Dolce & Gabbana: slave sandals

https://footwearnews.com/2016/fashion/designers/dolce-gabbana-slave-sandals-controversy-pom-pom-leather-lace-up-199251/


The label has listed its spring ’16 collection online for pre-order and among the shoes available is a so-called “Slave” sandal.
While the term is, in fact, a description for a particular lace-up shoe silhouette, it is almost entirely obsolete with the now widely-preferred description “gladiator sandals.”

 While the brand’s e-commerce site refers to the shoe as the “Slave” sandal, other retailers carrying the same style have chosen to omit the term entirely. Moda Operandi has titled the style the “Pom Pom Wrap Around Sandal.” Saks calls it the “Pom-Pom Leather Lace-Up Sandal.”


The collection was inspired by their Italian heritage through the eyes of tourists and jet-set locations like Rome, Venice and Capri. Apparel throughout the collection was embellished with sayings such as “Italia is Love.”

 Fashion fans were shocked by the choice of name listed on US and UK websites, blasting it as 'racist' and accusing them of 'glorifying slavery'.

 One commentator wrote: 'Did slaves even wear shoes let alone sandals for D&G to be selling a 'slave sandal' for $2,300?

 fEROSH Lifestyle tweeted a picture of the sandals, commenting: 'Dolce & Gabbana. I love you, but why are you glorifying slavery?'


Not everyone was outraged. Some people commented that the name originated from ancient Rome.

 And insiders including Tim Blanks, an editor at large at The Business of Fashion, defend the term.

 He told the New York Times: '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. 

 'I think they just were carrying over a lot from that era into the collection and got swept away,' he added. '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.' 

 The sandals were later renamed on the retailer's website to 'decorative flat sandal in Napa leather with pompoms'. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dolce & Gabbana: competitors

Image
http://academic.mintel.com/display/754870/?highlight#hit1 Consumer exposure and presence in more accessible markets appears to influence trust in brands, although Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen standout in terms of differentiation, indicating that brands without high usage can still make their mark. These two brands are likely to be particularly associated with being cutting-edge. Gucci has the highest perception of quality and reputation, which helps to encourage more trust than other brands. Of these brands, DKNY has the strongest perception of offering value, the highest perception of accessibility and the lowest perception of exclusivity, which may also result in a lower proportion of standout. Michael Kors stands out as the favourite brand in the list and has one of the highest levels of recommendation and proportion of excellent responses. While it has lower usage than more established brands, usage in the last year suggests that it is increasing its profile. B...
Read more

Dolce & Gabbana SWOT anaylsis

https://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/lifestyle-and-retail/990-dolce-and-gabbana.html https://www.marketing91.com/swot-analysis-of-dolce-gabbana/ Strengths Strong brand image - The company has a strong brand image of being a luxury brand that is both stylish and sophisticated. The company has products that target the upmarket urban niche segment who are on the outlook for creating a different style statement.  Loyal customers   Innovative and unique products suiting people's taste for change and quality launched frequently  Large portfolio of brands The customer connects - The company connects to customers through a mobile platform called D & G Fashion channel. The company uses their mobile platform to continuously target customers and updates them on the latest products of the company. The app also helps the designer brand keep track of the customers behaviour and this helps the brand to design customised clothing.  Business philosophy - D&G s...
Read more