Bella Hadid Calls Out Dolce & Gabbana After Controversial Fall 2026 Show

Dolce & Gabbana has been entangled in multiple controversies over the past decade. Its founders, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, have been rebuked for various displays of problematic behavior, which include homophobic remarks and xenophobic campaign choices.

At Milan Fashion Week last January 18, Dolce & Gabbana once again faced the ire of netizens for the non-diverse casting of its Portrait of a Man show. Among those who called them out was supermodel Bella Hadid, who expressed her shock over people still supporting the brand.

Dolce & Gabbana's Fall 2026 show allegedly aimed to represent different facets of masculinity through a 100-piece collection of suits, sportswear, and accessories. In a promotional reel, they described Portrait of Man as "a collection dedicated to the singular identity of every man."

"The Portrait of Man asserts personal style as the ultimate act of individuality... There is no single way to be a man. There are infinite possibilities. Each one deserves its portrait," the house said.

This description, however, was not meant positively by the online crowd, who criticized the obvious lack of diversity in the models chosen to walk the show. Lyas, a popular fashion commentator and content creator, called the collection "50 shades of white," underscoring the prevalence of white and white-passing features that seemingly disregard persons of color.

Among those who agreed with Lyas was Bella, who wrote: "Shocked people actually support this company still. It's embarrassing. Models/stylists/casting, the whole damn thing." She followed up her statement by enumerating Dolce & Gabbana's unfavorable allegations in the past. "Been cancelled. Years of racism, sexism, bigotry, xenophobia. How are we surprised still?"

A slew of netizens echoed the sentiment, with one stating, "Why do we pretend that Dolce & Gabbana were not canceled over a decade ago?" In the comments section, Tim Yap also chimed in, saying, "Used to love Dolce & Gabbana... but sad how the brand turned into this."

It's been less than 10 years since Dolce & Gabbana was subject to allegations of racism, xenophobia, and even homophobia. In 2018, the brand released a controversial advertisement that seemingly mocked Chinese culture. Titled The Great Show, the video depicted a Chinese woman eating Italian food with chopsticks, which many interpreted as a jab at Chinese culture. What made matters worse were leaks of Stefano Gabbana's texts where he labeled Chinese nationals an "ignorant dirty smelling mafia." He soon claimed that his Instagram account was "hacked" at the time the messages were sent.

Aside from this, another instance that displayed D&G's problematic behavior was when they debuted earrings fashioned after Blackamoor imagery at their September 2012 show. This was followed by the release of their "Slave Shoe" in February 2016, which was criticized for its tone-deaf naming and design. In December 2017, Stefano Gabbana also made a homophobic remark when he was seemingly appalled by being called "gay" by a netizen. "Don’t call me gay please!! I’m a man!!! Who I love is my private life!" he stated in a now-deleted comment.