The Italian fashion house of the Dolce and Gabbana Clothing ling is one of the most admired luxury fashion houses in the world. This rise to fame, however, was an uphill struggle for the company's creators, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
Dolce was born in 1958 and spent his youth living in a small village near Sicily. As a kid, Domenico worked at the family owned clothing factory, a small business that focused on providing everyday clothing, not exactly the glamorous ensembles that Domenico aspired to make. The experience, however, would give Domenico some solid knowledge of fashion and working with garments. Upon reaching adulthood, Domenico traveled to Milan to formally study fashion and design.
The youngest of the pair, Stefano was born in 1962 in Venice, Italy. Unlike Dolce, however, he did not have any formal fashion design experience. In fact, Gabbana had not given much thought to fashion until he was a teenager and then, his thoughts mostly centered on finding fashions to reflect his personal style. Interested in pursuing a career in advertising, Gabbana entered school to earn a degree in graphic design.
Although Gabbana worked in the field for a while, he quickly realized that graphic design was not his true calling and he begin taking a greater interest in fashion. In 1980, the two young designers would meet in Milan while working as assistants for an atelier and become a couple, personally and professionally. Dolce had the technical knowledge of how clothes should be constructed, Gabbana, however, quickly realized that the best way to break out of freelancing and earn a steady income was to begin designing clothing for women. Although men like to look fashionable, women often put much more significance, money and prestige into looking stylish. In fact, for most women looking chic and stylish is a necessity.
The success of the pairing was not immediate, however. The duo often had to rely on freelancing and consulting to get by. They even did small shows wherever they could, once using a fast-food restaurant as the setting. By 1985, their hard work had paid off and the duo had formally formed their fashion house Dolce and Gabbana, also simply known as D&G. They also released their first women's wear collection to national praise. In 1989, the fashion house opened its first boutique in Japan. Just a year later, they had expanded to include a men's wear collection and had opened a second boutique in Milan.
During the 1990s, the company would also become the go-to fashion designers for the Hollywood elite and open stores in the United States. Often showing up on red carpets and designing tour costumes for popular music artists. The duo would also win a number of awards in the 1990s including a Wollmark Award in 1991 for innovation in men's clothing. The British magazine FHM also awarded them the "Designer of the Year" title in 1996 and 1997.
Despite the incredible success enjoyed by Dolce and Gabbana, the line has received some criticism. An ad where a female model is being forcibly restrained while a group of men looks on was accused of advocating gang rape and was eventually banned in Italy. In 2009, the duo was accused of tax evasion for allegedly moving millions in royalties from their lines to a company in Luxembourg, to avoid paying Italian tax on the funds. The pair also vehemently denied a claim made by acclaimed fashion designer Giorgio Armani that they had copied his design for quilted trousers. In 2005, Dolce and Gabbana also ended their personal relationship but the duo has stated they continue to remain friends.
Early work by the duo often featured a romantic edge and took inspiration from early Italian cinema. Their love for southern Italy has also been a heavy influence on their designs. In the 1990s, Dolce and Gabbana dropped fluid, soft fashions more geared towards stick-thin models, and began celebrating the curvaceous female form with designs that showcased women as strong and confident. Black is a signature color of the line and geometric shapes are often included. Beachwear, lingerie, jeans, eyewear, makeup, perfume, scarves, knitwear, handbags and more are also a part of their lines
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