Half of the Dolce & Gabbana design team, Stefano Gabbana, has spoken-out to WWD.
The Italian designer doesn’t understand why stores put fur coats on display in warm summer months and then highlight bikinis when it’s freezing out. Similarly, he said that he takes issue with magazine shoots and ad campaigns that show skimpy swimsuits during ski season or a sexy dress on the cover that can only be bought two months later when it’s available in stores.
He continues by saying that the fashion system over the past two to three years has become drugged — “The problem is that the consumer who purchased a new dress at full price will feel tricked to see that same item discounted only a month later. We’re rationalizing costs with the same mentality of a family on a budget forced to cut back on the movies or the weekly supply of Parmesan cheese they put in the shopping cart. Collections need to be smaller and more focused.”
Given Gabbana’s feelings it comes as little surprise that he and his partner Domenico Dolce have decided to cut back on the number of collections they produce each season. Beginning with Spring 2009, they will eliminate the collection between pre-fall and their runway line, saying, “this is the real service we can do to our customers and we’re all in this together.”
