Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana (ˈdolt͡ʃe ænd gaˈbana) is an Italian luxury fashion house.

The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana and is based in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €750 million.

Brands

Dolce & Gabbana has two central lines:

Dolce&Gabbana

Dolce&Gabbana (spelled without spaces, unlike the name of the company) specializes in expensive luxury items, is influenced more by designers and is more formal and 'timeless', responding to long-term trends rather than seasonal changes.

• Corrective eyewear
• Perfume
• Sunglasses
• Purses
• Ready-to-wear

D&G

D&G is a slightly more casual line that follows an urban inspiration and attempts to set trends rather than follow them. It is the younger, more flamboyant line of the brand.

• Timepieces
• In 2005–2006, a limited line of 1000 golden D&G Motorola RAZR V3i mobile phones was distributed by D&G boutiques and major Motorola retailers.
• They have been voted U.K's best luxury brand.

Boutiques

U.S. stores and locations

There are six freestanding Dolce & Gabbana boutiques in the United States in:

• New York City, New York
• Beverly Hills, California
• Las Vegas, Nevada
• Americana Manhasset on Long Island, New York
• Bal Harbour Shops in Bal Harbour, Florida
• The Mall at Short Hills in Short Hills, New Jersey

Dolce & Gabbana also has kiosks in several department stores, including Bergdorf Goodman, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, and plans to expand into the American cities of Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

Latin America stores

Brazil

• Sao Paulo
• Rio de Janeiro

Mexico

• Mexico City
• Cancún

Chile

• Santiago
• Viña del Mar

Argentina

• Buenos Aires
• Mar del Plata

Colombia

• Bogotá

Panama

• Panama City - Soon

Canada

Dolce and Gabbana is also sold c/o Holt Renfrew department stores at 3 locations in Canada as well as Harry Rosen and La Maison Simon (Vancouver & Toronto – Bloor Street).

• Montreal
• Toronto
• Vancouver

Controversy

Advertising

Dolce & Gabbana was publicly criticized by Britain's advertising watchdog Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in January 2007, for an advertising campaign showing models brandishing knives.

Following complaints from consumers' groups in February 2007, Dolce & Gabbana pulled an advertisement in Madrid, Spain and Paris, France that showed a man holding a woman to the ground by her wrists while a group of men look on. Spain's Labour and Social Affairs Ministry branded the campaign as illegal and humiliating to women, saying the woman's body position had no relation to the products Dolce & Gabbana were trying to sell. Italian publications followed suit, banning the ad.

Armani feud

In January 2009, Giorgio Armani said Dolce & Gabbana copied a pair of his silk trousers for Milan Fashion Week. Dolce & Gabbana refuted with the statement, "For sure we have much to learn - but certainly not from him."