When one's work is in the fashion industry, it is perhaps best to avoid making commentary on hot button social issues - especially if you are gay and are giving fodder to the anti-gay hate merchants. Just as Italian pasta maker Barilla caused itself a PR nightmare with comments about "traditional families" now fashion house Dolce & Gabbana has followed suit. The biggest difference is the the heads of D&G are gay and were once a couple, yet they maligned gay parenting and in vitro fertilization. While they have tried to walk back their comments, the protests continue, including a protest at D & G's flagship London store. The London Evening Standard has details. Here are highlights:
Campaigners from The Out and Proud Diamond Group held placards which said "D&G Homophobia is not fashionable!" in the protest next to the shop in Bond Street.
They were joined by leading gay rights activist Peter Tatchell as they called for shoppers to boycott D &G after the duo claimed children conceived through IVF were "synthetic".
Other protest banners read "Dolce & Gabbana - put labels on clothes, not families" and "Boycott D&G over their disrespect for gay families".
Singer Elton John, who has two IVF children with husband David Furnish, waded in on the row this week, adding to calls for a boycott of the fashion brand.
The Italian designers, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, are said to be shocked by the public backlash over their comments.
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