Diet Prada, filed a defense following Dolce & Gabbana ‘s 2019 libel suit. According to a post on the Diet Prada account, Dolce & Gabbana is seeking damages for “serious and repeated defamatory conduct”.
According to the indictment, Diet Prada would be responsible for economic and moral damage following its coverage of the infamous promotional video published by the brand in 2018. The video in question accused the two designers of racism towards the Chinese community. The film’s subject was an Asian model struggling with Italian food, but he could not eat because of the chopsticks. Diet Prada was the first media outlet to point out the stereotypes and racial preconceptions in the video. The brand had also had to cancel the show scheduled in Shanghai. Many celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Cardi B have distanced themselves from the brand.
The prosecution is seeking three million dollars for the brand and one million dollars for Stefano Gabbana. The account accuses the designer of making racist comments in a chat.
“With so much anti-Asian hatred spreading, it seems wrong to keep silent about a cause that threatens our free speech. We are a small company co-founded by a person of color, who seeks to speak out against racism in our community, “Diet Prada said in his statement.” Having cultivated Diet Prada as a platform where we can denounce racism and maintain the fashion industry according to a higher ethical standard, it’s one of the most rewarding experiences for us so far.”
Diet Prada, a fashion news account run by Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler, will be defended in court by Fordham Law School’s Fashion Law Institute. It will offer its pro bono services in collaboration with the Italian firm AMSL Avvocati.
However, the Instagram account is not new to accusations against the designers. In December 2020, the page accused designer Alexander Wang of sexual harassment. Wang had been openly accused through video of sexual harassment by model Owen Mooney. Following the Diet Prada post, models, insiders, simple students, and shop assistants have to tell about their encounters, far from pleasant, with Alexander Wang. For everyone, the story goes in one direction only. Many accused the American designer of sexual harassment.
