Kardashians and Dolce & Gabbana: A troubled marriage

Four years ago billionaire Italian designer Stefano Gabbana allegedly described the Kardashians as the “most cheap people in the world,” but on the weekend his label Dolce & Gabbana was cashing in on the publicity as the unofficial outfitter for the first family of reality television’s latest wedding spectacular.

Kourtney Kardashian married drummer Travis Barker in Portofino, Italy, wearing a satin mini-dress featuring one of the label’s signature corsets, while manager mother Kris and sisters Kim, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie posed across the festivities in an array of animal print, religious motifs and DG logos.

The “most cheap people in the world” looked expensive, but with Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana hosting the wedding at their estate, Villa Olivetta, and the copious social media coverage, it is easy to assume that the Kardashians did not have to open their D&G wallets wide.

Changes of heart are easy to understand, just ask Kim Kardashian who has been married three times and is currently dating SNL comedian Pete Davidson, but Gabbana’s about face could have more to do with the brand’s troubled reputation than love.

Since 2018, Dolce & Gabbana has been crawling its way off a fashion blacklist following short films from the label featuring a Chinese model eating spaghetti, pizza and cannoli with chopsticks, that was widely perceived as racist.

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“Let’s use these small stick-like things to eat our great pizza margherita,” the voice-over announced as a Chinese model covered her face and giggled. Leaked racist comments from Gabbana’s Instagram account fuelled the growing backlash, with the designer claiming his account was hacked when they were made public on fashion watchdog Diet Prada’s account. It was Diet Prada who also said that Gabbana had allegedly commented on an image of the Kardashians: “The most cheap people in the world.”

Dolce & Gabbana were forced to cancel a runway event in Shanghai, had their clothing removed from Net-a-Porter’s Chinese site and faced protests from Chinese customers, including director and writer Xiang Kai who burned $US20,000 ($28,215) worth of designer products, as the #BoycottDolceGabbana took off.

Both designers, Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, issued an apology in 2018. “We have always loved China passionately, and our countless visits to China have made us love its culture even more. Of course, we still have much to learn. With regards to our earlier transgressions, we must apologize.”