Imagine for a moment that you are the proprietor of a fashion house whose name is as recognizable as Gucci or Prada. What could you do to make all of that vanish? Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the duo behind the Italian fashion label Dolce & Gabanna, appear desperate to find out.
The brand’s troubles go as far back as 2015, when the pair gave an interview in an Italian magazine suggesting LGBTQ people shouldn’t have families. Back in 2012, they sent white models down the runway in Milan wearing earrings that depicted mammy caricatures on them.
Now, the brand’s new cause is outfitting the least popular First Lady in American history, and poking fun at protesters in the process. The company unveiled cheeky, tone-deaf T-shirts with the phrase “#BoycottDolce&Gabbana,” a hashtag that actually emerged in the wake of their comments on LGBTQ families. Dolce & Gabbana also released a weird Pepsi-ad style video of protesters smiling and cheering while adorned in the $245 T-shirts. Being on the wrong side of every issue is not provocative; it’s just a bad look.
