Fashion brand Country of Milan's creative director, Marcelo Burlon, apologised for calling the 'Queen of Pop' Madonna a "human toilet" in one of his posts on Facebook.
Burlon made the derogatory remarks after the pop icon was snapped wearing the label, according to Esquire Middle East. He referred to her as "la cessa" (Italian slang for toilet) in the post, which went viral after being picked up by Diet Prada.
The Instagram account, which is known for calling out brands, dismissed the Italian designer's remarks, calling him a 'misogynist' and 'human garbage' in response.
Fashion houses usually use pictures of celebrities wearing their clothes to gain more traction, unlike Burlon.
He issued an apology on his Instagram account, outlining that he had made a "huge" mistake.
"I made a huge mistake and I would first and foremost like to apologize for my stupidity. Social media is a tool which can often be used for a frivolous laugh, but what I really learned today is that this should never ever be at the expense of another person or group of people. I would like to ask forgiveness and express my most sincere regret to Madonna and anyone whom I might have offended, insulted, or touched," he said.
"Instead of celebrating the fact that a celebrated, and highly respected woman like Madonna (who is a woman, a mother, a daughter, a friend, and an inspiration to many) made a choice to freely wear something from my collection I have played foolish and irreverent. My intention was never to provoke antagonism or hate," he added after facing ire over his previous remarks.
( With inputs from ANI )