ATEEZ San Experienced Racism? Idol Explains Alleged 'Mistreatment' During Fashion Event

While infuriated K-pop fans especially ATINYs called out Dolce & Gabbana for alleged poor treatment of ATEEZ San, the idol himself took to SNS to address the controversy.

Earlier on July 2 (local time), ATEEZ San graced the high-end brand Dolce & Gabbana with his luxurious presence during its women's couture show, "Alta Moda" in Nora, Sardinia, Italy.

On this day, the K-pop star and fashion icon showed off an unconventional 'fit wearing a top with a Baroque sculpture motif, wide flare pants, and patent derby shoes.

On July 3 then, San also attended the men's couture show, "Alto Sartoria," this time, wearing an elegant white suit.

While his elegant participation in the event truly elevated the atmosphere, fans were angered after claiming that he suffered racial discrimination during the fashion show.

First, ATINYs complained about San's 1st-day outfit and called out the brand for offering the idol a "strange" look, as if mocking Asians as he's the only one who had such"outrageous" clothing.

Another reason that made fans frustrated was when a photo of him sitting between two people without a cushion while everyone has it spread like wildfire online. Looking at his back, netters complained that he looked uncomfortable and blamed the brand for treating San like that.

ALSO READ: ATEEZ San Shocks ATINYs With Amount Of Unread Messages In Phone — But Fans Are Concerned For THIS Reason

Amid this, some fans asked ATINYs to refrain from making such assumptions and told them that it could just be an over-interpretation.

After all, it was known that San and Dolce & Gabbana had a special relationship that even the chief designer Domenico Dolce who founded the high-end brand adored him so much.

On July 7 then, it seemed like San was finally notified of this issue, and through a live broadcast, he carefully addressed this issue to fans.

Here, he explained the story behind his first outfit and clarified how he was actually treated by the brand behind what people have only seen.

San started:

"It was my best pick of the 10 clothes that the brand prepared for me. It was an opportunity to show my various sides, so I wanted to try Haute Couture for 'Alta Moda' when I thought about the identity of the show.

I thought it would be a great outfit for contemporary art and I was also grateful that they gave me the main outfit for last year's show. I wanted to be recognized in fashion through challenging costumes with a different vibe to 'Alta Sartoria' outfits."

Regarding the mistreatment of him, San denied this, saying:

"I talked with Grandpa Dolce (Domenico Dolce) over dinner and he said good things like, "Italy loves you.' He really treated me so fondly and nicely."

Lastly, he explained that the controversy was just a misunderstanding and that the problem lies due to the same big build that he has along with the fashion personality that he's sitting with.

Overall, San attested to fans that there was no racial discrimination that happened and said that it was rather one of his memorable experiences.

READ MORE: ATEEZ San Sets the Stage Ablaze with Jaw-Dropping Shirtless Performance: His Tattoo Revealed

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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz