Photo Credits: Kārlis Dambrāns from Latvia, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
With $1.8 billion in sales, a new beauty empire, and Kim Kardashian in the front row, Domenico and Stefano are proving that maximalism still pays
by Fashion & Business Desk
In 2026, Dolce & Gabbana is 41 years old, fiercely independent, and more profitable than it has been in a decade. While Milan whispers “quiet luxury,” Domenico Dolce, 66, and Stefano Gabbana, 62, are shouting in gold, leopard, and lace — and the world is listening again.
The privately held house posted €1.8 billion in revenue in 2024 (+12%), driven not by minimalism but by couture, beauty, and a very smart pivot to Gen Z.
THE BUSINESS
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Founded: 1985 in Milan by Sicilian Domenico and Milanese Stefano.
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Ownership: 100% owned by the founders — no LVMH, no Kering, no IPO (yet).
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2025 move: After ending a 10-year license with Shiseido, D&G took beauty in-house with Dolce & Gabbana Beauty. First-year sales: €450M. The hero: Devotion perfume and the refillable Devotion lipstick (€42).
FASHION: FROM SICILY TO THE WORLD
D&G never left its DNA: black lace, corsets, rosaries, leopard, and the Sicilian widow.
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Alta Moda: Their couture traveling circus — held in Puglia in 2023, Sardinia in 2024, and Venice in July 2025 — is now the most exclusive ticket in fashion. 120 looks, all handmade in Italy, prices from €50,000 to €400,000. Clients fly in from Dubai, Houston, and Seoul. No press allowed, only clients’ Instagram.
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Ready-to-wear 2025-2026: The Fall 2025 show was a full Kim Kardashian takeover — she curated the archive, wore vintage 1990s corset dresses, and brought 50 million impressions in 24 hours. The “Kim” black slip dress (€2,200) sold out in 3 hours.
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Menswear: The “DG Logo” sneaker (€650) and tailored leopard coats remain bestsellers in China and the Middle East.
BEAUTY & LIFESTYLE: THE NEW GOLDMINE
Beauty is now 25% of the business. The brand opened Casa Dolce & Gabbana in Milan in 2024 — hand-painted fridges (€35,000), Murano chandeliers, majolica tiles. In 2025 they launched DG Martini at Harrods and a pasta line with Pastificio Di Martino.
Their real luxury play: DG Alta Gioielleria. A single high-jewelry necklace from the 2025 Venice show sold for €3.2 million to an undisclosed Qatari client.
GOSSIP & REINVENTION
D&G’s history is as dramatic as its clothes:
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The China ban (2018): After a controversial ad, the brand was cancelled in China for three years. In 2024, they returned with a Shanghai Alta Moda show and a public apology tour. Sales in China are now back to 2017 levels.
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The Kardashian effect: Kim’s 2022 and 2025 collaborations erased a decade of bad press and made D&G the most-searched brand on TikTok during Milan Fashion Week.
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Personal life: Domenico and Stefano were a couple until 2005, remain business partners and live in neighboring villas in Portofino. They have no succession plan but have said the brand will go to a foundation — not to a conglomerate.
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Family values: Domenico’s nephew now runs menswear tailoring. Their mothers still approve the pasta sauce recipe sold under the brand.
WHY DOLCE & GABBANA MATTERS TO LUXURY NOW
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Maximalism as rebellion. While everyone goes beige, D&G sells fantasy — and fantasy has a 70% margin in couture.
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Independence as strategy. No outside investors means they can do a 4-day couture show in Venice without justifying ROI.
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Heritage that sells. Sicily isn’t a mood board — it’s their childhood. Clients pay €200,000 to attend Alta Moda because they get invited to Domenico’s family church.
As Stefano posted on Instagram after the Venice show: “We don’t follow trends. We follow our heart. Our heart is Sicilian.”
In 2026, with beauty in-house, couture sold out, and Kim Kardashian wearing archival lace, Dolce & Gabbana has proved the most unfashionable idea in fashion: staying yourself — loudly — is the ultimate luxury.
