The Bleak Future of Dolce & Gabbana

How does a major brand come back after insulting practically half of the world? Well, that’s the question Dolce & Gabanna have to answer in light of their recent controversial statement involving gay adoption and in-vitro fertilization. During an interview with Panorama magazine, Domenico Dolce stated: “You are born and have a father and mother. Or at least that is how it should be, that is why I call children of chemistry, synthetic babies. Rented uteruses, seeds chosen from a catalogue.” Public outrage ensued immediately after the release of the interview. With two children of his own conceived via IVF, Elton John came to the forefront, claiming that he would boycott D&G and that others should do the same with #BoycottDolceGabbana. Several celebrities have come to John’s side including Ricky Martin, Andy Cohen, Courtney Love, and “American Horror Story” creator Ryan Murphy, all swearing to throw away their D&G gear and to never buy from them again. Madonna, a long-time wearer of D&G on the red carpet, reprimanded the designers on Instagram, advising them to, “Think before you speak”. Along with celebs, the director of D&G's magazine, Giuliano Federico, resigned after the release of the interview, stating that the “personal opinions” of the two designers “are in total conflict with my personal beliefs and with my commitments towards civil rights in my country (Italy). In D&G’s defense, Dolce made the statement from the viewpoint of a man who was raised in a traditional Italian family and did not mean to dictate his opinions on others. In an interview with CNN following the controversy, Dolce said, “Every people (has) freedom for choosing what they want. This is for me democracy. I respect you because you choose what you want. I respect me because I choose what I want… This just my point of private view.” Gabbana followed with, “We love gay couples, we love a gay adoption. We love everything. Domenico has just expressed a point of view.” Whether it was meant to be malicious or not, it’s extremely risky for those in a high-profile standing to express such negativity to an already controversial topic. Beyond the LGBT community, traditional woman-man couples who are unable to naturally have children rely heavily on IVF, spreading further condemnation of D&G. It’s unknown what’s to become of the prestigious brand and it’s designers, although it’s evident that they have plenty of house cleaning to do.