that Italy is not the appropriate venue for the case, since Diet Prada is based in the U.S. and the alleged damages occurred in Asia.

As of this writing, Diet Prada has raised more than $48,000 for its legal defense fund.

“We need your help more than ever to raise funds to cover law firm costs, filing fees, and other legal expenses,” Diet Prada wrote on its GoFundMe page. “Going up against a large luxury brand is daunting, but your contribution means we can continue protecting our fundamental rights, but also preserve what is so special about the Diet Prada community.”

Feature Image Screenshots via Dolce & Gabbana (left) and Diet Prada (right)

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