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Dolce & Gabbana Says Sorry to Same-Sex Parents With Fashion
Dolce & Gabbana Says Sorry to Same-Sex Parents With Fashion
The designers apologized for belittling the children of same-sex parents using the language of fashion.
With a new line of handbags and T-shirts, the two gay men who are namesake to the Dolce & Gabbana brand made their most visible atonement yet after insulting same-sex parents last year.
Drawings of families headed by two dads or two moms are affixed directly onto the new handbags, which were shared on Instagram by Stefano Gabbana late last week.
In an interview with Italian news magazine Panorama in March, they'd claimed that, "The only family is the traditional one."
So this new handbag is perhaps the ultimate apology for two fashion designers who once called the children of same-sex parents "synthetic" and "children of chemistry."
The designers, Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, faced a boycott of their company in March after making the comments and initially refusing to apologize, even calling those who'd objected "fascist" and opposed to "freedom of thought." Famous gay fathers such as Elton John, Ryan Murphy, Perez Hilton and Ricky Martin all posted to social media using the hashtag #BoycottDolceGabbana. At least one high-profile employee quit in protest over the comments.
Since then, though, Dolce and Gabbana have had a turnaround. They've done multiple interviews apologizing for their comments, both in print and on television.
The apologies started off with qualifiers, but have since become more definitive. In March, days after the spreading outrage, they told CNN that "We love gay couple. We love gay adoption. We love everything. It's just an express of my private point of view." In an interview in the September issue, they told Details magazine they'd been "naive."
An excerpt from that interview:
DETAILS: Domenico, not so long ago, you were lambasted after an interview in which you described children born through IVF as being "synthetic." That offended many people.
Gabbana: We were very naive, I think.
Dolce: The writer asked me to talk about the concept of family. So I talked about what I have grown up with, my culture, the Italian idea of family. Whether you are gay, not gay, whether you have a baby or not, whatever you do -- it is your choice, and it is no business of mine. I was simply expressing my cultural way of life. But I used this word sintetico. I am not a doctor or a scientist. I am just a tailor, and I talk with the words I have. And I chose the wrong word, which I understand now was a big mistake. I am sorry for causing offense. You know, I respect all people, all ways of life, all colors, all beliefs. And I celebrate difference, because existence would mean nothing if we were all the same.
DETAILS: Is it true that you talked in the same interview about having wanted to have children yourself, Stefano?
Gabbana: It is true. But nobody was interested in this.
Dolce: At first I did not understand why the reaction was so strong. People explained it to me -- and yes, maybe I needed to be taught. But not to be treated with aggression. I respect all the world. I don't have hate in my heart for anyone.
View the Instagram photos:
