Dolce & Gabbana was founded by Italian fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in 1985 in Milan, Italy. The interesting story of Dolce&Gabbana, which takes its name from the friendship of its founders, is as follows:
One of its founders, Stefano Gabbana, was born on November 14, 1962, in Milan, the capital of Italian fashion. His partner, Domenico Dolce, was born on August 13, 1958, in Palermo. Dolce, who started to be interested in fashion at a very young age, works in his family's tailor shop for a while after studying fashion design in Sicily. Gabbana, who studied graphic design with Dolce, first crossed paths in 1980 in Milan, in the atelier of fashion designer Giorgio Correggiari. Dolce, who was more experienced in those years, trains Gabbana on the design process of a fashion house and how it will work. In 1982, the duo resigned from the workshop they worked together and opened their design studios. They continued to design independently for other brands in this studio until they established their own brand in 1985. Dolce and Gabbana, known for their fondness for baroque style, were invited to a fashion show organized by the organizers of Milan Collezioni in 1985 after establishing their brands, and from that day on, the rise of designers began.
The following year, they presented their first collection for women called “Real Women”. At that time, the duo was in financial difficulties, so they had to get financial support from their close circles to launch their collections. With an annual net income of $1.71 billion by 2015, the duo were using their own accessories to complete their outfits in their first year of branding. In fact, Dolce made the stage curtain with the fabrics he brought from his own house. The designers, who were not afraid of any difficulties, managed to leave their mark on the fashion world with their “Real Women” collections. The duo, which was met with great interest by the international fashion industry, continued to make a name for themselves by releasing their knitwear series in 1987 and then their beachwear and underwear series in 1989. In 1988, they produced their first ready-to-wear collections at the workshop in Legnano, Milan, owned by Domenico Dolce's family.
They opened their first boutique in Tokyo in 1989. In 1990, they introduced their first men's collections, and in the same year they combined this collection with women's designs and exhibited them in a boutique they opened in Milan. Introducing the D&G brand in 1994, the duo took inspiration from street style and a younger stance for this brand. The brand's clothing was produced and distributed by Ittierre. By 1992, Dolce&Gabbana began expanding its creations with fashion products such as ties, scarves, perfumes and accessories. The brand draws attention with its perfumes such as Dolce&Gabbana Perfume, By Dolce&Gabbana and Dolce&Gabbana Men. Dolce and Gabbana's perfume commercials were shot in 1996 by the famous director of The Star Maker, Giuseppe Tornatore. In the same year, the duo presented their eyewear collections under the Dolce&Gabbana and D&G brands. In an interview in 1995, Dolce and Gabbana said of their collection, which they presented to the likes in Milan, "This collection gave us one of the strongest emotions professionally." The fashion show represented the true rise of the Dolce & Gabbana label, which has played an important role in Italian ready-to-wear history.
The duo attracted all the attention with their striking models consisting of stretch jersey, silk jackets and oversized shirts that can be worn with casual sandals. The collection, which is characterized by fluidity and diversity, soon became the focus of attention of a very important audience. In 1996, on their 10th anniversary, they published the book "Ten Years of Dolce & Gabbana", which covers the images and texts of the most popular advertising campaign.
By 1999, it had stores in Italy, Japan, Hong Kong and London. In the same year, they presented their children's special collection D&G Junior at Pitti Bimbo, the children's fashion show in Florence. In 2003, they opened their new three-story store on Corso Venezia, Milan. The previous owner of this store was Milan's most famous luxury sportswear brand Brigatti. This three-storey store, which impresses with its design, included a bar, a traditional hairdresser's shop and an ultra-modern spa in addition to a large shared lounge.
The brand got the biggest promotion chance thanks to Madonna. The iconic pop star is one of Dolce & Gabbana's biggest fans. Dolce and Gabbana also designed the stage costumes and personal clothes of the singer, with whom they have similar feelings. In 1993, Designers created more than 1,500 costumes for Madonna's famous world tour "The Girlie Show." Also in 2000, they designed the costumes for Madonna and her team's 8th studio album “Music”. Thus, once again, they achieved a worldwide success. Collaborating with Dolce, Gabanna and Madonna, they presented MDG, a special sunglasses series, in 2010. The duo collaborated with many celebrities for a long time, apart from Madonna, the brand face of Dolce & Gabbana.
They have designed the costumes of many celebrities including Missy Elliot, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Victoria Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Beyoncé Knowles, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie.
DOLCE&GABBANA STYLE
Dolce&Gabbana has developed a distinctive Mediterranean style with its multi-colored designs featuring animal patterns. The term "haute hippie" is also frequently used for the designs of the duo. Early in their careers, the duo also draws inspiration from iconic movie stars like Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale and Stefania Sandrelli. For this reason, Domenico Dolce does not hesitate to use the description “Our designs become like movies” for his designs. Domenico Dolce continues his words about his designs as follows: “We build a story and design clothes that fit it. We prefer flashy clothes, the best design, to sparking trends”.
WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT DOLCE&GABBANA:
When Domenico Dolce was a child, his biggest dream was to work with Giorgio Armani.
Dolce and Gabbana are not only business partners but also life partners. The lovers, who separated in 2005 and separated for 3 years, got together again in 2008.
Dolce & Gabbana has been the official sponsor and designer of the Italian National Football Team since 2006. The brand has also collaborated with AC Milan and Chelsea football clubs.
Famous fashion designers broke new ground by releasing a one-song music album called D&G.
Dolce & Gabbana collaborated with Motorola and Sony Ericsson to launch their brand-name mobile phone.
With the help of Dolce and Gabanna, the Citroen brand car was designed.
Called the "Golden" of Martini, the highly acclaimed drink was produced as a result of the partnership of the two.
CHRONOLOGY
1985
In October, the Dolce&Gabbana brand is born during the Milan Collezioni.
1986
Real Women, the brand's first women's collection, is presented to the public in March.
1987
In March, the first women's knitwear collection is presented to the public.
1989
In July, the first underwear and beachwear collection is presented to the public.
1990
The first men's collection is presented to the public in January.
1992
Corsets with their own interpretations, identified with Dolce&Gabbana, are presented to the public.
1993
In September, the Brand is designing 1,500 costumes for Madonna's world tour, The Girlie Show.
1998
Dolce&Gabbana presents its 1998 Fall/Winter collections, in which they refer to the legendary names of fashion, Cristobal Balenciaga and Christian Dior, yet they clearly put their signatures.
2000
Dolce&Gabbana presents their Spring/Summer collections called “Mix and Match”.
2002
Dolce&Gabbana presents the Spring/Summer collection they call “Latina”.
2003
Dolce&Gabbana presents their Autumn/Winter collections called “Techno Romantic”.
2005
Dolce&Gabbana presents their Spring/Summer collections called “Out of Africa”.
2009
Dolce&Gabbana presents its Spring/Summer collections. The duo states that the sources of inspiration for the collection are past.
2010
Collaborating with Dolce&Gabbana Swarovski, they present the collection they call “Ski Mask”.
2012
Monica Bellucci becomes the advertising face of Dolce & Gabbana.
2013
In their Spring/Summer collections, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana once again return to Dolce's Sicilian roots. Gold mosaics in Monreale Cathedral in Sicily inspired the Autumn/Winter collection of the same year.
2014
Sicilian culture is once again represented in the Spring/Summer collection. This time, the island's connection with ancient Greece is inspiring. In the Autumn/Winter collection of the same year, Sicilian folkloric life is conveyed with a fairy-tale design language.
2015
Sicilian and Spanish traditions and colors are handled together in the Spring/Summer collection. All colors and textures that will reflect the Mediterranean style come to life in the collection.