Dolce and Gabbana apologised for comments on IVF babies

Months after an interview with Italian news magazine Panorama landed designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in hot water, the former has apologised for his previous comments on IVF babies being “synthetic children” and not the results of “an act of love” between a mum and dad.

Dolce told Vogue’s Sarah Mower, “I am so sorry. It was not my intention to offend anyone.”

In their March 2015 Panorama interview, Dolce and Gabbana spoke out against same-sex parenting, saying that “the only family is the traditional one” and “things should not be changed”.

Those remarks led to a backlash from celebrities, led by Elton John who called for a boycott of the brand – aided by the hashtag #BoycottDolceGabbana. Victoria Beckham, Ricky Martin and Courtney Love were among those who supported John.

Now, Dolce has told Vogue he has “done some soul-searching” and discussed the matter at length with Gabbana. “I’ve realised that my words were inappropriate, and I apologise,” he said. “They are just kids. You don’t need labels, baby labels.”

He added, “I think everybody chooses for themselves. I don’t know everything about IVF, but I love it when people are happy. It’s like medicine. Science has been put on the table to help people.”