Professional partners since almost 35 years, what can you tell us about the recipe of this successful relation and how is it working as a team?
Domenico Dolce : the secret is being different but complementary. Stefano and I have very different approaches when we start working on a collection. I focus on lines and shapes, he wants colours everywhere!
Stefano Gabbana : He is right. Ultimately though we always manage to find a way to keep each other happy and our collections represent a balance between our two different creative approaches that merge together. The vision is the same; it is the way to get there that is sometimes different. Mine definitely has more patterns and colours!!
Your first debut collection was in 1985, if you look back at that time till today, how do you see fashion changing since then.
DD: Fashion has become faster. If I think how they used to make clothes in the Botteghe! There was a direct contact with the clients, most of the times the tailor would get to know his customers in a very personal way. He would nearly become an advisor in his client’s life. It is important not to lose sight of the love and, to always send positive messages, to be real.
Your fourth collection that was inspired by Sicily was the one that made a significant impact on the market. Today, Sicily is still present in all your collections. Tell us more about the brand DNA and how / why Sicily inspires you.
DD: I am from Sicily, I grew up there before moving to Milan, in the north of Italy. My father had a little ‘Sartoria’ and I spent many afternoons there watching him choosing fabrics, making beautiful clothes, talking with clients. I think I owe to this my love to creating clothes. In my memory, I cannot divide the love for my family, for the art of tailoring and for my land.
SG: I love Sicily! It is such an inspirational place. It’s full of traditions yet it has been a land historically influenced by many different cultures and historical moments. The Greeks, The Arabs, the Monarchy all added to the charm of this magical island which maintain its DNA despite the passing of time. This is also how we see our collections: a continuous evolution of ideas without forgetting the roots and our DNA.
With collections always inspired by Italy, how do you think this appeals to the global taste?
DD: I think Italy is a code known and loved all around the world. Everybody knows and love something Italian be that food, art, fashion, cinema, language etc Can you tell about the various stages of the design process of a collection since the idea comes to mind and till it is runway ready.
SG: It starts with an idea, an inspiration. It can be a book we are reading, a movie, a place, anything! Then we start collecting images related to the inspiration. We research, we play with all the information and the images we have. We then think of shapes; silhouettes come naturally while we experiment with colors and patterns. Once we have the first prototype I usually play with embroideries. I place them spontaneously on the dresses until it all makes sense to me. Domenico is usually the more meticulous one: he focuses on lines, cuts and sewings.
The fall / winter RTW collection “I love you Mamma” was a massive success all around the world, tell us more about this collection and inspiration and what does family mean to you.
DD: Having chosen “LA FAMIGLIA” for the men’s collection, we thought that, in the end, it is the mother who has the lead in the house. The mother is always at the centre of the family. It is the foundation that ensures the functioning of the whole.
SG: We combined imagination and memories to outline a draft of what a MOTHER is for us. Every mother is different, even at a “geographical” level, but we were interested in studying her wardrobe in all its facets; from lingerie to coats, always maintaining the image that defines her in all cultures: “a sweet and delicate mother “. The entire wardrobe follows softer shapes, lines are more delicate and less rigid than the past. Dresses are longer, chalice shaped dresses, pushing us to experiment with different concepts for the accessories. The same goes for the decorations which are the result of a new work that ranges from prints on dresses and scarves, taken from drawings of kindergarten children, and then the collage, used as a new type of embroidery of letters, flowers, such as red roses: the first flower that a child gifts to his mother.
Who is the Dolce&Gabbana woman?
SG: she is feminine, confident. She is a mother, a wife, a working woman. Any woman who is proud of being one.
At a time where everything is being commercial, how challenging is it for designers to create collections that can still touch emotions?
DD: This goes back to what I previously said. For us this is extremely important. In doing what we do, we should absolutely still be able to touch emotions, to communicate through our collections and create an emotional link with our clients.
SG: We can’ t live without emotions. We create our designs following precisely those feelings and those emotions we experience in life; our collections could not come alive without carrying pieces of them. It is too important. Otherwise, you slowly become detached from the world, from the people, and ultimately from your clients.
Talking about challenges, what do you think are the difficulties that the luxury sector is facing today?
DD: I think these days it is hard for clients to be offered something that is truly luxury. Luxury goes beyond the 5 stars services. It is also about adding the personal touch to it. I think for the luxury sector it might be challenging to truly offer a luxury experience.
SG: It is also about remaining relevant in an era where the term luxury means nothing at all. There are so many brands, companies, offering ‘luxury’ goods and services but, it is then hard to define what real luxury is to the specific individual.
Stefano, you are active on social media, how do you think it is shaping the fashion world today?
SG: I find the world of social media to be an amusing one. It gets you closer to other human beings with no barrier of space and time regardless the obvious obstacle of a telephone or computer screen. It is a powerful mean of learning, often a source of inspiration. It’s entertaining. It’ s definitely addictive!!
Tell us more about your hobbies?
SG: I love to travel! It is a passion I have always had and it is a very important element in our daily work where I get most of my inspirations. By travelling, I acquire a better understanding of the market tendency, and of the tastes of the different cultures. When I am in Milan, I love my family time.
DD: I really enjoy going to the movies, watching old fashioned movies and reading books. Naturally, I love spending time with my nephews and the people dearest to me. Time is the real luxury today!
There’s a massive wave of emerging talents as designers, what would you advise those aspiring people to make it?
DD: Place passion and emotions in everything you do. Love is fundamental.
SG: Don’t lose sight of who you are. Don’t forget your roots and always be consistent throughout time.
What’s next for Dolce & Gabbana?
SG & DD: We have a lot of projects and a lot of ideas. We are really loving the #DGwomenlovemakeup project that we have launched during the summer. It has been a huge success and we love flicking through the beautiful images thousands of women are still posting. We are also focusing a lot on the kids lines. We will be launching a line of evening dresses for little girls so that they can finally match their mothers outfit like all little girls dream of! The collection will be exclusive to a selection of cities only. We also have more surprises coming for the Middle East at the beginning of 2016. I can’t say more at this stage but it is a project we are very proud of.
Interviewed by Lara Mansour Sawaya
