Bologna, September 8, 2026 – Tensions are flying between colleagues in the fashion world. A video posted on Instagram shows Elisabetta Franchi walking the red carpet during the Venice Festival. Under the post, Stefano Gabbana, bluntly, called the designer: “Miss polyester.” The comment left by the co-founder of Dolce & Gabbana, accompanied by a series of amused emojis, certainly did not go unnoticed in the social world.
In fact, after a few minutes, the phrase went viral and the reply from the Bologna designer was not long in coming, as she responded directly to Gabbana’s words: “Dear Stefano, after all, this is not the first time you have shot messages of poor taste about me. You should know that my respect for your company remains, but a piece of advice: at some point put down the phone. A hug, Elisabetta Franchi,” was her reply.
In the stories, the designer replied stating that it would not be the first time Gabbana addressed her in such terms and that it had also happened through private messages.
This time, however, she chose to respond: “Silence, at some point, risks seeming like acceptance. And I, simply, got tired,” she says.
The precedents
Gabbana is certainly no stranger to comments of this kind on social media. In 2018, the designer was at the center of controversy after calling Selena Gomez “really ugly”, provoking a reaction from the singer’s fans.
See this post on InstagramA post shared by ScreenWeek™ (@screenweek)
Or he described a dress worn by Chiara Ferragni as “cheap.” This time, however, the target of the jab decided to respond: “Miss polyester” became the starting point of a social media duel dividing users between those who see the phrase as a simple criticism and those who interpret it as a direct attack.
Read more Tram, the first train has arrived in Bologna: the official presentation on Wednesday
