DEFENDANTS & GAVELS

Dolce & Gabbana Is Suing an Instagram Account for Defamation

The Diet Prada account called out a 2018 D&G ad campaign as racist and published purported screenshots of Stefano Gabbana making derogatory anti-Asian remarks.

Dolce & Gabbana has filed a defamation lawsuit against a popular fashion criticism Instagram account, Diet Prada, in Milan court. The account, which boasts 2.5 million followers, called out a 2018 Dolce & Gabbana ad campaign as racist and published screenshots of what they said were messages from Stefano Gabbana’s own account making derogatory anti-Asian remarks. The luxury brand canceled a Shanghai runway show and apologized for the ad campaign in response. The suit names Diet Prada’s creators, Tony Liu and Lindsey Schuyler, as defendants and seeks €3 million in damages as well as €1 million for Stefano Gabbana personally.

Though the suit was originally filed in 2019, Liu and Schuyler mentioned it for the first time Thursday. They filed a defense motion Monday that argues, “Diet Prada has never started or pursued a hate campaign” against the label but “has continued to exercise its free press rights.” On Instagram, they wrote, “It feels wrong to continue to remain silent about a lawsuit that threatens our freedom of speech.” Dolce & Gabbana has not yet commented on the suit.