Dolce & Gabbana is probably the most famous of the many Italian fashion houses and one of Italy's most successful brands, turning over more than a billion euros in 2015. The company has operations in New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sao Paulo. They employ 4,547 people and the distribution network includes 323 stores.
Dolce & Gabbana store in Shanghai - Photo: Livelikerw
Domenico Dolce
Stefano Gabbana
Domenico Dolce was born in Sicily in 1958 and Stefano Gabbana was born in Milan in 1962. They met in 1980 while working for a fashion house in Milan. Together, they established a design consultancy company which evolved into 'Dolce & Gabbana' as they presented their first women's collection in 1985. In 1986, they opened their first store in Milan.
Over the years their designs have drawn heavily on Mediterranean themes, and in particular on Dolce's Sicilian roots. One of the designs from their 4th collection was dubbed "The Sicilian Dress" by the fashion press. Author, Hal Rubenstein, claimed it was one of the 100 most important dresses ever designed.
In the 1990s, they developed the D&G line which they ran alongside the Dolce & Gabbana line until 2012 when they meged them both into 'Dolce & Gabbana'.
Over the years, Dolce & Gabbana have been heavily involved with showbusiness, designing for artists such as Madonna, Missy Elliot, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Kylie Minogue. They also designed the costumes for the film, 'Romeo & Juliet' in 1996.
