Sicilian-born Domenico Dolce (born in 1958) and Milanese-born Stefano Gabbana (born in 1962) met in a nightclub and began collaborating on a fashion label together, called Dolce & Gabbana, in 1982. Dolce & Gabbana swiftly expanded with the introduction of knitwear in 1987, lingerie and swimwear in 1989, menswear in 1990, bridal and perfume in 1992, diffusion line D&G in 1994 and jeans in 1995.
Dolce & Gabbana's provocative, sexy clothes, which embraced the female form in corsets, double-breasted jackets and Sicilian-inspired lace creations, found an early celebrity fan in Madonna, who wore Dolce & Gabbana for her Girlie Show tour. Dolce & Gabbana has since acquired a legion of celebrity fans including Gisele Bündchen, who married Tom Brady in a Dolce & Gabbana dress, Naomi Campbell, Kylie Minogue, Beyoncé and Scarlett Johansson, who became the face of Dolce & Gabbana the Makeup, which launched in 2009.
Dolce & Gabbana has also outfitted the Chelsea Football team and created a range of sunglasses with Madonna under the label MDG. Among the label's popular fragrances are Light Blue (whose men's scent propelled male model David Gandy into fashion superstardom), The One and D&G Feminine.
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who had dated from the early 1980s, when they met, called time on their romantic relationship in 2005. In 2011, Dolce & Gabbana announced they would no longer be producing younger sister label, D&G.
By Brogan Driscoll & Jen Barton