Stefano Gabbana, 43, is one half of Dolce & Gabbana, the Italian design duo renowned for creating clothes that ooze sex appeal. Their predilection for animal prints, lace and slick suiting has won fans as diverse as Isabella Rossellini, Madonna and the Duchess of York. The label, which started 21 years ago, is one of the few major brands not to have been swallowed up by a fashion conglomerate and today it has an estimated annual turnover of £600 million. It’s an empire that includes womenswear, menswear, the diffusion range D&G, childrenswear, accessories, perfume and lingerie. Stefano Gabbana lives in Milan.
I didn’t grow up with clothes like Domenico [Dolce] did: his father was a tailor. My mother liked fashion but she didn’t follow it religiously. I loved Fiorucci designs, which I would buy from second-hand markets. My mother hated me doing that; it’s such an un-Italian thing to do. She thought it was unhygienic. It was the early Eighties and those American-style shops sold ripped jeans, Shetland sweaters, Hawaiian shirts and military jackets.
I got into fashion by chance; I was working for an advertising agency in its graphic design department but ended up doing a placement with a fashion designer I knew. It was during the Eighties boom and fashion in Italy was really kicking off.
As a design team, Domenico and I have a similar vision but we also approach things from a different perspective. For example, we both love things that are sexy, it’s just that our vision of what is sexy is very different. I love a mini dress whereas Domenico is a proper tailor and prefers something a bit more structured. I’m more instinctive whereas Domenico is more reflective and cares a lot for details. We’re like yin and yang but that’s what works for us.
Since the Eighties, when we launched our label, fashion has changed enormously. It’s now a huge business but there are also plenty of people who masquerade as designers when in reality they’re no more than skilled PR or marketing men. There are a few great talents though. I admire the work of Alber Elbaz, Nicolas Ghesquière, Olivier Theyskens and Alexander McQueen among the new generation and, in Italy, Armani and the late Gianni Versace. They all have a vision and style that is consistent and that really shows.
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I love English fashion. For me it’s the one nation that has an extravagance that no other country possesses. In Italy, people dress in a very conservative way, which is ironic when you consider that most of the world believes that Italians are flamboyant dressers. There are so many things you must and musn’t do in Italian society. For example, women just don’t go bare-legged: my mother would be horrified by that. In England your culture is more liberating. There isn’t that irreverence here, although I don’t want to deny our fabulous heritage, which goes back to the Romans. Style is part of our DNA.
What I hate about fashion is the power games. Also, while I love women full stop, many — especially those in the public eye — don’t seem to bother to develop their own style. They flit from one designer to the next, always embodying someone else’s vision. I’m not suggesting that you should always be dressed by the same designer but you need to let your style evolve. When you mention Audrey Hepburn, you immediately have an idea of how she dressed and the items of clothing that she wore, which is not always the case today.
I don’t think much of Sophia Loren posing for the recent Pirelli calendar. What was that all about? I mean, she is a beautiful woman but a beautiful elderly woman. You need to know when to say enough is enough and make room for the next generation. Speaking of which, as much as I love my job and live and breathe it, I’m not going to be doing this for ever. There are a fair few years left yet but, unlike some designers who plough on long after they should, I’m going to put someone young, creative and energetic at the helm, whom Domenico and I will oversee and give advice to.
My romantic split with Domenico was difficult at first, but then again, how could you expect it not to be? We had lived, worked and loved in a very intense way and then things changed. It took a while to work out how to work alongside each other and to develop a friendship that was full of platonic love.