Dolce&Gabbana’s eternal and surprising return to Sicily
The essence of the island, as seen by the travellers who have explored and loved it, in the SS 2027 collection, in the run-up to the Taormina Haute Couture Days in July
The love that Germany’s finest minds have for Sicily is well known, starting with Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who – not coincidentally – is mentioned in the description of the Dolce&Gabbana collection that was showcased on the catwalk on Sunday 21 June in Milan and named ‘Sicilian Holidays’. The use of the plural is no accident: everything we know or recount about the island contains infinite cultural, historical and social facets, and it was not only Goethe who recognised them. In his 1885 book *A Journey to Sicily*, Guy de Maupassant devotes a long passage to the wonder he felt whilst visiting Segesta: ‘The temple seems to have been placed at the foot of the mountain by a man of genius who had been revealed the one spot where it ought to be built.’
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are neither writers nor art critics, but fashion designers, and their greatest source of inspiration has always been Sicily, the birthplace of the former, who in the past – jokingly, but not entirely – described it as ‘even more beloved by Stefano than by me’, even though Gabbana was born in Lombardy. The two designers and entrepreneurs proudly embrace the creative journey that began over 40 years ago: ‘For us, Sicily has never been a trend, and this collection is particularly rich because Sicily itself is rich. Every colour, every fabric, every detail tells a story woven from memory, beauty and craftsmanship’.
In difficult times such as those we are currently experiencing, incorporating the idea of a holiday right into the name does no harm – quite the contrary. After all, that is precisely what Goethe, Maupassant and countless others did: they chose an island as the destination for a journey they sensed would also be an inner one, leading to reflections on themselves and the world. The two writers undertook this physical and mental journey consciously; Dolce&Gabbana’s fashion collection allows us to embark on it with the degree of light-heartedness and awareness that best suits each of us. ‘Sicilian Holidays’ is a menswear collection, but its approach echoes that of the womenswear line and encompasses both ready-to-wear and haute couture, which will be presented in mid-July in… Taormina, of all places.
Apart from the brief mention of colours, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have chosen this season to let the clothes and accessories do the talking – and inspire dreams – whilst leaving a few strategic considerations to Stefano Cantino, co-CEO since last April. “The board of directors will meet at the end of June and some figures will be updated, such as the financial statements for the year ended 31 March,” said Cantino yesterday. “At a fashion show, there is no room for financial rumours; it is right that the focus should be entirely on creativity: this is the best way to recognise the value and history of the brand and the commitment of the founders, their families and the 6,000 people who work for Dolce&Gabbana around the world.”
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are right: Sicily, from the Val di Noto to Mount Etna (which Sicilians almost always refer to in the feminine form, because it is a mountain first and a volcano second), from Palermo to the island of Pantelleria, cannot simply be a trend or a stunning backdrop. It demands to be ‘used’ as inspiration and told only by those who truly know how to do so. It is no trivial story, as Stefania Auci said: ‘On my island, everything is a blend of traditions, an interweaving of cultures. There is an underlying ambiguity that perhaps represents its very essence and constitutes the key to its interpretation.” A key that even fashion – provided it is that of Dolce&Gabbana – can provide.
