Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana released a formal statement of apology late on Wednesday over the fermenting scandal involving racist rhetoric. But the message reading "what happened today was very unfortunate" has once again sparked public fury for its lack of sincerity.

It all started with three promotional videos the fashion house shared on Instagram over the weekend to promote its massive Shanghai catwalk show. Opinions split over whether the series – "Eating with Chopsticks" – are racist since some accuse it of being disrespectful to Chinese culture and women while others deem it just a boring, vulgar ad campaign. But an ensuing screenshot of an online conversation in which the brand's co-founder and designer Stefano Gabbana called China "a country of (five poo emojis)" exasperated the Chinese public.

Though Gabbana later blamed a hacker for abusing his account, few bought it. A string of Chinese celebrities and models boycotted the brand, paralyzing the extravaganza slated for Wednesday night. And the country's e-commerce giants took all of their Dolce & Gabbana products off the shelves the next day.

This dazzling brand is no stranger to controversy and accusations of racism. Last year, it posted an ad where its dolled-up models were pictured with homely pedestrians in run-down areas of Beijing. 

The year before, it listed a pair of pom-pom-accented leather shoes as “slave sandals” on its website, which elicited widespread controversy over the fashion firm for apparently glorifying slavery. 

In 2015, Gabbana as well as his partner Domenico Dolce proclaimed their objection to gay adoption, triggering vehement protests outside their London store.

Actually, the fashion industry has been an arena where equality and diversity have yet to find a foothold. Dolce & Gabbana is not alone in producing promotional videos with tints of racism or discrimination against women or social minorities.

A barrage of established fashion brands, most of which hail from the European continent, have forayed into believing in the superiority of their culture over others. Applying cultural misconceptions to the fashion circle is old news, whether it's intentional, out of insensitivity, or as a marketing gimmick.

Back in 2011, John Galliano, then creative director for Christian Dior, was sacked for an anti-Semitic slur at a Paris bar, which was recorded in a video and posted on the website of the UK tabloid The Sun. 

In the video, the talented "bad boy" in the world of vogue shouted "I love Hitler," "people like you would be dead" and "your mothers, your forefathers" would all be "gassed" to a Jewish couple at the next table.

Across the pond, Victoria's Secret came under fire because of an outfit worn by its model in its annual fashion show. Karlie Kloss appeared in a Native American-themed ensemble with a huge feather headdress and a cheetah-printed bikini. 

The look caused quite an uproar among Americans, with some commentators saying the lingerie label sexualized Native American women and the attire was an insulting and offensive gesture to indigenous culture.

Africans are more prone to falling victim to discrimination in this flamboyant realm. Louis Vuitton was embroiled in a racism outcry in June 2014 when then manager of its London's iconic Selfridge's told an African employee, "Black people are slaves who eat dirt off the floor." 

Similarly, the runway has long been dominated by white, skinny, young models. Phoebe Philo, designer for Celine and former creative director for Dior Raf Jan Simons, has never employed black models in their fashion months despite the variation in race that have taken place over the years.

In recent years, diversity in race, size, age and gender has inched forward, but the progress is alarmingly slow. According to statistics from the Fashion Spot, 32.5 percent of castings went to non-white models in New York, London, Milan and Paris during the fall 2018 season, almost the same percentage as that back in Spring 2016 (32.4 percent). 

The Fashion Spot started tracking runway diversity in 2015 and has released reports every six months to encourage diversity and equality among fashionistas.  

The present-day scenario is even less rosy than that in the 1980s when Calvin Klein, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and a spectrum of other fashion brands showed a penchant for black models. But now many designers and agents make no secret of their taste for white-only castings.

It seems that the fashion industry – a world based on individuality – is touting tokenism.

"What I say is not wrong, but it's out of the system. But it's really what I think," Gabbana told The Washington Post during an interview this May. 

Then again, the designer's comments may not be an anomaly in an era where the term "political correctness" carries a stink about it, and the cavalier thinking where being offensive toward a group of people is considered a source of pride.