Dolce & Gabbana

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Dolce & Gabbana
Type Privately held
Founded 1985
Headquarters Milan, Italy
Key people Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana
Industry Fashion
Products Clothing, footwear, handbags.
Employees 3,140
Website www.dolcegabbana.com

Dolce & Gabbana (ˈdoltʃe ænd gaˈbana) is an Italian fashion house. Its designs are worn by the likes of Madonna, Monica Bellucci, Ayumi Hamasaki, Isabella Rossellini and Kylie Minogue amongst others.[1]

The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana and is based in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was £597 million (EUR€750 million).[2]

Contents

[edit] History

Dolce was born in 1958 , near Palermo, Sicily, whilst Stefano Gabbana (b. 1962) comes from Milan. The pair first met in Milan in 1980, while working as assistants in an atelier. They started business together in 1982, and continued to do freelance designing for others.[3]

In 1985, they made their name together when the organisers of the Milano Collezioni invited them to take part in a fashion show to launch "New Talents". Just one year later in 1986, they presented their first independent women's ready-to-wear show that won international acclaim.[4] The brand soon expanded to knitwear, beachwear, lingerie and accessories, and also introduced menswear and a line of signature fragrances.[5] The first boutique opened in 1989 in Tokyo, Japan. With subsequent openings in Milan and Hong Kong.

In 2005 the duo officially split up, ending their romantic relationship.[1] However their professional relationship has continued, carrying on the business as friends.

In October, 2006 the duo opened their first restaurant, Gold on Via Poerio in Milan with an entirely gold coloured interior. The 202-seat boite, just behind their Metropol show space, sports a first-floor gourmet restaurant, a ground-floor casual bistro and a small food shop that carries items from Gold's traditional Mediterranean menu.[6]

[edit] Brands

Dolce & Gabbana has two central lines :

[edit] Dolce&Gabbana

Dolce&Gabbana (spelled without spaces, unlike the name of the company) specializes on more expensive luxury items, is influenced more by designers and is more formal and 'timeless', responding to long-term trends rather than seasonal changes.

It also sells:

[edit] D&G

D&G is a more casual line that follows an urban inspiration and attempts to set trends rather than follow them.

It also sells:

[edit] D&G Junior

D&G Junior is a separate line aimed at children under the age of 11. Similar to the D&G adult line, D&G Junior follows seasonal trends for boys and girls across a range of ages. D&G Junior is more visibly influenced by popular culture compared to D&G, such as the Ibiza line of D&G Junior.

[edit] U.S. stores

D&G store in Milan
D&G store in Milan

There are seven freestanding Dolce & Gabbana boutiques in the United States in:

Dolce & Gabbana also has kiosks in several department stores, including Bergdorf Goodman, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, and plans to expand into the American cities of Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

[edit] Advertising 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.

Following complaints from consumers' groups in February 2007, Dolce & Gabbana pulled an advertisement in Madrid, Spain and Paris, France that showed a man holding a woman to the ground by her wrists while a group of men look on. 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.[7] Italian publications followed suit, banning the ad.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Vernon, Polly (2005-02-20). Mixing business and pleasure. Retrieved on 2007-07-27.
  2. ^ Who's Who - Dolce & Gabbana Biography. Vogue.com UK. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  3. ^ Who's Who - Dolce & Gabbana Biography. Vogue.com UK. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  4. ^ Dolce & Gabbana - History of Dolce & Gabbana. designer-fashion-trends.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  5. ^ Dolce & Gabbana - Biography. Fashion Forum. Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  6. ^ Fashion Scoops: Gold Rush ... Glamour Gridlock ... Tough Workout .... Women's Wear Daily (wwd.com). Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
  7. ^ Dolce & Gabbana angry at advertising campaign controversy in Spain (2007-02-23). Retrieved on 2007-02-24.

[edit] External links

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