Dolce & Gabbana debuted a new, colorful Spring 2016 collection today on its website. The collection came with a few surprises, most notably a "Slave Sandal" that is available for purchase for the affordable price of only $2,395.
The red and blue flat sandals, which are embellished with flowers and pom-poms, are currently available for pre-order online at retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue and Moda Operandi, but the "Slave" descriptor has been taken out of the description box. Instead, the sandals are referred to as "Pom-Pom Leather Lace-Up Sandals" and "Pom Pom Wrap Around Sandals."
The Italian design house's Spring 2016 collection was inspired by its Italian heritage through the eyes of tourists and jet-set cities in Italy like Rome, Venice and Capri. The two designers, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, did not issue a statement about the "Slave Sandal" - even though this is not the first time they have come under fire for either offensive comments or items.
In 2012, Dolce & Gabbana released a pair of earrings during its Spring 2013 show that people referred to as "Slave Earrings" because they had the head of an African woman on them. The luxury brand then stirred up controversy when they made insensitive remarks about in vitro fertilization last March. The two designers gave an interview to the Italian magazine Panorama in which they spoke about how they opposed gay people having children of their own.
"You are born to a mother and a father, or at least that's how it should be," Dolce said. "I call children of chemistry synthetic children. Rented uterus, semen chosen from a catalog."
After the comment was made, Dolce's words faced instant backlash from a number of people including Elton John, who has two children with his partner David Furnish. The singer called for a boycott of Dolce & Gabbana clothing, a brand that John had long been a fan of. "Watch What Happens Live" host Andy Cohen echoed a similar distaste for the comment and put his black Dolce & Gabbana suit on eBay. Cohen said he would put the money towards the Family Equality Council, a gay rights organization.
"Even though I loved this suit," Cohen said in the listing, "it wouldn't be any fun for me to wear it again."
Since the "Slave Sandal" was released, the description of the shoe on D&G's website has been changed to "Decorative Flat Sandal."
