Didn't We Cancel Dolce & Gabbana Already?
WHAT'S NOT CLICKING?!
I scrapped the whole newsletter I had planned(what’s new) and typed this all out yesterday after Dolce & Gabbana was mentioned on my feed, one too many times!
If you didn’t already know, Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce are problematic as fuck and I want to kick both of them in the throat at all times. They are racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and insanely insensitive. This is why their most recent, star-studded fashion show is most distressing to me!!!
Before we get into it, let’s take a trip down nightmare lane.
In 2012 D&G released a policy forbidding Hong Kong residents from taking photos inside and outside their flagship store in order to protect their “intellectual property”. This lead to backlash and mass protesting, especially because mainland Chinese and foreign tourists were not included in this ban. Did they apologize, yeah. Did it mean anything, nah. We’re just getting started bbys. This is like your digestive enzyme before consuming the IBS inducing mess to come.
In their Spring 2013 collection, the brand included Blackamoor imagery and described it as “elements of traditional Sicilian culture.” Racist caricatures of black women were turned into earrings and prints. Not to mention there wasn’t a single black model walking this show. Let’s also not forget the time they released “slave sandals” in 2016.
Dolce and Gabbana used to be partners, but continued to work together after they split, which means yes, they are openly gay. However, they still manage to be homophobic! Imagine that! In 2015 they said they were against same sex parenting and opposed gay adoptions. In an interview they stated, “The only family is the traditional one.” Dolce also mentioned that children conceived trough IVF are “synthetic children.” Although not entirely shocking when you realize their brand is deeply rooted in a traditional, Catholic Italian culture, it is still gross. Their apology for this one included t-shirts representing different kinds of families. Might as well profit off of an apology, right?
Miley Cyrus posted a photo of her brother walking in a D&G show, and said while she did not agree with their politics, she appreciated that they gave young artists a platform. Gabbana replied saying, “We are Italian and we don’t care about politics and mostly neither about the American one! We make dresses and if you think about doing politics with a post it’s simply ignorant. We don’t need your posts or comments so next time please ignore us!! #boycottdolcegabbana,” called her ignorant, and said they would never work with her brother again because of her stupid comments.
In 2017 they dressed and supported Melania Trump. I mean I guess someone has to dress her, and this seems on brand for them. They were incredibly supportive of her, calling Ms. Mimi a #DGWoman. I hate to break it to you boys, as much as you “hate” making fashion political… fashion is political.
The brand released sneakers in 2017 that said “I’m Thin & Gorgeous” on the side. Cheeky humor? Maybe. But equating thinness to beauty and status is harmful for everyone.
In 2018, Gabbana called Selena Gomez ugly in the comments of an Instagram post. Her fans said, here’s your tape, bitch.
Also in 2018, D&G posted a video to Weibo promoting their 500-look, #DGTheGreatShow runway spectacular that would be taking place in Shanghai. In the short film, a Chinese model is seen attempting to eat various Italian foods with chopsticks. While this is happening, a Chinese voiceover makes sexual innuendos, asking questions like, “is it too huge for you?” The video was up for less than 24 hours before commenters accused the brand of being racist, as they should! Private DM’s were released in which Gabbana called the people of China “Ignorant Dirty Smelling Mafia,” and said the claims accusing the brand of racism are “fake news.” Gabbana stated that he was hacked but like, lol. Regardless, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Shanghai canceled the show.
I’m sure there are more instances in which these two have been my least favorite people, but I’ll leave you with this.
So now we’re here. D&G’s Alta Moda fashion show took place yesterday in Venice and was probably the most star-studded event since the COVID pandemic started. There was three full days of events that kicked off with a performance by Jennifer Hudson. Guests included, Dame Helen Mirren, Jennifer Lopez, Sean Combs, Doja Cat, Ciara, Christian Bale, Kitty Spencer, Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, and a slew of stylists that I expected more from. Do the Kardashian-Jenners know that Gabbana called them the cheapest people in the world? Probably forgot when they received a paycheck for their presence.
And that’s the thing, how are we supposed to move forward as a society and not give money, praise, and attention to a brand who has shown us time and time again that they are awful, when celebrities and people of influence continue to support them? Who cares about morals when the paycheck is good enough, right? The Italian duo has apologized every time they’ve done something wrong, but how many times can you apologize for the mistakes that you keep making?
Cancelations are thrown around left and right, yet they don’t really accomplish anything. I don’t really think you can be canceled unless you cancel yourself, because there will always be someone willing to support you, and there will always be someone willing to forgive you. But we all have a voice and we all have morals, and D&G has had enough time to show us that they’ve changed. Sure, for the fashion folks out there, it might be a little bit of a shame, because the brand’s work in past years has been beautiful, they make billions, they have a definable look and code, they have a customer, but as things stand currently, if there’s anything that looks cheap, it’s D&G.
I know celebrities aren’t always fashion focused, I know a lot of them have stylists that they trust to put them in something good. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that maybe, somehow, they don’t know about any or all of the problematic things Dolce and Gabbana have said and done. But surely the stylists have to know what they’re doing when they pull a D&G look from the archives or get one custom made for their client. I suppose everyone has a different limit in separating church and state, but can this really be a, “well they haven’t hurt or offended me” situation? Can we really leave it to “just wearing clothes” and not paying any mind to the people designing them?
There are so many talented, new brands and designers that deserve praise and attention. There are so many established brands that deserve to be kept alive. The choices to shine even the faintest light on D&G can only be fueled by ignorance. While a majority of us are not the D&G customer, we do have the right to voice what is wrong and choose who we give our attention to. It’s a shame that for the right price and the right gown, we can turn a blind eye.
Oooh I loved this piece since I always see Diet Prada call them out on their BS. I always knew they were problematic but you broke it down.