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‘Slave Sandals’ Listed for Sale on Dolce & Gabbana’s Website

By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
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By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
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March 4, 2016, 12:12 PM ET
ITALY-FASHION-DOLCE & GABBANA
Dolce & Gabbana's logo is pictured on a window of an Italian fashion designer's shop in central Milan, 16 December 2006. AFP PHOTO / Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)Photograph by Filippo Monteforte—AFP via Getty Images

Dolce & Gabbana is at the center of controversy yet again.

This time, it has to do with a pair of shoes that the brand decided to call “Slave Sandal in Napa Leather With PomPoms.” They’re a pre-order item from Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring-Summer 2016 collection that are listed on the online store for $2,395.

According to Footwear News, a fashion magazine focused on shoes, the term “Slave Sandals” was once used to describe that type of lace-up shoe, but the archaic wording has since been replaced with “Gladiator Sandals” for obvious reasons. Other brands selling the shoe were smart enough to abstain from using the original terminology, opting instead for names like “Pom Pom Wrap Around Sandal” and “Pom Pom Leather Lace-Up Sandal.”

Screenshot of Dolce & Gabbana's "Slave Sandals" before the name was changed.

The name of the sandal has since been changed on Dolce & Gabbana’s website to “Decorative Flat Sandal in Napa Leather With PomPoms.”

Dolce & Gabbana is no stranger to controversy. Just under a year ago Fortune reported that the brand came under fire for comments its founders made about their views on the “traditional family” that were deemed anti-gay marriage/parenthood, sparking a boycott by Elton John and various other celebrities.

About the Author
By Michal Addady
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