Stefano Gabbana of Dolce & Gabbana hit back at critics Tuesday after the official White House portrait of Melania Trump, featured wearing a jacket from the Italian luxury fashion label, sparked backlash.

Mr. Gabbana, who has praised Mrs. Trump for wearing his label in the past, took to his personal Instagram page to thank the first lady for wearing the black tuxedo-style jacket, one of Dolce & Gabbana’s signature pieces, in her official White House portrait.

“#DGWoman BEAUTIFUL #melaniatrump Thank you #madeinitaly,” Mr. Gabbana wrote, including the portrait taken by Belgian-born photographer Regine Mahaux.

The post immediately garnered criticism, but Mr. Gabbana is remaining unapologetic.

One follower wrote, “So you have lost a follower, and worst, an admirer,” to which Mr. Gabbana responded, “i dont care!! Really.”

Responding to another commenter, Mr. Gabbana wrote, “vai a cagare,” in Italian, which translates to “go to hell,” The Wrap reported.

Liberal commentators have found a host of reasons to complain about Mrs. Trump’s portrait, from the apparent airbrushing, to the crossed arms, to the giant diamond on her finger. But an article by Vanessa Friedman of The New York Times suggested that the Dolce & Gabbana jacket appeared to “undermine her husband’s mission to get everyone to ‘buy American.’”

“It’s the brand that the digital squawkers should be focusing on,” she wrote. “[T]his time she has worn a non-American brand on an occasion that has the sole purpose of immortalizing a public representation of her role.”

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