Guilherme Siqueira and Domenico Dolce. How Dolce and Gabbana got into trouble from gays. Domenico Dolce. Personal life

“These two people managed to combine two incompatible things in one - seduction and bright colors, without which modern fashion cannot exist, and the “old world” of Sicily, where ancient traditions are sacredly revered - loyalty, vendetta, and so on.”
Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress.

“Your clothes are very sexy and have a sense of humor - just like me!”
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Every person has events in his life that completely reshape his life, becoming the starting point for something new. The day they met was just such an event for Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana.
The men were not alike; they differed in appearance, character, and the environment in which they were raised.

Domenico Dolce- the eldest member of the design duo - was born in 1958 in a small Italian town not far from Palermo.
Domenico's father was a tailor and had his own tailoring shop. From the age of 6, Domenico helped his father in sewing and even then showed his talent by being able to sew sleeves to a jacket with his eyes closed. His family called him Mozart, hinting that he was a genius in music, and Domenico - in the art of sewing.
In Sicily, family traditions are sacredly respected, and according to the logic of things, Domenico Dolce should have followed in the footsteps of his father and helped him in the family business, taking a place in his atelier. But Domenico understood that a tailoring shop was not what his soul was striving for.
Therefore, after graduating from school, Domenico entered the university, but dropped out without even studying for one year. Then there was an art school where Domenico studied fashion and design. After finishing his studies, he did not return to his hometown, but went to conquer the center of Italian fashion - Milan. In Milan, Domenico got a job as an assistant in a clothing design studio. Finally, he felt that this was what he had been striving for for so long.
“Design turned out to be a way to do what I dreamed of. This is similar to the work of a psychologist. As a designer, I capture what people feel, translate it into fashion, and even make their desires come true - before they even know what they want."

Stefano Gabbana born in 1963 in Milan. The guy was brought up in a single-parent family, being the illegitimate son of one of the most famous and wealthy Milanese stylists. From an early age, Stefano showed a taste for beautiful clothes, purchasing items from the fashionable Italian brand “Fiorucci,” which at that time produced original clothes for teenagers.
Also, Stefano Gabbana was fond of drawing since childhood, and literally grew up with a pencil in his hands. That's why he went to college, studying graphic arts in the department of graphics and design. After graduating from college, he worked for some time as a graphic artist. But his soul also yearned for a more creative profession.
“I was lucky because the designer took me under his wing and helped me understand the world of fashion. It was Domenico who taught me almost everything about fashion. And the more I learned, the more I fell in love - with design, with creating clothes, with dressing people.”(c)

The fateful meeting of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana took place in Milan in 1980 in the design studio in which Domenico was working by that time. Absolutely different in appearance: Domenico is green-eyed, short, of average build, phlegmatic, reserved, Stefano is a thin, tall young man, with brown eyes, very sociable and expressive. At first they did not make a very pleasant impression on each other.
“Stefano was so Milanese to the core, with his long hair and Lacoste T-shirt” (c) Domenico Dolce.
“He (Domenico) seemed like a monster to me. He looked so ridiculous - like a priest, all in black, pale, with a shaved head. It wasn’t very impressive” (c) Stefano Gabbana.

But later the young people discovered that they had a lot in common - both had a passion for the Baroque, for Italian films of the 50-60s, both had favorite directors - Rossellini, Visconti, favorite actresses - Gina Lollobrigida, Anna Magnani, Sophia Loren. The commonality of interests gradually improved the relationship between Dolce and Gabbana; they developed sincere sympathy for each other.
So their friendship led to the opening of their own studio in the center of Milan in 1982. It must be said that Domenico and Stefano started from scratch, without any support from influential persons. At first there was not enough money; for a long time the designers were forced to live only on milk and rice porridge. But the creative process turned out to be very exciting for Dolce and Gabbana, because it was there, in their own small studio, that they came up with their first clothing models.
“I remember our very first show. We spent it in an ordinary Milanese apartment. We organized it ourselves, together with Stefano, without any PR, without anything. My brother and sister greeted the guests at the door" (c) Domenico Dolce

Further shows took place in small cafes and eateries; friends Domenico and Stefano agreed to work as models. But even this modest start soon attracted the attention of the Italian public to the design duo. Talented fashion designers already took part in Milan Fashion Week in 1984. In 1985, as young talents, they were invited to take part in a real Milano Collezioni fashion show. This debut was loud and deafening and led to the fact that in 1986, the first women's collection “Real Woman” was released. This name reflects the essence of all the work of Dolce and Gabbana, because their main goal is to create the image of a real woman.
“The Dolce&Gabbana woman is a strong personality: she likes herself and knows what others like. She is cosmopolitan and travels all over the world, but remembers her roots" (c)
Their first collection was a kind of protest against the boring and asexual fashion of the 80s. Dolce and Gabbana considered the 80s the most terrible period in the history of fashion - false shoulders, dull business suits, nothing emphasizing sexuality and femininity. In contrast, in their first collection, the designers showed models in the spirit of Italian neorealism in tight black dresses with bright and original accessories. Mixing different styles, techniques, materials, eras has become the hallmark of Dolce and Gabbana. It’s as if they looked into the future and already in the 80s demonstrated what became relevant in the 90s.

“Their collection amazed me - I was amazed at how they managed to combine two absolutely incompatible things in one space - Sicily and innovation. I am Italian and I know very well what Sicily is. This is an old world where ancient traditions are still revered: virgins, vendettas, widows faithful to their dead husbands. And fashion is unthinkable without seduction, bright colors, vanity fair - everything that the old Sicilian rules condemn. But these two still found an opportunity to connect the two worlds” (c) Isabella Rossellini

The creative successes of Dolce and Gabbana had a favorable impact on the commercial side of their joint business - 10 years after the creation of the first collection, they turned from a small design studio into the world famous Dolce & Gabbana brand, bringing them multimillion-dollar profits.
“We don’t think about the cost of our labor because we have long earned much more money than we can spend” (c)

Dolce and Gabbana abstracted away from the superstitions and prejudices of other Italian designers, rethinking and breathing new life into images that were previously considered unworthy for women - for example, geisha, lolita, etc. Confidence and irony are the main concepts in the creative union of Domenico and Stefano.
Another factor in the success of Dolce & Gabbana, in addition to combining tradition and innovation, can be called the unisex style in their collections. Fashion designers come up with clothes that combine masculine and feminine principles.
“This has nothing to do with sexual orientation, it’s just that all women have a piece of masculinity, and all men have femininity, and it’s very cool to look deeper into yourself and discover this piece” (c)
After recognition in the design field, Dolce&Gabbana did not stop, conquering new heights. In 1989, their first boutiques opened, first in Japan, then in Milan. In the same year they presented their first collection of lingerie and swimwear.
In 1990, Dolce&Gabbana presented their first men's collection. Stars such as Sting, Iggy Pop, and Woody Harrelson began ordering clothes from them. In the same year, a black bustier dress was presented in the women's collection, which has not lost its relevance over all these years.
“This dress can be considered the quintessence of Dolce and Gabbana style. We absolutely love the combination of holiness and sophistication. A corseted top is sophistication, and a handmade black shawl is naivety” (c)
In 1992, the designers released their first perfume, Dolce&Gabbana Parfum, which a year later was awarded an award from the International Academy of Perfumery.

In 1994, Dolce and Gabbana elevated the style of the Italian "mafiosi" of the 30s into a cult, with gangster striped suits and fedoras. This style gained instant popularity and recognition among men all over the world. In the same year, designers launched a second line of the D&G brand, with more affordable prices.
In 1995, at the instigation of Domenico and Stefano, the lady-like style was introduced. Elegant wool suits with three-quarter sleeves, pointed pumps, miniature handbags in the style of Grace Kelly.
In 1996, designers presented the famous Animal Prints collection, which established “animal” colors in the fashion world.
In 1997, at the show of the new Dolce&Gabbana collection, models walked along the catwalk in robes.
In 1998, the public was greatly shocked by the collection in which Dolce&Gabbana showed the image of a cyber-woman.

It's safe to say that Dolce and Gabbana made a huge contribution to the fashion industry. They are:
- they introduced fashion for artistically torn jeans, inlaid with stones and rhinestones, with rich decor in the form of embroidery and appliqués;
- turned the bra from underwear into the category of outerwear, i.e. stood at the origins of the appearance of linen style;
- made popular men's suits worn on naked female bodies;
- came up with a sexy bustier dress;
- closed black dresses of Italian widows were made an object of aristocratic luxury.

Later, Dolce&Gabbana entered into many contracts to produce a variety of fashion products (accessories, perfumes, glasses, jewelry, household goods, telephones, even two Citroen car models with interiors decorated with Swarovski diamonds). Now Dolce&Gabbana is a whole fashion empire, with branded stores in more than 80 countries around the world.

Of course, the creations of the talented duo did not escape the attention of celebrities. Among Dolce&Gabbana fans are stars of such magnitude as Madonna, Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, Monica Bellucci, Naomi Campbell, Dita Von Teese, Angelina Jolie and others.

Hot, handsome Italians, famous fashion designers with multi-billion dollar fortunes, real socialites. Of course, you already understand who we are talking about - Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the founders of one of the most expensive clothing brands in the world. The story of their scandalous relationship will be told todayAmateur. media.

