Dolce gabbana

Hong Kong (CNN)Italian fashion designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce told CNN they respect how all people live after the uproar over their comments about children born through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The comments triggered a social media spat and calls for a boycott by singer Elton John.

In an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Dolce said his views on IVF were private, personal beliefs based on his sense of a traditional Sicilian family.

"I believe in the traditional family," he said. "It is impossible to change my culture for something different. It's me... I respect all the world, all the culture."

Dolce said he did not judge people who chose the procedure, although he previously made controversial statements to the Italian magazine, Panorama, referring to IVF babies as "chemistry children and synthetic children."

He was quoted in the magazine saying: "Wombs for rent, sperm selected from a catalog... Who would agree to be the daughter of chemistry? Procreation must be an act of love, now not even psychiatrists are prepared to deal with the effects of these experiments."

His comments drew fierce denunciation from John.

"How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic,'" he posted on his Instagram on Sunday. John has two children with husband David Furnish through IVF.