Elton John wants to put Dolce & Gabbana out of business

"I’m Still Standing" was a hit for Elton John back in the eighties. The question today is whether Dolce & Gabbana will remain standing after the rock star called for a boycott of the fashion brand. The designers, both gay, gave an interview in which they said they opposed the adoption of children by gay parents and referred to babies born through in-vitro fertilization as "synthetic children."

Mr. John, who is raising two children with his husband David Furnish, went on Instagram to call out the designers.

"How dare you refer to my beautiful children as ‘synthetic’. And shame on you for wagging your judgmental little fingers at IVF — a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfill their dream of having children. Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana"

Reactions to Mr. John’s comments on social media were largely supportive, with celebrities and others joining in the condemnation of the designers’ remarks. Social media messages, according to a BBC News report, supporting Mr. John are outpacing those of Messrs. Dolce and Gabbana by a roughly six-to-one margin.

elton john instagram

Religious groups and those opposed to gay marriage and adoption were supportive of the comments made by the designers, who themselves, were a couple for over 20 years.

Dolce & Gabbana were not conciliatory, at least initially, in their response. The designers called Mr. John a fascist and posted "Je Suis D&G" on social media to try and equate their positions with the campaign that arose from the terrorist attack on the French magazine Charlie Hebdo in January.

Later, Mr. Gabbana issued a statement intended to calm some of the vitriolic sentiment being expressed on social media: "We firmly believe in democracy and the fundamental principle of freedom of expression that upholds it. We talked about our way of seeing reality, but it was never our intention to judge other people’s choices."

BrainTrust

Discussion Questions

Do you think its smart business for executives to discuss their personal views on social issues? What do you think of Dolce & Gabbana’s response to the criticism coming from Elton John and others?

Poll

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Bob Phibbs
Bob Phibbs
9 years ago

It would have been one thing for the seemingly endless conservatives who get a loud mic to broadcast such views. It is quite another for gay men themselves as retailers to spew such dated hyperbole.

I don’t expect this to quiet down quickly as more celebrities join the chorus for boycotting these designer duds. And while I’m sure they’ll chime in endlessly on FOX, conservatives are not seen as the D&G niche market.

Expect backpedaling for years as sales decrease. D&G will only have to look in the mirror to see why.

This was a huge miss by apparently self-loathing gay men who profit from an awful lot of gay men. I can’t agree more strongly with Elton John.

Max Goldberg
Max Goldberg
9 years ago

Business executives discuss their personal views of social issues at their own peril. With politics polarizing the country and the world, why wade into the morass and alienate customers?

D&G’s initial statement was ill-conceived and created a crisis for the company, and their followup only hurt them further.

Zel Bianco
Zel Bianco
9 years ago

With the social calendars that Dolce & Gabbana and Elton John have, it’s almost impossible to stay away from social issues. They are active in many charity events and many of these events are on one side of an issue or another. These guys are on top of the world—old, but still living the life, so why they have to go after each other like kids is silly. I am wondering if their advisors told them they needed to start some controversy as they were not “trending” lately. I like Elton John and don’t blame him for being miffed but he should certainly be comfortable in his life and decisions to not care what D&G have to say about this issue.

Ryan Mathews
Ryan Mathews
9 years ago

Let me take the last question first.

Comparing an Elton John-inspired boycott to the massacre at the Charlie Hebdo offices would be enough to put me off of D&G for life … er … assuming I was one of their customers in the first place, that is. Contrary to what some executives think, attacking a brand isn’t the same thing as putting a bullet in somebody’s head.

Ridiculous and offensive!

Now, for the first question.

I think everyone has the right to express their personal opinion, provided they are fully prepared to live with the consequences. For a business leader this means you may sometimes have to value your opinion—and your right to express it—more than you value your brand, your share price and/or your enterprise. If you are willing to put everything on the line, say what you want. If not, think before you speak.

