According to some liberals, gay fashion designers simply can’t support the Trump administration. But Stefano Gabbana does, and he couldn’t care less about the backlash.
On April 3, the White House released its official portrait of Melania Trump clad in a sharp, black Dolce & Gabbana blazer. The following day, Gabbana, co-founder of the D&G brand, posted a picture of the First Lady to his personal Instagram account with the caption: “#DGWoman BEAUTIFUL #melaniatrump Thank you America #madeinitaly.”
Immediately, the post received a mixture of hate and love from followers.
“The LGBT community have been fighting so hard against these people for their rights,” user @mademoiselle.myriam complained. “How can you. Unfollow, boycott.”
Gabbana, who is gay, replied in his native language: “@mademoiselle.myriam vai a cagare!!! Ti boicotto io la testa cretina.” “Vai a cagare” means “go to hell” in Italian.
But others, like user @lindafisch, were thrilled. “New follower! First Lady looks gorgeous in your beautiful design!”
Unsurprisingly, the Italian fashionista’s political beliefs diverge from the majority of those in his profession. Although a group of designers including Sophie Theallet and Marc Jacobs, have explicitly declared that they will not dress anyone in the Trump family, Gabbana has not been deterred. In February, he posted a picture of the first daughter with the caption: “@ivankatrump woman mamma businesswoman wife all in one woman!!!”
In fact, the men behind the D&G brand have been no strangers to controversy. In 2015, the duo faced celebrity boycotts when Dolce explained that he and his business partner “oppose gay adoptions” believing that the “only family is the traditional one.”
