Strategy for D&G to come back to China

China’s luxury fashion market was valued at approximately $73 billion in 2024, making it the second largest in the world. Chinese consumers accounted for about 37% of global luxury spending that year, up from 28% pre-COVID, according to data from Bain and Chinese luxury market reports widely discussed on financial and fashion industry forums. Against this backdrop, Dolce & Gabbana has been quietly rebuilding its presence in China after the 2018 chopstick ad crisis. The brand’s strategy, and the broader lessons it offers, are more relevant for Western luxury brands in 2026 than they were when the scandal first broke.

What Happened: The D&G Scandal as a Case Study

In November 2018, D&G released a promotional video showing a Chinese model struggling to eat pizza and cannoli with chopsticks. The backlash was immediate and severe. Chinese consumers and celebrities boycotted the brand. KOLs across Weibo and WeChat called for bans. Chinese e-commerce platforms pulled D&G products. The founders’ private messages mocking China circulated widely. It became one of the most studied cases in Chinese market communications.

The damage was real but not permanent. China continued to account for approximately 12% of D&G’s total revenues even during the years of active boycott, as noted in industry reports. The reasons are instructive: Chinese luxury consumers, particularly high-net-worth individuals, continued purchasing private Alta Moda pieces. The brand maintained a low-key mainland presence and kept its stores open. And critically, the quality and craftsmanship of the product itself never stopped appealing to a segment of the market.

The Quiet Rebuild: What D&G Did After 2018

D&G’s tenth Alta Moda anniversary event in Sicily invited 750 guests from around the world, including 18 Chinese VIPs. Among them was actor Ludi Lin of Mortal Kombat and Aquaman, who has 2.5 million Weibo followers. Lin described being “thrilled to be there, meeting people from all over the world gathered to view the pinnacle of fashion.” The event was not framed as a China re-entry campaign. It was positioned as an exclusive luxury experience, which Chinese guests chose to attend and document on their own social channels.

By letting Chinese VIPs share their own experience rather than pushing brand messaging directly, D&G sidestepped the core mistake of 2018: talking at Chinese consumers rather than inviting them into the brand’s world. The hashtag #ThisIsVeryDG accumulated 634,000 views on Xiaohongshu, driven by user-generated content resharing posts of Chinese brand ambassadors wearing D&G.

Average client spend at Alta Moda events is reportedly above $100,000 per person, and over 75% of runway pieces sold at the Sicily event. China remains a meaningful revenue contributor. The brand is recovering.

What This Means for Western Luxury Brands in China in 2026

The D&G story contains a specific lesson that most Western luxury brands have still not fully absorbed. The Chinese luxury consumer in 2026 is not looking for brands that adapt their identity to Chinese tastes. They are looking for authentic Western or Italian luxury that respects Chinese culture without caricaturing it. The chopstick video failed not because it referenced Chinese culture, but because it condescended to it.

The broader market context matters too. China’s “guochao” (national trend) wave has made domestic luxury brands like Shang Xia, Prism, and various designer labels credible alternatives to Western houses. Chinese luxury consumers aged 25-40 now split their spending more deliberately between international brands for status and domestic brands for cultural identity. Western brands that try too hard to seem Chinese lose on both counts.

China Luxury Fashion Market: Key Numbers

Metric	Data	Notes
China luxury market value (2024)	~$73B	Second largest globally
Chinese share of global luxury spending	~37%	Up from 28% pre-COVID
D&G China revenue share (post-scandal)	~12%	Despite active boycott years
Internet research in Mandarin	97.5% of Chinese web searches	Western reputation invisible in China
Douyin live commerce GMV (2023)	1.2 trillion RMB+	Critical luxury distribution channel
Guochao (national brand) trend adoption	Strong among 25-40 age group	Real competition for Western luxury

Six Things Every Western Luxury Brand Must Do in China

1. Build your reputation from zero on Chinese platforms. English content and positive reviews on Western media are invisible in China. Over 97.5% of internet research in China is conducted in Mandarin. Your reputation in China is what Chinese consumers find when they search on Baidu and Xiaohongshu, nothing else. Start there.

2. Invest in Baidu and Zhihu for brand search presence. When a Chinese consumer searches your brand name, what do they find? Baidu accounts for approximately 75% of Chinese search traffic. Zhihu hosts expert discussions and reviews that appear high in Baidu results. A brand that does not control its narrative on these platforms has no narrative in China.

