Dolce & Gabbana Caught In Yet Another Racism Scandal

Milan Fashion Week wrapped up last week, and while the elephant in the room has already been acknowledged, it’s a conversation that bears repeating — because it matters.

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Dolce & Gabbana’s long-standing issues with racism. The show unfolded as expected: the clothes walked, the cameras flashed, the spectacle performed. And then someone did the simplest thing possible. They looked at the lineup.

All white. Every single model.

No Black men. No visible racial diversity. Nothing that even remotely reflected the global industry that Dolce & Gabbana profit from. Fashion commentator Lyas (@ly.as) shared a breakdown of the lineup in a post that quickly went viral, bluntly labelling it “50 shades of white” and pointing out the absence of Black, Asian, Arab, or any other racially diverse models. 

Let’s be clear: this wasn’t an oversight. This was Milan Fashion Week 2026. Casting at this level is deliberate — everybody on that runway is selected, approved, styled, rehearsed, and placed with precision. An all-white lineup at a global fashion capital is not accidental; it’s a choice. If the brand wants to call it ‘aesthetic’ or ‘vision,’ they can try. The rest of us know better.

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What makes it worse is how unsurprising it feels. At this point, watching Dolce and Gabbana stumble into another cultural controversey feels almost predictable. There’s no gasp, no outrage — just a familiar, weary sigh.

Because this was never a one-off. This brand has a long, very public history of treating culture like a prop and difference like an inconvenience. The 2018 China controversy remains the most glaring example. A campaign meant to promote a Shanghai show featured a Chinese woman struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks, framed through a lens that felt less humorous and more condescending. Then came the alleged private messages from Stefano Gabbana, screenshots that showed language about China that was anything but respectful. The brand claimed hacking. The industry watched as the Shanghai show was cancelled, celebrities cut ties, and one of the most lucrative luxury markets turned cold overnight.

And yet, here we are again.

There have been insensitive slogans, culturally loaded runway spectacles staged without care, and repeated moments where ‘provocation’ conveniently masks ignorance (how can naming a footwear ‘slave sandal’ ever be right!). Time after time, Dolce and Gabbana respond as if they are misunderstood artists rather than designers being asked to show basic respect. They have consistently been racist and xenophobic. Apologies arrive late, if at all. Accountability feels temporary. Memory, apparently, is short.

What is especially exhausting is how much grace the industry continues to extend. Celebrities still wear the brand on red carpets (I do not care about the Kardashians, but Helen Mirren, I am looking at you!) Stylists still pull the looks. Fashion weeks still hand them a platform. Front rows are filled, cameras are invited, applause follows. Everyone plays along, collects their cheque or their content, and moves on until the next controversy erupts.

And this is where the conversation needs to shift.

Accountability cannot stop at the designers. If a brand repeatedly shows disregard for diversity and culture, then everyone enabling that visibility shares responsibility. The celebrities who wear the clothes. The stylists who place them. The casting directors who sign off on lineups like this. The agencies that send models. The editors who choose silence over critique. Fashion does not run on one house alone. It runs on a network.

As consumers, we need to stop pretending that outrage is enough. Watching the same brand offend, retreat, and return unchanged is tiring because we allow it. If fashion truly believes in inclusivity, then that belief has to show up in who gets supported, who gets platformed, and who gets consequences.

Dolce & Gabbana have been given more chances than most. At some point, the question is no longer whether they will change,but why the industry continues to reward them for refusing to.

A final question lingers. Younger generations are socially conscious and far more discerning about where they spend their money. As their buying power grows, will they finally hold the brand accountable by walking away?

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