The label's artistic director Donatella also apologizes in a separate statement on an Instagram post in which she writes, 'I am deeply sorry for the unfortunate recent error that was made by our company.'
- Aug 12, 2019
AceShowbiz - Versace has enraged the people of China following the release of the brand's T-shirts. The luxury fashion house faced criticism after it broke "One China" policy with the design of the tops, prompting its leading Chinese brand ambassador Yang Mi to terminate her contract with the company.
The controversial tops list Hong Kong and Macau as countries rather cities. Both are former European colonies, which are classed as special administrative regions of China, were returned to China in the late 1990s.
Yang took to Weibo, China's largest social media platform, to announce her decision to cut ties with the brand on Sunday, August 11, writing, "China's territorial integrity and sovereignty are sacred and inviolable at all times. As a company of the People's Republic of China and Yang Mi as a citizen of the People's Republic of China, we are deeply offended."
"It is the duty of all Chinese citizens to uphold the 'One China' principle and adamantly safeguard national unification," the statement continued as translated by the China Daily.
It didn't take long for Versace to take notice of the backlash as it issued an official apology in response to the "unfortunate error." The brand also assured people that the T-shirt had been removed from all stores.
"The Company apologizes for the design of its product and a recall of the T-shirt has been implemented in July," Versace wrote on its official Twitter account. Meanwhile on Weibo, Versace admitted that "it's our company's negligence and we express deep apology for the impact it caused."
The label's artistic director Donatella Versace also apologized in a separate statement. "I am deeply sorry for the unfortunate recent error that was made by our company and that is currently being discussed on various social media channels," she said on Instagram.
"Never have I wanted to disrespect China's national sovereignty, and this is why I wanted to personally apologize for such inaccuracy and for any distress that it might have caused," she continued writing.
