Dolce & Gabbana designer accused of racism

Dolce & Gabbana’s colourful designs are one of Instagram’s most enjoyable visuals, but it’s the platform that has brought the Italian fashion house to the forefront of a growing race row.

On Wednesday, the designer brand abruptly cancelled their Shanghai fashion show due to fierce backlash from racially insulting posts, alleged to have come from co-founder Stefano Gabbana’s private account.

Screenshots of a private conversation between the designer and Instagram user, Michaela Tranova, that took place this week, were posted to cult fashion account @@The screenshots sees the designer using the ‘poo’ emoji to describe China and vowing to criticise the country in interviews.

The backlash from the Chinese public was swift, with some of the country’s most famous faces, such as actress Zhang Ziyi, publicly stating that the brand had "disgraced itself".

According to The New York TimesThe New York Times two dozen models said they would pull out of the show.

Dolce & Gabbana apologised on Instagram and said the account had been hacked. "We are very sorry for any distress caused by these unauthorised posts," reads the image.

"We have nothing but respect for China and the people of China."

Gabbana, 56, defended himself against the controversy on his personal account posting an image of the offensive comments with the words "Not Me" superimposed in big red letters.

"My Instagram account has been hacked. My legal office is working on this," the designer captioned the post.

"I love China and the Chinese culture. I’m so sorry for what happened."

However, it may be too little too late for the brand that is a favourite of Melania Trump, Victoria Beckham and Hailey Baldwin.

Dolce & Gabbana’s fashion, cosmetic and other branded products disappeared on Chinese e-commerce platforms overnight.

The Shanghai extravaganza was to include 300 models previewing a new collection on a rotating stage, including supermodels Eva Herzigová and Isabella Fontana and a line-up of millennial stars and IT girl influencers.

Interest in Chinese consumers is fast-becoming a top priority for luxury European designers.

According to the Business of FashionBusiness of Fashion Chinese luxury shoppers account for over $100 billion in annual spending, representing almost a third of the global luxury market.