Italian luxury fashion house Prada announced Tuesday that it terminated all contracts with Chinese actress Zheng Shuang, according to the brand’s official Weibo account, following a reported scandal concerning the actress’ personal life.
Zheng, who appeared in the brand’s Chinese New Year campaign as a new ambassador last week, was reportedly considering forcing the US surrogate, who carried her child with her ex-boyfriend Zhang Heng, to terminate seven-month pregnancy in 2019 because their relationship came to an end.
The news took Chinese social media by storm on Monday and it remained a hotly searched topic on Weibo for a second consecutive day on Tuesday.
Some Chinese netizens, shocked and angered, said that Zheng should not be tolerated in entertainment circles in China due to “her lack of virtue.”
Prada shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange fell 1.7 percent on Monday to HK$46.20 ($5.96). They further tumbled by nearly 5 percent at Tuesday’s opening.
Some netizens applauded the Prada move on Tuesday night, saying it is wise for the brand not to be affiliated with Zheng anymore.
Lola Rose, a jewelry brand from London, reportedly deleted all content concerning Zheng from its official Weibo account. A feature on Zheng in Harper’s Bazaar, the renowned fashion magazine, could also not be found on its official Weibo account.
A Prada store in Beijing in January 2021. Photo: VCG
