VMAN

HOW TO MAKE LONGEVITY INTO LEGEND

here’s to 20 years of the smart and smoldering Dolce & Gabbana man

Photography SEBASTIAN FAENA      Styling PANOS YIAPANIS

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All clothing Dolce & Gabbana

Black studded leather biker jacket S/S 1992
Black and gold embroidered jacket S/S 2001
White shirt with gold embroidery S/S 2001
White lace shirt S/S 2001
Burgundy silk boxer pants S/S 2006
Brown wool sweatpants F/W 2008
Patchwork knit cardigan (worn as scarf) F/W 1994
Green embroidered livery jacket (worn around waist) F/W 2006
Gray suede loafers S/S 2010

The men couldn’t be more different. Stefano Gabbana is Northern, Domenico Dolce Southern; the first is outspoken, the second shy and easygoing. Yet they act like a unit, even completing each other’s sentences. A design duo and fashion powerhouse, Dolce & Gabbana’s Stefano and Domenico work in tandem on every aspect of their company. The men have been inseparable since the early ’80s, and the end of their romantic liaison did little to diminish their creative output or deep friendship. Their empire was founded in 1982, and still, to this day, is one of the strongest Italian fashion voices. You can spot the duo’s bold signature instantly: unabashedly sensual, proudly Mediterranean. The men’s collection, launched in 1990, is celebrating its milestone 20th anniversary. Festivities will last all year long. Their lauded January show will be accentuated by the publication in June of a massive anthology tracing the fashion house’s history. We chatted with the design duo to discuss the evolution and future of their menswear. ANGELO FLACCAVENTO

Dolce and Gabbana existed for eight years before branching out into menswear. How did the idea for a men’s line come about?
Stefano Gabbana We basically wanted something to wear for ourselves. We were tired of the Wall Street look that was so popular at the time, and wanted something sensual, poetic, and free.
Domenico Dolce We used to call those rampant, greedy men in broad-shouldered double-breasted suits “the men with dandruff on their shoulders,” and, in reaction to them, created our very own fantasy based on Visconti’s The Leopard. Do you remember the Garibaldi scene in the film? That was our initial inspiration—we even had a red shirt in the very first collection.
Why does the island of Sicily factor so much into your work?
DD Stefano comes from the main land, from Milan, but I was born in Sicily, not far from Palermo. As a Sicilian who left the island, I initially didn’t want to have anything to do with it. I hated Caltagirone ceramics, for instance, and found macramé lace unbearable. It was Stefano who helped me to reconcile with my Sicilian side. Maybe because of this, our vision of Sicily has always been full of pathos. 
He’s Sicilian, but like you, the Dolce man left the island and began to travel.
DD Traveling is in the spirit of any self-respecting islander. Our man, therefore, traveled extensively, in both geographical and stylistic terms. He got into grunge and flower power, went to the moon, landed in Peru, and then headed to America. He sometimes took some pretty peculiar detours. To prove yourself, you often have to test uncharted waters, because that’s how you show your real strength.
SG Now though, our man has come back home to his island, and that’s where he is today, albeit with a different awareness and a new knowledge­ of the world and of himself. We’re back to our roots, with a new vision.
That vision certainly seems to have helped men reconcile themselves with their frivolous side.
DD Men have changed enormously over the last decade: they finally accept that taking care of the way you look does not mean you’re gay. Sexuality has nothing to do with dressing up or down. I believe David Beckham was the real turning point. Here you have a heterosexual man, married to one of the most beautiful women on the planet, and he has a genuine hunger for fashion that is matched by his physical appeal and charisma.
After so many years, how is it working as a duo?
DD It’s very natural, almost a habit. You cannot do all this alone: you really need someone to discuss ideas, at times fight, and finally progress.
SG By now, we couldn’t live apart. Even though we are not partners, we do still share our spare time and go on vacation together. In fact, next week we’re going to the Maldives with John Galliano, Naomi Campbell and her boyfriend, and Domenico’s boyfriend.
You recently broadcast the shows on the Internet and invited bloggers front row. Not everyone in the industry is embracing new media so readily.
SG It’s essential to be aware of new communication devices. I love technology. You cannot live in a bubble and just pretend the world hasn’t changed radically.
DD As for me, a cell phone is all the technology I need in my life. I don’t have e-mail or a computer. I definitely prefer personal contact. I’m very strictly Sicilian in that sense.
What are your best and your worst traits?
SG Domenico speaks a lot, but, as any good Sicilian, never says anything about himself.
DD Why should I?
Does Italian style still exist?
SG Absolutely. You can spot Italian style from a mile away.
DD Italians like everything well put-together and crisp and clean. It’s how our mothers educate us. In the end, it’s all their fault!
You can’t avoid la mamma in Italy, that’s for sure.
DD Exactly.

Hair Ben Skervin (Maxim MFA) 
Grooming and makeup Petros Petrohilos (Management Artists) 
Models Simon Nessman (Major) and Carlos Sander (Why Not Models) 
Photo assistants Steve Jackson and Simon Tang 
Stylist assistant Stephen Poskitt 
Set designer Max Bellhouse (The Magnet Agency) 
Digital technician Tonia Arapovic 
Production assistant Matt Eastern 
Location Spring Studios