Embattled designers Dolce and Gabbana sat down with CNN yesterday to attempt to quell the public backlash against their controversial comments regarding in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
The chat, however, may only have served to make the situation worse.
Elton John, whose two sons were born through IVF, called for a boycott of the luxury label after Domenico Dolce, speaking to a magazine interviewer, referred to children born through IVF as “synthetic babies”.
Posting on his Instagram page, John let loose at the pair, saying: “…shame on you for wagging your judgmental little fingers at IVF – a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfill their dream of having children. Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana”
When celebrities including Ricky Martin, Courtney Love and Victoria Beckham began to join the boycott, Dolce and Gabbana released a statement saying: “We talked about our way of seeing reality, but it was never our intention to judge other people’s choices. We do believe in freedom and love.”
Dolce added, “I’m Sicilian and I grew up in a traditional family, made up of a mother, a father and children. I am very well aware of the fact that there are other types of families and they are as legitimate as the one I’ve known.”
In the CNN exclusive, the pair essentially continued to defend their ‘traditional’ views, but admitted they could have articulated them a little better or kept them private. They also slammed the boycott of their label:
“Boycott Dolce & Gabbana for what? They don’t think like you? This is correct? This is not correct. We are in 2015. This is like medieval. It’s not correct,” said Gabbana.
