fashion

Donatella Versace at the firm's fashion show during Milan Fashion Week in 2018 Gtresonline

20 years without Gianni Versace

Every day we are more accustomed to see controversies around the fashion universe. The fashion of t-shirts with messages makes what in one culture 'cool' in another look like something offensive. Cultural globalization is not universal and this is the principle that, sometimes, we forget.

The latest controversy comes from the hand of the Italian fashion firm Versace that has apologized for the offenses caused by a shirt, in which Hong Kong and Macao were shown as independent countries, and not as Chinese cities.

The shirt included various European and American cities, with their respective countries next door, and Hong Kong and Macao also appeared as independent states and not as part of China, a mistake that has sparked the controversy in social networks, where Versace has been accused of attacking the national sovereignty of the Asian country.

It was not an official statement, but the designer Donatella Versace herself who has apologized on social networks with a message that read: "I deeply regret the unfortunate mistake recently made. I never wanted to disrespect China's national sovereignty and that is why I wanted to personally apologize for such inaccuracy and for any offense that may have caused, "he said.

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The Italian house, which is currently owned by Michael Kors Holdings, clarified in another note that in July he had already requested the withdrawal of the shirt from stores and reiterated the apology for the design.

The controversy, however, has caused Chinese actress and singer Yang Mi to decide to interrupt her cooperation with Versace, accusing the fashion house of trying to undermine the national integrity of the Asian giant. "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of our homeland are sacred, inviolable and indivisible. Protecting the unification of our homeland is the responsibility of all citizens of the People's Republic of China," said Yang, according to the country's media.

It is not the first time that a fashion brand has to apologize to China. In 2018, Dolce & Gabbana was forced to apologize to China after the publication of a video considered racist, which even led the firm to cancel a parade in Shanghai. In the recording appeared a woman trying to eat Italian food with chopsticks with difficulty like the typical Sicilian "cannoli", a scene that many spectators interpreted as an offensive portrait of the Chinese people.

Undoubtedly, errors in quality controls occur, and the fashion industry should be more attentive to these details when trying to sell across the globe.

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