3. Work with Chinese KOLs who genuinely like your product. The most effective luxury KOL partnerships in China involve creators who have an authentic connection to the brand’s heritage or aesthetic. Paid posts that read as advertisements generate skepticism. A KOL who genuinely wears or uses the product and shares that authentically is worth significantly more than a scripted endorsement.

4. Let Chinese clients speak for the brand, not just through the brand. D&G’s Alta Moda recovery worked because Chinese guests chose to share their own experience. User-generated content and organic word-of-mouth within Chinese social circles builds trust faster than any campaign. Invite Chinese VIPs and clients into experiences worth sharing, then let them tell the story.

5. Emphasize your country of origin and craftsmanship story, not Chinese adaptation. International products are still perceived as higher quality by a significant share of Chinese consumers, especially in luxury. The “made in Italy” or “made in France” story, told with specific detail about craft, heritage, and materials, resonates with luxury buyers. Over-localizing a Western brand removes the key differentiator.

6. Treat crisis communications as a product, not a PR exercise. The D&G scandal spread at social media speed. A crisis response that acknowledges the specific offense, takes clear responsibility, and demonstrates genuine change (not just apology tours) is what Chinese consumers expect and eventually reward. Brands that respond defensively or with generic apologies extend the damage.

How to Reach Chinese Luxury Consumers on Xiaohongshu (RedNote)

Luxury visual storytelling: origin and craft content performs consistently well. Posts and short videos showing the actual making of a garment, the sourcing of materials, or a behind-the-scenes view of the atelier reach Chinese luxury consumers who value the heritage story. This content is specific, visual, and hard to fake, which is exactly what Chinese audiences reward.

How to Reach Chinese Luxury Consumers on Douyin

Private event and experience content drives aspiration. Footage from Alta Moda-style events, fashion shows, and VIP brand experiences, shared by Chinese attendees or documented for the brand, creates aspiration among Chinese viewers who want to be part of that world. This format works for any luxury brand willing to invite Chinese clients into exclusive experiences.

Example Found on Chinese Web (Translated)

“I still buy D&G. The quality is real. The scandal was stupid and they deserved the backlash. But I’m not going to stop wearing good clothes because of a bad advertisement. My friends think the same. We’re adults, we make our own choices. If they keep being respectful going forward, I’ll keep buying.”

— Weibo comment from a Beijing-based consumer, 2023, in a thread about D&G’s return to Chinese fashion weeks

FAQ

Has D&G fully recovered in China after the 2018 scandal?
Not fully recovered in terms of brand perception, but commercially resilient. China continued to account for approximately 12% of revenues even during the boycott years. The Alta Moda strategy of inviting Chinese VIPs into luxury experiences, rather than pushing direct marketing, has been generating positive organic social content since 2022.

What is the key lesson from the D&G China crisis for other luxury brands?
Chinese consumers do not want Western brands to pretend to be Chinese. They want Western brands to be genuinely excellent at what they do, while treating Chinese culture with basic respect. Condescension causes crises. Authentic excellence recovers them, over time.

How big is China’s luxury market in 2024?
Approximately $73 billion, second only to the US. Chinese consumers account for around 37% of global luxury spending. The market is not shrinking despite economic uncertainty. Spending has shifted: less on basic luxury goods, more on high-end experiences and exceptional craftsmanship.

How should Western luxury brands build a presence in China in 2026?
Start with a strong Baidu and Zhihu reputation. Work with authentic KOLs who match the brand’s aesthetic. Tell the craftsmanship and origin story in Mandarin with specific detail. Invite Chinese VIPs into genuine brand experiences. Never condescend. Never over-localize. Treat the Chinese market as sophisticated, because it is.

We track China’s luxury and fashion market on our LinkedIn page. Follow us for regular updates on consumer behavior and brand strategy in China.

Your Luxury Brand Deserves a Serious China Strategy

The D&G story is not just about one brand’s crisis. It is about how Western luxury houses navigate a market that is large, demanding, sophisticated, and unforgiving of disrespect. The brands that do well in China in 2026 have invested seriously in their Chinese reputation, their Chinese social media presence, and their relationships with Chinese clients. We help luxury brands build exactly this, from Baidu reputation management to KOL strategy to VIP event planning that generates the organic Chinese social content that no advertising budget can buy. If your brand wants to grow in China without repeating the mistakes others have made before you, let’s talk.

Contact us to build your luxury brand’s China strategy.

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