Love , Actually

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana put a new spin on couture culture in the Land of the Rising Sun.

- Windy Aulia

At a closed-door press conference on the 37th floor of the Park Hyatt Tokyo, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana preached passionately about being ambassadors of Italian culture. From Sicily to Palermo, Napoli to Rome, they have been building their namesake brand by drawing inspiration from Italy’s “La Dolce Vita” spirit. “Fashion as cultural exchange,” said Dolce. He then went on to talk about the philosophy of the Alta Moda collection, while Gabbana explained why the brand was holding yet another Alta Moda showing in Japan—the previous one, held last April, was their first visit to Japan after nearly 30 years. But, so much has changed since then.

For a start, the House’s cosmetic arm has changed hands and is now under Shiseido, the Japanese beauty giant. This move will benefit the Italian House in growing its makeup and skincare lines, following in the success of Dolce&Gabbana’s fragrance selections, which have become household names (who can forget the famous Light Blue campaign of a virile David Gandy lying on a boat in Capri?).