Dolce&Gabbana seeks damages from bloggers
The Milan fashion house Dolce&Gabbana has filed a defamation suit in an Italian court seeking over $600 million in damages from two U.S. fashion bloggers who reposted anti-Asian comments attributed to one of the designers that led to a boycott by Asian consumers.
The suit was filed in Milan civil court in 2019 but only became public this week when the bloggers posted about it on their Instagram account, Diet Prada. Their feed is widely followed in the fashion world for its cutting commentary on unoriginality in designs and on social issues.
”This whole case is a way of trying to silence Diet Prada, and to silence Tony (Liu) and Lindsay (Schuyler) personally,” said Susan Scafidi, director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School, which is coordinating the bloggers’ defense.
Lawyers for Dolce&Gabbana reached by the AP declined to comment on the case.
Nov. 21, 1936 - Feb. 21, 2021
On February 21, 2021, Thomas Dean Kirmayer, Jr., passed away peacefully in Tampa, Florida, after a hospital stay due to a COVID-19 virus infection. Tom was 84 years old at the time of his death and had suffered from advancing Parkinson’s disease for several years.
Tom was born in 1936 in Englewood, New Jersey. He was the only child of Louise Naclerio and Thomas Dean Kirmayer, Sr. Tom attended Harvard University (A.B. in Archeology, 1958) and Columbia University (M.B.A., 1960). Tom married Patricia “Pippa” Carey Thomas in 1963, and in 1967 the couple and their first daughter Kathy moved from Englewood, N.J., to Applebrook Farm on Fillow Street, in Norwalk Connecticut. Daughters Melissa and Laura arrived shortly thereafter. Tom would live in the blue Fillow Street house at Applebrook Farm for 50 years.
Tom was a classic Madison Avenue “ad man,” and had the quick wit and friendly and engaging personality you would expect to find from someone in the advertising business. He always had a twinkle in his eye and a quip ready on his lip, and was well-loved by the close-knit group of friends and neighbors he and Pippa enjoyed in West Norwalk. His annual Easter Egg hunt and his notorious Christmas punch were always much anticipated and responsible for many fond memories – kids and parents alike. At Roton Point in the summers, he taught his daughters to sail on 14 foot Aquacat, and always made it to the evening cookouts in the grove. At the house, he built a garage, tried for years to get a 1950s Ford pickup to start consistently, and bought a used RV called Hotel California he mostly kept parked in the pasture -but occasionally hauled out for Harvard football tailgates. He was an avid paddle tennis player who took great joy in bringing people together for a game or tournament. In later years he operated a ham radio station from the house, and was very proud of the far-flung contacts he made over the airwaves.
Tom’s first wife Pippa passed away in 2000. In 2013, Tom married Karen Greene. They shared a love of art and music, and together they painted many watercolors and made many new friends when they moved to Florida in 2018. Karen predeceased Tom on February 9, 2021, also falling to COVID-19.
Tom is survived by his three daughters: Kathryn Dean Kirmayer (Washington, D.C.), Melissa Kirmayer Eamer (Seattle, WA), and Laura Kirmayer Mckeon (NYC), and five grandchildren: Henry Nichols, Lillian Nichols, Grace Eamer, Molly Eamer, and Quinn Mckeon.
In lieu of flowers, Tom’s family requests friends and family consider making donations to aid Parkinson’s research. One option is The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, Maryland 21741. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research | Parkinson’s Disease (www.michaeljfox. org). A memorial service may be planned for later in 2021.