( CNN ) Italian fashion designer Stefano Gabbana and Elton John are in a war of words on social media , calling for boycotts of each other 's work . The argument stems from comments about in-vitro fertilization in Panorama magazine , in which Gabbana and longtime collaborator Domenico Dolce spoke about `` synthetic '' children born from `` rented '' wombs . `` No chemical children : life has a natural course , there are things that should n't be modified , '' the magazine says in a quote attributed to both designers . The magazine also promises insights from the designers on `` the importance of relationships within conventional families with very , very traditional values '' in an interview that hit Italian newsstands last week . John , who has two children with husband David Furnish through IVF , issued a strong repudiation of the statements on Sunday and pledged to boycott the Dolce & Gabbana fashion line . In response , Gabbana defended his `` freedom to speak '' and called on fans to boycott John . Sir Elton appears to be winning the social media war with the hashtag # BoycottDolceGabbana , which by Monday morning had been used more than 35,000 times on Twitter since John invoked it on Sunday . By comparison , Gabbana 's # boycotteltonjohn has been used just 1,600 times on Twitter , according to social media search tool Topsy . `` How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic ' . And shame on you for wagging your judgemental little fingers at IVF - a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people , both straight and gay , to fulfill their dream of having children , '' John said Sunday on Instagram . `` Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times , just like your fashions . I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again . '' The sentiment quickly gathered support from such celebrities as Ricky Martin , Al Roker and Courtney Love . Tennis star Martina Navratilova tweeted her support for John 's post , saying `` My D & G shirts are going in the bin — do n't want ANYONE to wear them . '' Parents and IVF advocates also joined the boycott . `` My son is NOT synthetic . His life was made possible through # IVF & I could n't be more grateful , '' writer and infertility advocate Jenn Palumbo said in a tweet . The comments from Dolce and Gabbana struck some as hypocritical coming from a couple that was romantically involved until 2005 ( they continued working together after the breakup ) . Still , Gabbana has dropped hints in interviews of his `` traditional '' views toward family structure . He told an Italian publication in 2006 that he once asked a female friend to be a surrogate mother because he was `` opposed to the idea of a child growing up with two gay parents . '' Gabbana was quick to react to this controversy , calling John a `` fascist '' in an Instagram comment that was later deleted , according to CNN affiliate TGCom24 . He also sought to discredit reports that they told Panorama in this instance they objected to same-sex adoption , even though Gabbana took that position in his 2006 interview . By Sunday evening , Gabbana 's Instagram feed was full of screengrabs and reposts from people who supported his right to voice his opinion . `` It 's a shame that you are not allowed to say what you like , '' one person said in a comment on Gabbana 's Instagram . `` You have every right to say what you want , especially as you were n't disrespectful nor immature like Elton was . His comments are unnecessary , cheap and childish . '' Gabbana issued a statement saying he and Dolce had not intended to judge others . `` We firmly believe in democracy and the fundamental principle of freedom of expression that upholds it . We talked about our way of seeing reality , but it was never our intention to judge other people 's choices , '' the statement read . Dolce also defended his views in statement and said he was not applying them to other people . `` I 'm Sicilian and I grew up in a traditional family , made up of a mother , a father and children . I am very well aware of the fact that there are other types of families and they are as legitimate as the one I 've known . But in my personal experience , family had a different configuration ... .I was talking about my personal view , without judging other people 's choices and decisions , '' the statement read . CNN 's Alba Prifti contributed to this report .
Elton John vows to # BoycottDolceGabbana over in-vitro fertilization comments . Score: 7