Many of the popular fashion brands you know today are from the early 1900s, and their history has come a long way to this date that includes disasters, World Wars, but also great successes and big achievements.
However, some of the luxury brands available in the market are also new compared to others. Take Dolce & Gabbana as an example. It has been in the industry for a bit more than three decades, yet it is already a favorite among people.
This shows that the belief of luxury brands being good the older they are is a myth, and when you want to bet for one, you can also consider the newest options.
In fact, you might be surprised by the quality and great options brands like this offer, and since we are fans of them as much as we are unable to afford most of the items or decide not to spend on them, we are guilty of buying at least a product or two.
And when it comes to Dolce & Gabbana, it is one of the few we don’t have any complaints about.
Now, where does the brand really stand today, and how did it reach the top in the industry? Is it really worth choosing it over others, and how much is it worth as a business?
We will answer all these questions and many more as part of our contribution to learning a bit more about this big brand and to get into a general culture that focuses on a different area.
Two Founders Instead of One: Domenico & Stefano
You must know by this point, either because of us or someone else, that luxury brands tend to have the names of the founders of creative minds behind the creation, and this one continues to follow the tradition.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana founded Dolce & Gabbana, so the name refers to the last name of both entrepreneurs and designers.
This can make the brand’s history a bit more difficult to follow since we are not dealing with one founder and mastermind but rather two. However, we will do our best to cover both designers are they deserve it.
We need to mention, for starters, that there isn’t much information about their childhood and early years, but the details of when they became a team won’t disappoint.
To start slow, Domenico Dolce was born and raised in Polizzi Generosa in Sicily, Italy, on August 13, 1958.
His father and mother used to sell fabrics and apparel. Inspired by his parents and the design blood from then, he decided to move to Milan to attend the fashion design school named Istituto Marangoni.
However, Dolce decided to drop it after feeling confident he learned everything he could from it and was ready to start his career in the industry and pursue his dream of working for Armani.
Before moving on with the details, we need an introduction of the other designer, Stefano Gabbana.
He was born in Milan, Lombardy, Italy, on November 14, 1962. His father worked in a printing factory while his mother was part of a laundry service in the city. The first was born in Ceggia and the latter in Cessalto.
From a very young age, he knew that he wanted to pursue a career in design and decided to attend the Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche in Rome, from where he graduated.
Fated Meeting: Creating Dolce & Gabbana
This is the part you were expecting: when they met and finally decided to create the brand.
Dolce and Gabbana met in 1980 through Dolce’s employer, Giorgio Correggiari, when they were working for the same atelier in Milan and offering freelance designs.
They made a connection soon enough, and while building their relationship, two years later, Dolce & Gabbana S.p.A. was created.
However, it wasn’t until 1985 when the brand was officially launched and founded. In October of this year, it held its fashion show debut at Milano Collezioni’s Nuovi Talenti (New Talents).
D&G’s first collection was released in March 1986. It also held its own fashion show, “Real Women,” during this year.
The first D&G store in Milan opened at 7 Via Santa Cecilia in 1987.
The luxury brand D&G expanded further and held its first fashion shows in Tokyo in April 1989 and New York exactly a year later.
It also released new collections, including its first lingerie line and beachwear line in July 1989 and its first menswear collection in January 1990.
D&G’s New York City showroom opened in November 1990 at 532 Broadway, Manhattan.
One of the main achievements with celebrities and stars at the time was when Madonna chose the brand to design her Girlie Show World Tour costumes in 1993.
Later on, the D&G line was expanded with ties, belts, handbags, and sunglasses, watches, footwear, and other accessories.
By 2003, D&G had sold more products than Armani, Gucci, Prada, and Versace, which are big names in the fashion industry and with a large trajectory in it.
The brand came a long way with achievements that included not only the previous ones but also the collaborations with Madonna in the 2000s, participation with other celebrities like Angelina Jolie, and the two central lines: D & G and Dolce&Gabbana.
However, these lines merged under the same label we know today, Dolce & Gabbana.
Dolce&Gabbana, without any spaces, was focused on luxury items and high designs that were quite part of the usual collections and timeless products we are used to seeing in these brands.
The second and younger one, D & G, was aimed to be the part of the brand that sold watches and clothing with less luxury in them. However, it was discontinued since it was taking a lot of time from the brand, and the founders decided to merge them to focus on the central collections.