Ian Percy
Ian Percy
9 years ago

My first reaction was to think about the role of ego in these situations. Executives and celebrity types often start to believe their own press releases and consider themselves the fount of all insight and wisdom. And then they say and do the dumbest things. Of course situations like this one pale in relation to some of the views and comments from political leaders!

First, we can have any opinion we want regardless of how well informed and thought out it is.

Second, if your thoughts on social issues aren’t directly mission critical to your business you’re better off to keep them close to the chest or be prepared to deal with the fall-out.

Third, remember to live by the Pope’s “WAITJ” principle—Who am I to judge? Judging others comes back to haunt you every time!

Dr. Stephen Needel
Dr. Stephen Needel
9 years ago

Stupid. Just ask Chick-fil-A how gay bashing worked for them.

Tony Orlando
Tony Orlando
9 years ago

Stupid move, and it will hurt them, as celebs stick together on issues like this.

Paula Rosenblum
Paula Rosenblum
9 years ago

These men have a self-hatred that’s hard for me to internalize. Is it smart business? It’s dumb across every dimension I can imagine.

Plus, what about all those “synthetic” babies that are born to opposite sex couples?

There’s something for everyone to be disgusted by in this series of remarks. The next step, in my mind, is to ask any actor who models for D&G why they would continue to take their money.

It’s not going away, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Camille P. Schuster, Ph.D.
Camille P. Schuster, Ph.D.
9 years ago

Everyone has a right to express their personal opinion. If someone is a spokesperson for a brand or closely associated with a brand, that individual should clearly state that a comment is a personal opinion. Just as anyone has a right to a personal opinion, consumers have the right to purchase or not purchase what they want. There have been many other consumer boycotts in the past.

David Livingston
David Livingston
9 years ago

Sometimes when you are successful enough, you can say anything and not only get away with it, but catapult to the next level, such as Chik-fil-A. Other times it backfires. So it just depends and therefore I can’t say one way or the other. Doesn’t matter if you are Dolce & Gabbana, Chik-fil-A or me, if you state an opinion someone will disagree. They don’t mean to offend, but someone will be offended. Perhaps the best response of Dolce & Gabbana should have been none at all. It’s hard for me to say since I have never heard of Dolce & Gabbana and have no idea of their relevance in the industry.

Li McClelland
Li McClelland
9 years ago

Ridiculous controversy. This is a thought police spat over something that has zero to do with the quality and style and wearability of the clothes these designers produce. I’m sorry, but insinuating that one gay man is self loathing because he disagrees on a social matter with another gay man is disturbing. Everybody needs to simmer down.

David Zahn
David Zahn
9 years ago

Is the brand linked with or easily associated with a particular political or social issue? If so, then it may actually be smart business to align with customers who would be pleased with that connection (of course, at the risk of alienating those that do not agree—so a careful assessment of targets, shopper demographics, and purchase behaviors is in order). It would seem consistent for Smith & Wesson to be pro NRA and state that publically. It would be reasonable for a water filtration product company to be ecologically-minded.

However, when you “bite the hand that feeds you” as it seems might be occurring here, it makes one want to shout a variation of what was yelled at the Dixie Chicks not too long ago: “Shut up and sew.”

vic gallese
vic gallese
9 years ago

Well, each side has enough $$$, where they don’t have to give a hoot about public pushback.
Don’t look for any apologies here.

Hy Louis
Hy Louis
9 years ago

Its not smart if you will lose business. It polarizes consumer groups. Offending people can be good for business as long as they are not your customers. Best to be safe and not go there. Chik-fil-A got some mileage from it for a day. Don’t count on that happening again.

Andy Casey
Andy Casey
9 years ago

I can’t think of even one time where that has done a brand any good, but perhaps the real lesson is that it is a bad idea to espouse views that are different from the mainstream or that of your target audience in today’s politically correct environment. In the words of Archie Bunker, “Just stifle.”