Dolce & Gabbana

All dreams are a journey that lead to some distant fantasy world or to the most intimate essence of oneself. Dolce & Gabbana’s creations do both: they draw you far away, into a universe of grace and beauty, but at the same time, they will always take you back to the deepest and most authentic roots of the fashion house, as shown by their interpretation of the most iconic piece of women’s wardrobe: the «little black dress».

«If I had to choose a single look to describe our journey - explains Domenico Dolce - it would be a classic black tube dress decorated in lace, simple, but sensual and always elegant. It is the emblem of what our customers love: quality, feeling at ease with what they wear, and being able to dream. Our purpose is not only to create beautiful clothes, with attention to detail, but also to convey emotions, let people dream, to tell our story, which is made of Italy, roots, beauty, culture and love ... Love is the driver of everything. It always has been. It’s not just about work, for us fashion is life, our greatest passion». «We - continues Stefano Gabbana, during an interview where the voices of the two designers will alternate continuously, as proof of an understanding that is the foundation of a success that has lasted for more than thirty years - are more like writers or storytellers. Only instead of writing poetry, we are creating clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, jewelry. An expression of our creativity, and the story we wish to share at that moment, the dreams we would like to bring to life.

It is precisely being able to spark an emotion, a memory of the past, a smile, that fills us with joy. There is no better compliment for us to receive». The common thread that runs through this creative universe, which encompasses clothing, jewelry, watches and beauty products, is that which has made the brand great: skill. The two designers say that the elements that define Italian creativity are quality, human touch and time. «We Italians - continues Domenico Dolce - work with patience, love, spirit of sacrifice. If a jacket requires 10 hours to make, we will not do it in 8 or 9 just to finish the job in advance. On the contrary, we will commit ourselves with passion so that everything is perfect. And if anything should go wrong, we will start all over again. This is precisely what we are trying to pass on to young people today thanks to the Botteghe di Mestiere and the embroidery atelier in Milan, two businesses we created with the aim of passing on and teaching the love of handmade products and high quality to the new generations». Stefano Gabbana echoes him,

«Even the word craftsmanship is synonymous with Made in Italy. We are lucky enough to live in a country that has an incredible artistic and cultural heritage and we are proud to be able to bring light, with our work, to the master craftsmen who still represent excellence. The craftsmen are everything: they keep alive the traditions, the secrets of the trade, that ancient know-how which we must protect at all costs. Craftsmanship is a form of art and as such needs its own time». Time, but also a lot of passion and perseverance, the same that led the two designers from the beginning in Polizzi Generosa, a small Sicilian village in the hills more than an hour’s drive from the sea, to Milan, first, and then to the conquest of the world. «When we started in 1985 - as Stefano Gabbana recalls - we were just a small company: Domenico, myself and a few other collaborators. We worked a lot in the first years without ever taking a day off, and we made a lot of sacrifices.

We had little money, but our passion for fashion was never lacking: we always dared in life, also with a pinch of recklessness. But this is how we became what we are today. First and foremost we work for love, not for business or marketing, and these aspects are certainly important, but without a true feeling we wouldn’t have gone anywhere. And we discuss everything, we like to exchange ideas, views, opinions. Sometimes we start a conversation and find ourselves talking about something completely different, remembering the past years, the first collections. We’ve been working together for more than 35 years now; honestly, I wouldn’t know how to do it without Domenico» A mutual feeling: «Stefano and I - adds Domenico Dolce - are two sides of the same coin. Of course we don’t always get along. It can happen that we discuss and have different ideas on how to make a certain dress or jacket. I’m generally for linear shapes, while Stefano would put prints and embroidery everywhere. We compensate one another». Year after year, the collections that are created are therefore a balanced and creative mix of the different passions of two people who, together, have written their chapter in the history of costume, always seeking to capture the essence of the time. A spirit that, today more than ever, needs to dream. «People - explains Stefano Gabbana - dress to please themselves. While for the moment there may be fewer opportunities to show off evening gowns, we do believe that in their personal lives people will continue to look, perhaps even more than before, for a wonderful story, a dress or an accessory that is also a fairytale: to seek out dreams made from fabric».