Dolce & Gabbana made their stance in the provocative political discussion happening in Italy with a chic collection featuring a same-sex family.
At the moment Italy has been split with harsh remarks being thrown around about the political decisions behind gay rights. Some are supporting the laws that restrict same-sex couples from having children, because it would open up surrogacy, which is an illegal practice in Italy. Amidst this internal turmoil, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the designers of Dolce & Gabbana, have released a line featuring a same-sex family and in some cases their own family with their pets. The two designers used to be in a romantic relationship but despite that ending continued their professional relationship easily.
The stance comes as a slight surprise after the derogatory comments made last year where surrogacy was referred to as a “womb rental”, which caused backlash and a boycott from musician Elton John. Correcting themselves from their previous mistakes, the designers are now receiving harsh comments from fellow Italians, and being called “Volte & Gabbana” which translates to “turncoat” basically being called out for the switch in opinions. Despite any negative opinion from Italians pushing for bans on surrogacy and basic gay rights, the designers stand strong in their decision.
The line features handbags and some t-shirts that depict a variety of same-sex families. Gabbana posted the pictures on his instagram, which garnered mixed comments. Other than some insults there are also people stating the release of the collection is just to appeal to the gay community after losing sales from last year’s comments. But whether it be an economic decision or not, the brand seems to be focused on their mission. Dolce&Gabbana’s official website shows the designers asking for families to send in their portraits to be incorporated into the line, which shows a variety of families not just same-sex. So far there are at least 1000 pictures featured in their galleries, and the spread of the collection is happening on social media with the hashtag “#dgfamily”, referencing the brand’s name with initials.
Even though the collection has been dropped a few days before the Italian’s government’s verdict on same-sex marital rights, there is no sure way of saying if this will affect politics. But it has affected people; hopefully the message is genuine and will reach rallies and politicians.
