Dior Caught in China Sovereignty Controversy Ahead of Shanghai Show
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SHANGHAI — Dior is the latest luxury brand to get caught in China’s geopolitical disputes, which has affected Coach, Versace and Givenchy in the past two months.
A brand representative showcased a map of China, which illustrated the number of stores in the country, but excluded the disputed region of Taiwan during a Dream in Dior internship program campus talk, according to a video, which began to surface on Weibo, China’s own Twitter, on Wednesday.
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When asked about why Taiwan was missing on the map by a university student, the representative responded: “I think it’s maybe because the picture is too small and Taiwan is too small.”
The student then said: “But it can’t be smaller than Hainan island.” Her comment was met with a round of applause from the audience.
After that, the brand representative further explained the difference between mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan region, and stressed that the Hong Kong and Taiwan markets are not under their management. “Because we are in China, we look after mainland China,” the representative said.
The student later added, “Yes, I understand you manage China, but your map says China. I still believe you need to include Taiwan in your map.”
Toward the end of the video, Dior’s brand representative did not directly respond to her question, or apologize, but said, “Taiwan and Hong Kong are categorized as a part of the Asia-Pacific region,” and “LVMH will not do anything that’s against China’s political stance.”
The video was widely shared within hours of publishing. Dior soon issued a statement and apologized on Weibo.
“The misrepresentation of an individual Dior employee does not represent the company or the brand’s stance on China. The company apologized for the misstatement and misinterpretation of a Dior personnel during a campus presentation. At the same time, the company emphasizes that this is a misconduct of an employee who does not represent the company’s position.
“Dior always respects and upholds the one-China principle, strictly safeguards China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and cherishes the Chinese people’s feelings. We are deeply concerned about the mistakes of this individual employee and must take precautions to prevent similar mistakes from happening again,” the company said.
No brand ambassadors or friends of the house have distanced themselves from the brand as of press time.
Related:
Fashion Brands Ignite Chinese Ire Over Sovereignty
Coach and Givenchy Ensnared in China Sovereignty Question, Too
Versace Loses Newly-Signed China Ambassador Yang Mi
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