You think they’d have better sense …
Dolce & Gabbana has come under fire yet again this week over selling “Slave Sandals” on their online shop. Crafted in “Napa Leather with Pompoms,” the sandal can be yours for a humble $2,395. In case you missed it, the brand featured the shoes in its spring 2016 collection, described as “a declaration of love to Italy.”
Although “slave” was once a common fashion term used for lace-up sandals, over the years, the title has been widely replaced by “gladiator.” Begging the question: why return to the former moniker? Naturally, we weren’t alone in our sentiment. “.@dolcegabbana Just wondering what possessed you to name your latest summer sandals “The Slave Sandal”? Wow.” wrote one Twitter user. “This sort of thing makes me so angry. It should make us all angry,” added another.
Of course, this isn’t the first time the popular Italian brand has come under fire for racism. In Spring 2013, they debuted a collection featuring a variety of images of dark-skinned, slave-like African women in burlap-sack frocks and adorning the ears of models ripping the runway. Although D&G later released a statement claiming that the figures used in their designs were based on “Moorish” figures– “a term used to define many peoples throughout history…In Sicily’s case it defines the conquerors of Sicily.”
Unfortunately, D&G appeared to completely miss the point: the images still represent the painful past of slavery. “Dolce & Gabbana. I love you, but why are you glorifying slavery? #slavesandals #fashionfail #marketingfail,” wrote another Twitter user. “Beautiful shoes, terrible name,” said another.
On the flip side, Tim Blanks, editor at large at The Business of Fashion offered up his two cents on the shoe’s debut: “That term was quite common in the industry at one time, especially at the height of the Hollywood biblical epics, the likes of ‘Ben Hur’ and ‘Spartacus,’ and people do still use it today,” reports the New York Times. “I think they just were carrying over a lot from that era into the collection and got swept away,” Blanks said. “Although I’m surprised it wasn’t picked up sooner as something that might be inflammatory in this day and age. Although it’s not as if the term ‘gladiator sandal’ as an alternative is really that much better.”
Popular term or not, these two designers should know better by now, especially in such racially fueled times. What is your take on Dolce & Gabbana’s Slave Sandal? Sound off in the comment section below.
