Luxury brands Versace, Coach, Givenchy apologize to China over T-shirt designs

Luxury fashion houses Versace, Coach, and Givenchy issued public apologies on August 12, 2019, after Chinese netizens on Sina Weibo accused them of producing T-shirts that failed to recognize Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan as part of China. Versace's T-shirt listed "Macau – Macao" and "Hong Kong – Hong Kong" separately from "Beijing – China" and "Rome – Italy," implying they were distinct countries. The brand stated it had destroyed remaining shirts on July 24 and Donatella Versace personally declared the company's love and respect for China's sovereignty. Chinese actress Yang Mi terminated her endorsement contract with Versace. Coach's T-shirt similarly omitted Hong Kong as part of China and listed Taiwan as an independent country; the item had been removed from sale in May 2018. Model and actress Liu Wen ended her partnership with Coach. Givenchy apologized for a design on a $565 T-shirt sold on Chinese e-commerce platform LiFang that depicted Hong Kong and Taiwan as autonomous. The apologies come amid heightened Chinese government scrutiny of foreign companies' stances on territorial integrity, particularly regarding Hong Kong and Macau. Chinese consumers represent at least one-third of global luxury sales and two-thirds of recent growth, making the market critical for these brands. The incidents echo a 2018 controversy involving Dolce & Gabbana and a 2018 Gap apology for selling clothing with an "incorrect map" of China.