'Don't call me gay': Italian designer Stefano Gabbana claims term is invented by those who need to label others and says he is 'simply a man'

Italian designer Stefano Gabbana says he rejects being labelled 'gay'
Half of Dolce & Gabbana does not want to be defined by his sexuality
Said the word 'gay' was invented by those who need to label people

Published: 09:32 GMT, 18 December 2017 | Updated: 14:38 GMT, 18 December 2017

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Stefano Gabbana, one half of the iconic Italian designer label Dolce & Gabbana, has said he no longer wants to be called 'gay'.

Mr Gabbana, 55, says he is tired of being defined by his sexuality, and that the word 'gay' was invented by people with a need to label others.

This is not the first time the men behind Dolce & Gabbana has made eye-catching statements, and they have previously been criticised for bragging about dressing U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and making offensive comments about children born via IVF.

No label: Stefano Gabbana, left, pitcured with his business partner Domenico Dolce, says he no longer wants to be labelled 'gay'

Speaking to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Mr Gabbana said: 'I don't want to be called gay, because I'm simply a man... full stop.'

'The word 'gay' was invented by those who need to label people, and I don't want to be identified by my sexual choices,' he said.

Gabbana launched the luxury fashion label in 1984 with his partner Domenico Dolce, and although they separated in 2004 the couple continued to work together.

'I thought that I could help spread a new culture as a famous person, a culture no longer based on gay rights but on human rights.

'We are human beings before being gay, heterosexual or bisexual,' Mr Gabbana said.

Statement: Mr Gabbana, 55, seen with Mr Dolce holding pop star Kylie Minogue, says he is tired of being defined by his sexuality, and that the word 'gay' was invented by people with a need to label others

The Milanese couturier said gay associations 'often serve as a defence, but I don't want to be protected by anyone, because I've done nothing wrong'.

He said he realised he was homosexual aged 18, when his girlfriend 'who I really liked' came to visit him for a weekend in Milan, but when they went dancing he 'was watching the men more than her'.

'I had known (about being gay) for a while, but I didn't have the courage to admit it. Only through therapy did I realise that there had been clear signs in my childhood.

'I wanted to play alone... because I felt different from the other children and I feared that if we were together they would realise. And they would tell my mother,' he added.

Earlier this year, Mr Gabbana was one of the few fashion designers who acknowledged his label being worn by Melania Trump.

Working together: Gabbana launched the luxury fashion label in 1984 with his then-partner Domenico Dolce, and although they separated in 2004 the couple continued to work together

He posted several images of Mrs Trump wearing their designs on his Instagram alongside heart emojis, thanking the First Lady for choosing Dolce&Gabbana.

When many of his followers criticized him in the comments, he fired back, telling one person to 'f*** off' and another to 'go to hell.'

In 2015, Mr Gabbana and Mr Dolce shocked the gay community by declaring they didn't agree with homosexual couples having IVF children.

During a magazine interview Mr Dolce said: 'You are born to a mother and a father, or at least that’s how it should be. I call them children of chemistry, synthetic children. Rented uterus, semen chosen from a catalog.'

His comments outraged Sir Elton John, who has two sons conceived through IVF via a surrogate with his husband David Furnish.

Sir Elton wrote on Instagram: 'How dare you refer to my beautiful children as "synthetic".

'And shame on you for wagging your judgmental little fingers at IVF – a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfill their dream of having children.

'Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again.'