Dolce & Gabbana's designing duo, Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, have come under fire over their views on what constitutes as a "traditional family" in the past (specifically, gay couples starting families). So you might be surprised to learn that the brand has a new collection of accessories on the docket which celebrates families in a diverse, inclusive manner.
Gabbana shared a series of images on Instagram yesterday, tagged #DGfamily. The snaps show a range of T-shirts and Dauphine handbags featuring a diverse set of families, including same-sex couples and their children. The items portray cartoon depictions of two parental figures holding (and surrounded by) young children. The Guardian notes that while little is known about the timing and availability of the collection, the issue is currently a particularly hot topic of conversation in the designers' home base, Italy, where politicians are set to vote on a bill that may recognize same-sex civil unions and permit legal adoption.
Dolce & Gabbana reps did not comment on the collection.
This is a significant shift in light of the controversial remarks made by the designers (and former real-life couple) just under a year ago. Last March, they told Italian magazine Panorama about their ultra-traditional views on family matters — they opposed both gay adoption and called in vitro fertilization "children of chemistry, synthetic children."
To make matters worse, they defended their comments days after the backlash, which included boycotting by the likes of Elton John and Victoria Beckham (plus many others). In August, Dolce officially apologized, telling Vogue: "I’ve done some soul-searching. I’ve talked to Stefano a lot about this. I’ve realized that my words were inappropriate, and I apologize."
No information is available yet regarding the collection's pricing or stockists, although a brand rep told The Guardian that it's "expected to be in stores soon." Currently, the Italian fashion house sells a T-shirt of the designers with their five pets — Mimmo, Totò, and Rosa, their dogs; and Zambia and Congo, their cats — drawn in the same cartoony style and bearing the #DGfamily hashtag for $745. There's also a page on the label's website for a "special project" for #DGfamily, which invites people to send in their family portraits.
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