Dolce & Gabbana rapped over knife ad

[Luxury's Lap]

Dolce & Gabbana rapped over knife ad​

AP - London - A British watchdog agency criticized Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana on Wednesday for ads that showed models aggressively brandishing knives.
The Advertising Standards Authority said the company acted irresponsibly and breached standards of good taste in publishing the ads, which showed male models waving knives while surrounded by glamorous women models, in poses inspired by the paintings of French romantic artist Eugene Delacroix. One man was shown lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head.
There was no immediate comment from Milan-based Dolce & Gabbana.
The ruling amounts to a slap on the wrist and doesn't ban the ads.
The independent authority, which regulates the industry, issued the report after 166 people complained that two ads, which appeared in The Times and Daily Telegraph last October, glorified knife and gun crime.
It upheld complaints that Dolce & Gabbana had shirked its social responsibility and breached standards of decency. But it dismissed a complaint that the ads would encourage people to harm themselves.
One of the ads in The Times appeared opposite a story about knife crime; the authority said this was likely to cause serious offense.
Dolce & Gabbana says the ads were printed around the globe but the only complaints had come from people in Britain. The company argues the ads were "highly stylized and intended to be an iconic representation of the Napoleonic period of art."
Dee Edwards, a founding member of Mothers Against Murder and Aggression and one of those who complained, said she hoped the ruling would send a message to other advertisers.
"These adverts were at best distasteful and at worst dangerous," she said.
The Advertising Standards Authority noted that while the ads were highly stylized, "the knives were brandished aggressively and the image of a man lying on the ground with a wound to his forehead added to the overall impression of violence."
"We considered that the ad could be seen as condoning and glorifying knife-related violence and concluded that it was irresponsible."

 

[Luxury's Lap]

Here are a few of the ads they're talking about (downloaded from the www.dolcegabbana.com website by drakulita - the rest are on the Dolce & Gabbana Ad Campaign Archieve thread). I loved this campaign, I don't see what's to complain about, but I suppose some people will find anything to complain about!

 

[John Black]

Its a nonsense!!! Some people have to have way too much free time and nothing to do.

 

[LostInNJ]

Dolce & Gabbana Banned

THE Advertising Standards Authority has banned the latest Dolce & Gabbana ads. The images, which prompted 166 complaints to the ASA - putting them amongst the top ten most complained-about ads of last year - have been criticised for glorifying and condoning violent crime. One depicts two men threatening a man in a chair while another lies wounded on the floor, while the other shows two men supporting an injured woman who is holding a knife. In a written ruling, the ASA acknowledged the fashion house's defence that the images were strongly stylised in a bid to mimic early 19th Century art and were supposed to emphasise "the theatrical effects of that genre", but said that they could still cause "serious or widespread offence". Though Dolce & Gabbana said the campaign had generated no complaints when they were published in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the US, the ASA upheld its ruling. "The ads could be seen as condoning and glorifying knife-related violence," it said. "We reminded D&G of its duty to prepare ads with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society." (January 10 2007, AM)

Dolly Jones

www.vogue.co.uk

 

[jssy4eva]

Wait...are they talking about the Fall/Winter ads?

 

[Trista]

You'd think they would have been more concerned about a nude Gemma Ward...wait that would be Americans.

 

[LostInNJ]

Those are the ones...MODS: I didn't realize there was a thread already posted, so feel free to delete this one...Sorry

 

[TheGlassAngel]

What?! I can see their point....but I thought the FW 2006 ads were absolutely beautiful....

 

[Spike413]

So rediculous....any adult (and let's face it, that's the majority of the people seeing the ads) seeing these ads knows better then to mimic them. Seriously, do the people complaining have anything better and more important to worry about?

On second thought, why don't they just go to the source and ban the paintings which inspired the ad. Kids on museum trips may see them after all, museum curators should be more responsible.

 

[__neversummer]

What?!? people are too concerned with little details.

 

[seanutbutter]

Vogue.co.uk reports that the ads were banned:

"DOLCE & GABBANA BANNED
THE Advertising Standards Authority has banned the latest Dolce & Gabbana ads. The images, which prompted 166 complaints to the ASA - putting them amongst the top ten most complained-about ads of last year - have been criticised for glorifying and condoning violent crime. One depicts two men threatening a man in a chair while another lies wounded on the floor, while the other shows two men supporting an injured woman who is holding a knife. In a written ruling, the ASA acknowledged the fashion house's defence that the images were strongly stylised in a bid to mimic early 19th Century art and were supposed to emphasise "the theatrical effects of that genre", but said that they could still cause "serious or widespread offence". Though Dolce & Gabbana said the campaign had generated no complaints when they were published in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan and the US, the ASA upheld its ruling. "The ads could be seen as condoning and glorifying knife-related violence," it said. "We reminded D&G of its duty to prepare ads with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society." (January 10 2007, AM)"

 

[Zen]

^ lol so true, so true...

 

[fouroclock]

It's unfortunate and I guess it had bad timing.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

I regard causing serious and widespread offence as my inviolable civil liberty...

 

[MulletProof]

To be honest, I always find D&G ads/show to be offensive, I'm still not sure in which manner, maybe it's just the tacky execution of it all..but I tend to feel annoyed every two or three seasons.. the suits are just BAD.. though I wouldn't throw Gemma's boots in the dumpster all too soon.

 

[Allius]

wow, the last thing that came to my mind when I saw the ads was "wow, I wanna go do some violence!"

 

[Diorling]

I only look at D&G for the bodies. Not for inspiration for how to act.

 

[LostInNJ]

I regard causing serious and widespread offence as my inviolable civil liberty...

!

It is pretty clear, even without knowing the specific reference, that the ads were recreating old scenes in history, but as previously mentioned, some people will find anything to complain about.

 

[Sephora_Socialite]

Anyone have the pictures? I havent seen them yet.

 

[kissmesweet]

I love these ads though... But someone always find something offensive.