Today, the brand is 36 years old, and it now has 113 stores and 21 outlet shops, and a staff size of 3,500 employees, including secondary designers and any other involved in the process.
But What Makes Dolce & Gabbana Unique?
With all luxury brands, you will notice a difference in their styles, but essentially, they tend to follow a specific feature about being luxurious and offering certain details.
However, since trends are always being created or coming back from decades ago, we are always experiencing new inventions.
When Gabbana and Dolce decided to create their own collections, they came up with the exotic Mediterranean style that many women and men love today.
The inspiration for this style comes from the Sicily of Luchino Visconti’s 1963 film and has been the signature characteristic for the brand since then.
Of course, the designers and founders have experimented with other lines and aesthetics, but the Mediterranean is definitely the brand’s main focus.
Besides, the unique design they created was an aesthetic result of feminine sexuality, which boosted the brand’s popularity since its inception and has remained since then.
Contemporary is another word that describes the uniqueness behind Dolce & Gabbana, and we consider ourselves great fans since we got the chance to get a few pieces of clothes.
It is common to omit what we have mentioned so far for people who aren’t that detailed or knowledgable in the styles or different features of brands, especially luxurious ones.
However, you just need to look at the original designs of the first collections, and you will see the big difference when comparing them to other designers.
This unique style brought D&G recognition worldwide, and Whitney Houston and Madonna are only a few of the artists we can mention that appreciated their innovations since the beginning.
How Much Is It? – Inside D&G’s Prices
All right, are you ready for the hit of the day?
We don’t need to try and amortize it since it is clear luxury brands won’t be cheap or even affordable in most cases.
However, we don’t want you to enter this section with a set of mind that involves thoughts like, “I can’t pay that.”
In fact, we believe you will be able to afford a few items, and if you can take the luxury to spend on them, we suggest you do.
That being said, we don’t leave you in suspense any longer and go over the merchandise and average prices of each collection and line:
- Women’s collection: this category includes skirts, denim skirts, shirts, cocktail dresses, daywear, eveningwear, underwear, tops and bustiers, and many more items, which range from $70 to $26.500.
- Men’s collection: suits, shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, pants, cardigans, coats, and more, are included in it and range from $60 to $16.600.
- Accessories: for both men and women, the collection includes wallets, belts, hats, gloves, socks, masks, sunglasses, scarves, and more, which range from $90 to $7.445.
- Shoes: sneakers, lace-ups, boots, sandals, and more for women and men start at $775 and can reach $3k+.
- Watches and jewelry: for women, prices can range between $950 and $50.000, while for men, they usually go from $650 to $15.000.
- Children’s collection: prices vary depending on the age, but items usually start at $600.
- Perfumes or fragrances: for men like the Gabbana pour Homme and women like Gabbana pour femme tend to cost $120+.
Other items like food, bags, beverage, makeup, gifts, and even a personalized option are available, and costs tend to differ based on the items available at the moment, but they are very few.
Also, keep in mind prices vary depending on your country, the shop you’re accessing, and even the way you’re using the browser inside the store, so make sure to use the web properly and choose the filters that fit your search.
You can also have a look at Facebook or other social media profiles to know more about the brand.
Dolce & Gabbana + Celebrities: Endorsements & Favorites
If we go a few paragraphs back, you already know the brand quite loves working with artists every time it has the opportunity.
We were serious about Madonna and Whitney Houston being only a small portion of the celebrities the brand has dressed but also endorsed and sponsored over the years.
Blake Lively, Scarlett Johansson, Matthew McConaughey, Gwen Stefani, and Jennifer Garner are part of the brand’s favorite.
They not only wear clothes and use their merchandise but are also endorsed and part of the list of ambassadors.
Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Monica Bellucci, Emilia Clarke, and Sofia Vergara are others we can mention.
The list of celebrities is always increasing despite the polemics around the brand recently but also good actions about its charity and other activities.
The endorsement for celebrities tends to include any item, from clothing to jewelry and watches to makeup and perfumes.
Most ambassadors sign and have taken part in ads, videos, and commercials involving perfume campaigns, like for the Dolce & Gabbana “The Only One” fragrance with Emilia Clarke as the center of the video.
As you can see, celebrities and the founders definitely love working together, and with new campaigns coming up, we are eager to see who they choose this time for the next fashion trend.
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