Dolce & Gabbana Named a Shoe the ‘Slave Sandal’

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Dolce & Gabbana is selling a pair of sandals for $2,395. And that's not even the shocking part. They are actually named the "Slave Sandal." Footwear News first spotted the embellished sandals, which are from D&G's spring 2016 collection, and are now available for pre-order.

How could this happen? "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,' Footwear News writes. In 2011, Vogue Italia also came under fire for using the term "slave earrings" in an editorial.

On Dolce & Gabanna's website, the shoe is referred to in the marketing copy as the Bianca sandal. Retailers like Moda Operandi and Saks are calling it a pom pom sandal. Lyst also calls it a pom pom sandal, but the hyperlink includes the word "slave."

This isn't the first time Dolce & Gabbana has done something that is jaw-droppingly offensive. In 2012, Dolce & Gabbana tried to explain why it sent racist Blackamoor earrings down the runway, saying that the figurines were inspired by Sicilian artwork.

The brand also faced a consumer boycott last year over its designers' blatant critique of in vitro fertilization and gay families, though later, it launched a capsule collection that seemed to be an apology for those statements.

Dolce & Gabbana didn't respond to a request for comment from Footwear News on the sandals.

Image via Dolce & Gabbana