Dolce & Gabbana: ‘Sicily is in our DNA'
By Mariella Radaelli
Some say beauty is simple. But others contend it’s complicated. Can it be both?
To enter into the sensuous curves of a Dolce & Gabbana design is to experience a complicated kind of beauty, like exploring the majestic landscape of Sicily with its Baroque towns, monasteries, quiet roads, rich soil flourishing with orange and lemon plantations, its white sand beaches.
The iconic couture house literally portrays Sicilian Baroque through expressive, sexy clothes that have the energy and imagination of the south of Italy, where the architecture takes the most complex forms — a style that even “baroqued” the Baroque, adding extra elaborate ornamentation to facades of buildings.
Co-founders Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana enter their office in Milan in the company of their two Labradors, one black and one chocolate. They instantly create a friendly and playful atmosphere.
I reached the famed Italian design duo at their office, a dense, voluptuously furnished living room the pair uses for meetings. Deep burgundy and gold decorate the walls, with assorted large paintings all over. One in particular catches my eye because it resembles the composition of the “Madonna del Cardellino” by Raphael. But this bizarre version is by the pop artist Giuseppe Veneziano who depicted a peculiar Madonna with the head of the entertainment star Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. At her feet, two babies are frolicking, but not a little Jesus with little St. John the Baptist, as portrayed in Raphael’s masterpiece. Instead, the kids here have the heads of Stefano and Domenico.
The iconic duo met in 1980 in Milan when both were working as assistants for designer Giorgio Correggiari. Domenico Dolce, 58, the son of a tailor, is Sicilian, while Stefano Gabbana, the son of a factory worker, was born in Milan 54 years ago. They became Dolce & Gabbana in 1982.
The rest of this interview for the "High Summer" edition of Style magazine in Dubai is available here (pdf).
Some say beauty is simple. But others contend it’s complicated. Can it be both?
To enter into the sensuous curves of a Dolce & Gabbana design is to experience a complicated kind of beauty, like exploring the majestic landscape of Sicily with its Baroque towns, monasteries, quiet roads, rich soil flourishing with orange and lemon plantations, its white sand beaches.
The iconic couture house literally portrays Sicilian Baroque through expressive, sexy clothes that have the energy and imagination of the south of Italy, where the architecture takes the most complex forms — a style that even “baroqued” the Baroque, adding extra elaborate ornamentation to facades of buildings.
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Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce
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I reached the famed Italian design duo at their office, a dense, voluptuously furnished living room the pair uses for meetings. Deep burgundy and gold decorate the walls, with assorted large paintings all over. One in particular catches my eye because it resembles the composition of the “Madonna del Cardellino” by Raphael. But this bizarre version is by the pop artist Giuseppe Veneziano who depicted a peculiar Madonna with the head of the entertainment star Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone. At her feet, two babies are frolicking, but not a little Jesus with little St. John the Baptist, as portrayed in Raphael’s masterpiece. Instead, the kids here have the heads of Stefano and Domenico.
The iconic duo met in 1980 in Milan when both were working as assistants for designer Giorgio Correggiari. Domenico Dolce, 58, the son of a tailor, is Sicilian, while Stefano Gabbana, the son of a factory worker, was born in Milan 54 years ago. They became Dolce & Gabbana in 1982.
The rest of this interview for the "High Summer" edition of Style magazine in Dubai is available here (pdf).
Is it possible to determine an exact bibliographical sources to this interview(year, month of publication and possibly issue number), it would be very helpful to me in process of writing my Bachelor Thesis. Thank you in advance
ReplyDeleteHi Alex, the interview was published on the Style magazine of the khaleej Times in Dubai, in the "high summer" issue, June 31, 2016. Length, 2 pages: 24 and 25. Thanks, Mariella
ReplyDeleteThank you very much
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