First steps

It all started back in the 80s. Eighteen-year-old Domenico Dolce, a native of Sicily, the son of the owner of a large atelier, came to Milan to try his luck. Dolce told how he first saw the Milan Cathedral and began to pray that the Virgin Mary would help him become a real designer. He was interested in fashion from childhood; at the age of 6 he began helping his father, and in his free time he sewed doll costumes. Relatives jokingly called the young genius Mozart.

Dolce was fond of fashion since childhood, and his relatives called the young genius Mozart

Dolce's dreams began to come true when he joined Stefano Gabbana's atelier. True, the Milanese had to interrupt his work for some time - he went to repay his military duty to his homeland. In 1982 Stefano returned to Milan. Without thinking twice, two young men decided to start a common business and opened a salon engaged in consulting in the field of fashion. But at this time they were still separate, each working under his own name.

Dolce and Gabbana in their youth

From work to love one step

Only in 1985 did young people unite and announce the creation of the Dolce & Gabbana fashion house. But, as it turned out later, they were connected by far more than just professional relationships. In 1985, Dolce and Gabanna began to live together. At that time, the couple barely had enough money even for food, because they invested all their strength and finances in a common cause.

By 1985, young people announced the creation of the fashion house Dolce & Gabbana

In the evenings they ate rice porridge with disgust and dreamed of the times when they would become rich and famous. The beginning of their life together coincided with the release of the first collection, which, contrary to expectations, did not bring the desired success.

Love story

For a long time, the couple hid their unconventional relationship. It was only in 2000 that Dolce and Gabbana officially admitted that they had been lovers for almost 15 years. Their relationship was truly idyllic. Domenico Dolce, a calm homebody, said: “Life is beautiful, and this is its meaning. The Italian lifestyle is a carnival of successive joyful and sad events, comedy and tragedy, black and white.

In 2000, Dolce and Gabbana admitted that they had been lovers for 15 years

The main thing is to find a person with whom you would enjoy watching this carnival.” He was joined by Stefano Gabbana, an avid party animal: “You can go to a bar, see a person, exchange a few glances and spend the night, then live together for a while, only to break up. This is a routine, this is sex for pleasure, you cannot build a life on it. Being a couple is about experiencing something deeper. This is also eroticism, but it is colored by mutual trust and tenderness.”

Unexpected breakup

But the long and strong relationship still fell apart. The couple separated in 2004, stating that they both continued to love and respect each other and remained close. Dolce and Gabbana still live in the same house, but now on different floors.

Dolce and Gabbana are confident that their brands would be worth nothing separately

How they managed to separate personal and professional, Dolce shared: “Professionally, we are still together. We work great together and understand each other well. What happened in the past still exists, it continues, and will continue forever. We still love each other very much." Fashion designers are sure that their brands would be worth nothing individually, and only together they were destined to achieve success.

Scandalous quarrel

But the beautiful love story was spoiled by ugly behavior. In March 2015, a scandal erupted due to Dolce and Gabbana's statements regarding gay marriage and artificial insemination. In an interview with Panorama magazine they stated: “The family should be traditional. We also reject artificial insemination, which is contrary to nature’s design, and the ability of same-sex couples to adopt children.”

Dolce and Gabbana: “The family should be traditional”

Dolce noted that he is against families in which children are selected from a catalog and “the womb is rented.” All this was taken personally by the famous Elton John, who has been officially married to David Furnish since 2005. The couple is raising two sons born by a surrogate mother. The singer launched a large-scale campaign on the Internet, breaking out into a real tirade: “How dare you call my wonderful boys “synthetic”? Shame on you! Your archaic thinking is as behind the times as the fashion you make. I will never wear Dolce & Gabbana again."

Thousands of people began to post photos of their artificially conceived children. The careless statement boomeranged back at fashion designers, because Elton John was supported by many famous personalities, including Victoria Beckham and Madonna. After some time, Domenico Dolce, in an interview with Voque magazine, admitted that he was wrong and apologized to the singer.

Biography

Stefano Gabbana was born on November 14, 1962 in Milan. Before the birth of her son, his mother was a very beautiful, but poor woman who worked as a laundress. She had a relationship with a famous and very rich Milanese stylist and designer. As a result of this relationship, she had an illegitimate son, who was named Stefano. However, the famous father did not abandon the boy and provided him and his mother with financial support. He even took them to Milan so that they would be closer to him, but, in principle, did not take part in raising his son. In short, Stefano had a fairly prosperous childhood. He grew up to be a tall, well-built young man who had a good eye for fashion and developed his own unique style. This was primarily due to the atmosphere that reigned in the capital of Italian fashion. Every Milanese resident knows about fashion trends here.

