Dolce & Gabbana (pronounced dol-che gabb-an-a) is a high-end fashion house started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce, born near Palermo, Sicily, and Stefano Gabbana, born in Milan, Italy.
Dolce & Gabbana are very popular for their designs in the Hollywood industry; they have designed clothes for Madonna, Monica Bellucci, Ayumi Hamasaki, Isabella Rossellini and Kylie Minogue amongst others. The company is based near Milan (Legnano). The private life of Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce became public in 2005, when they officially announced their separation. The company, however, will still stay the same, and they will continue to design together.
Clothing and accessories product lines
Dolce & Gabbana is organized into two central lines for adults: D&G and Dolce&Gabbana. D&G generally forms the group’s more casual lines with slightly cheaper prices and follows an urban inspiration. D&G follows the trends of culture of the time and is trend-setting, whereas Dolce & Gabbana centralizes on luxury materials and is slightly more expensive than the former. The line does not change as much as D&G, and is influenced by sartorial designs, it is described as “timeless” by Dolce&Gabbana. Dolce&Gabbana purses have an exclusive stamp on the inside.
Both lines offer beachwear, underwear, eyewear (ophthalmic & sunglasses) and fragrances. The D&G line also carries the jewelry and timepieces.
D&G Junior is a separate line aimed at children under the age of 13. D&G Junior follows the ethos of D&G and embodies youth and fun with the styles of its clothes. Each season follows a set-named trend for a season and is named separately for boys and girls. The line contains clothes aimed at different ages of children. D&G Junior is more visibly influenced by popular culture compared to D&G, such as the Ibiza line of D&G Junior.
In 2005, the designers teamed up with Motorola for the first time to produce a Special Edition Gold RAZR V3i which was limited to 1000 phones and distributed by D&G boutiques and major Motorola retailers. This collaboration was renewed in 2006 for another release.
Controversy
Dolce & Gabbana was publicly criticized by Britain’s advertising watchdog Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in January 2007, for an advertising campaign showing models brandishing knives.
In February 2007, Dolce & Gabbana pulled an advertisement in Spain, which showed a man holding a woman to the ground by her wrists while a group of men look on, following complaints from consumers’ groups. Spain’s Labour and Social Affairs Ministry branded the campaign as illegal and humiliating to women, saying the woman’s body position had no relation to the products Dolce & Gabbana were trying to sell. Italian publications followed suit, banning the ad.
References in pop culture
Dolce & Gabbana, like many other upmarket designers, has recently gained in popularity especially among artists of such genres as R&B, Rap, Hip Hop, and Pop. The most prominent reference to date is probably the 2005 song My Humps by the Black Eyed Peas. Other examples of Dolce & Gabbana being featured in pop culture include the Sex and the City TV series and the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, both having a strong fashion theme. The brand was also mentioned in Madonna’s 1991 documentary Truth or Dare.
Dolce and Gabbana Today
D&G have a couple of stores in the U.S. including New York, Beverly Hills, Bal Harbour, Short Hills, and Manhassat. D&G are to open a new boutique at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel opening in Boston in 2008.
Dolce and Gabanna had their own very unique design, and this trend setting design earned them a group of dedicated fans that were repeat buyers. The buyer of D&B can be anything from hollywoods elite to a suburban grandmother, it comes in all tastes and is luxurious and fashionable.
Dolce and Gabbana expanded their company and produced a fragrance the same year, and this fragrance did very well for itself — infact it was awarded a international prize as the best feminine fragrance of the year, and they were awarded this by the Perfume Acadmy!
Dolce & Gabbana dabbles in some of the most racey and sometimes risky styles, and has a group of followers unlike any other brand. They are known for the cutting edge and inspiring fashion, making beautiful and high quality shoes and clothing as well as many other products. Dolce and Gabbana is very new to the fashion world when in comparison to most high end companies, and what we have seen so far is only the begining.