Childhood memories

Stefano Gabbana was born with designer genes inherited from his father, but his mother also had a great influence on the formation of his tastes. She was a very stylish woman and loved to dress fashionably. Fortunately, she no longer had any financial difficulties. Her bright image remained in Stefano’s memory forever: an elegant two-piece - a cropped jacket and flared trousers in bright red. Together, beautifully dressed, they went shopping and made purchases. Having matured a little, Stefano loved to go to parties, where he cast appraising glances at women.

Favorite brand

Stefano Gabbana chose a boutique in Milan and at the beginning of each season he bought fashionable clothes there for himself. The money allocated to him by his father allowed the young man to always look stylish and fashionable. He was most attracted to the models displayed in the Fiorucci store (designer Elio Fiorucci). These were mostly bright and outrageous outfits, suitable for the wardrobe of teenagers. In those years, the guy, although he loved to dress according to the latest fashion, did not even think about the fact that someday he himself would create fashion trends and dress other people.

First steps into the world of fashion

Even as a child, Stefano drew very well. Teachers said that he had an artistic gift. The boy devoted all his free time to drawing. As a result, he had a whole collection of huge paintings and miniatures, portraits and still lifes, etc. After graduating from school, he went to study at an art college, where he began studying graphic art. As a result, he graduated from this educational institution with a diploma of a creative director, but did not work in his profession, but got a job as an assistant in one of the fashionable Milanese ateliers. It was here that he met his future partner, with whom he had a brilliant future and the creation of the world famous brand Dolche & Gabbana (Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana).

Domenico's childhood

Our hero's partner was from Sicily. He was also a fairly wealthy young man, although not rich. His father ran a clothing factory, and his mother was the manager of a lingerie boutique. However, unlike Stefano, who did not see a strict upbringing from his father, Dolce grew up under the close supervision of his parent. They rarely bought him toys, and then fashionable clothes. At the age of 6, his father brought him to the factory and involved him in work. Over time, he became a master of the art of sewing, and was also considered the best needleworker in the factory. For his virtuosity he was nicknamed Mozart.

The more involved he became, the more he enjoyed the craft. The boy made tiny dresses from scraps according to his own sketches. Everyone was sure that his future fate was predetermined, and he, like his father, would work in a factory all his life. However, Domenico wished to defy fate and entered the university, but after some time his love for art took over, and he continued his studies at art school. After this, the guy got a job in the same studio where Stefano Gabbana came after him, and Domenico soon became friends with him. After some time, the young men, so different and yet very similar, decided to unite and, in tandem with each other, make a breakthrough in the world of fashion.

Dolce & Gabbana

Their common company was founded in 1982. They rented a tiny studio for her. Young people began to organize the first shows and invested all their money in it. They didn't even have enough money for food. However, the models they created were a great success, and two years later the collection from the fashion house “Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana” made it to Milan Fashion Week (Milano Collezioni). Those present were delighted with the products of the young fashion designers. The main thing in the collection was that they seemed not too avant-garde, but not too conservative either. In a word, the guys managed to find a compromise, and everyone liked their idea.

Expansion of activities

After 3-4 years of work, the men decided to produce the Pret-a-Porter collection. As models, they chose the images of the most beautiful Italian actresses - Gina Lollobrigida and the inimitable Sophia Loren. In 1989, fashion designers took the risk of creating collections of underwear and swimwear, which were also a great success and sold out in no time. Since 1990, in addition to women's clothing, they also began to create men's looks, and in 1992 a new women's fragrance of this brand was released and immediately received recognition from the perfumers' guild. Created in the early 2000s, “Light Blue” (for both women and men) was considered one of the most popular for many years; by the way, it does not lose its relevance to this day.

The next step for the fashion designers was to open a jewelry line. It was they who introduced the fashion for wearing crowns with large stones, massive earrings with pendants, wide bracelets, buckles for belts and shoes. Today this brand is associated with luxury. That is why they became the favorite designers of oriental women - the wives of Arab sheikhs with untold wealth.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana: personal life

With the beginning of the new millennium, the topic of homosexuals has become more than relevant. If before this the news that this or that man had a non-traditional sexual orientation shocked the public, especially women, then with the beginning of the 2000s this became the order of things and no longer surprised anyone. Of course, many were interested in the relationship between famous designers who always and everywhere appear together. In 2000, Domenico openly announced that he was gay, while Stefano Gabbana, whose personal life was also shrouded in mystery, remained silent.

However, it became obvious to many that they were not only business partners, but also a couple in the truest sense of the word. However, soon the men announced that they were opponents of the legalization of same-sex marriage and “artificially” born children. Stefano also publicly announced that he wants to create a normal family and wants to have a child who will have both a mother and a father.