here . for the region in south west scotland see dumfries and galloway . it has been suggested that some portions of this article be split into articles titled stefano gabbana and domenico dolce . discuss . april 2015 dolce & gabbana s.r.l. type societ a responsabilit limitata industry retail founded 1985 in legnano founder domenico dolce and stefano gabbana headquarters milan italy area served worldwide key people alfonso dolce ceo cristiana ruella coo products clothing footwear handbags sunglasses watches jewellery perfumery and cosmetics . number of employees 3 150 parent dolce & gabbana luxembourg s. . r.l. website dolcegabbana.it dolce & gabbana italian pronunciation dolt e e ab ba na is a luxury italian fashion house 1 founded in 1985 in legnano by italian designers domenico dolce and stefano gabbana . 2 the two met in milan in 1980 and designed for the same fashion house . in 1982 they established a designer consulting studio ; in time it grew to become dolce & gabbana . they presented their first women s collection in 1985 3 in milan where a year later their store would open its doors . in 1988 they launched their leotard line and in 1989 they began designing underwear and swimming costumes . dolce & gabbana started to export their products to japan and other countries like the u.s. where they founded their own showroom in 1990 . in 1992 the same year they presented their men s collection they also launched their first perfume dolce & gabbana . they won the woolmark award in 1991 and the prize most feminine flavor of the year in 1993 . towards the end of the 1990s their sales were around 500 million dollars and in 2003 their revenue reached 633 million . by 2005 their turnover was 600 million . 4 contents 1 the design house 1.1 early history 1.2 early collections 1.3 the 1980s and 1990s 1.4 2000s 2 brands 2.1 dolce & gabbana 2.2 d & g 2.3 other lines 2.4 internet 3 partnerships 3.1 sports 3.2 products 4 advertising campaigns 5 inspirations and style 6 books 7 spaces and exhibitions 8 controversies 8.1 advertising 8.2 hong kong photo ban controversy 8.3 gay adoption and in vitro fertilisation 8.4 racism 9 legal issues 9.1 tax evasion 10 references 11 further reading 12 external links the design house edit early history edit domenico dolce born 13 august 1958 in polizzi generosa sicily began his career in the fashion industry after dropping out of a three year course in fashion design at marangoni institute believing that he knew everything the school had to teach . his dream was to work for giorgio armani so one day he carried his book of sketches over to armani s headquarters with the intention of showing the designer his work . inside the door there was a long white carpet leading to the receptionist s desk . dolce was not sure if he should walk on it with his shoes on . i am such a cretino he says . i know nothing . he decided that he would look ridiculous appearing at the front desk without shoes so he approached by sidling along the wall where he could step without sullying the carpet . he handed the book to the receptionist and to this day dolce does not know if armani ever saw the sketches . dolce found a job as an assistant to a designer named giorgio correggiari . one night at a club he met a young man named stefano gabbana born on 14 november 1962 in milan italy . dolce was impressed with gabbana s good looks and outgoing personality and gabbana was happy to hear dolce s advice on how to approach correggiari for a job . correggiari ended up hiring gabbana to work on sportswear and dolce taught him how to sketch and the basics of tailoring and in the process they became a couple . soon after his hiring gabbana was conscripted for 18 months of mandatory military service but in 1983 after his return in 1982 they had parted ways with correggiari and were living together in a one room loft where they often practised sketching . dolce we always filed two different invoices for the freelance work we did even when we were working for the same client . gabbana our accountant said why not just do one invoice for both of you put dolce and gabbana at the top . so the brand was born the brainchild of a milanese bookkeeper . 5 6 early collections edit the first collection from the design duo was shown in october 1985 3 6 alongside five other up and coming italian labels as part of milan fashion week . the two did not have enough money to hire models or provide accessories for them so they sought help from their friends . the models their friends simply wore their personal items to complement the clothing . they used a bed sheet that dolce had brought from home as their stage curtain . 7 the pair labeled their first collection real women due in part to the use of amateur local women on the runway . 6 their sales from their first collection were disappointing enough for gabbana to cancel the fabric order they d put in to create their second collection . however dolce s family offered to help meet their costs when the two visited them in sicily over christmas and the fabric company did not receive the cancellation notice in time so the fabric was ready for them back in milan upon their return . 5 they produced their next collection in 1986 and opened their first store that same year . 6 michael gross wrote of their third collection in a 1992 interview they were a secret known only to a handful of italian fashion editors . their few models changed behind a rickety screen . they called their collection of t shirt cotton and elastic silk pieces transformation . their clothing in this collection came with instructions on the seven different ways a piece could be worn in an outfit as the wearer could use velcro and snaps to alter the clothing s form . 8 their fourth collection was the first to make a significant impact on the italian fashion market . in this collection dolce drew upon his sicilian roots . the advertising campaign collection was shot by photographer ferdinando scianna on location in sicily and featured dutch model marpessa hennink in black and white pictures 9 10 inspired by the italian cinema of the 1940s . they continued the use of italian cinema as inspiration in their fifth collection drawing on the work of filmmaker luchino visconti and his film the leopard . 6 one of the pieces from their fourth collection was labeled the sicilian dress by the fashion press and was named by author hal rubenstein as one of the 100 most important dresses ever designed . it is considered to be the most representative piece of this era for the brand . rubenstein described the piece in 2012 by writing the sicilian dress is the essence of dolce & gabbana the brand s sartorial touchstone . the dress takes its cue from a slip but it s a slip that s adorned anna magnani and it s a silhouette that has graced anita ekberg sophia loren and so forth . the straps fit tight to the body just as bra straps would ; the neckline runs straight across but gets waylaid at least twice once on each side to caress each breast and in the middle to meet an uplifting tuck that s giving a gentle push up . the slip doesn t just slide down but comes in at the waist to hold the figure firmly but not too tightly and then widens to emphasise the hips only to fall with a slight taper at the knees to guarantee that the hips will sway when the wearer walks . 11 the 1980s and 1990s edit in 1987 the two launched a separate knitwear line and in 1989 they started designing a lingerie line and a beachwear line . two years later they launched their leotard line and in 1989 they began designing underwear and swimming costumes . in 1989 dolce & gabbana opened their first store in japan under partnership with kashiyama co. they started to export their products to the united states where they founded their own showroom in 1990 . in 1992 the same year they presented their men s collection they also launched their first perfume dolce & gabbana . they won an oscar for best male perfume in 1996 . towards the end of the 1990s their sales were around 500 million dollars and in 2003 alone their revenue reached 633.2 million dollars . then in 1990 they launched their first men s collection . 12 that year they also moved the design house into its first official offices and began to design gowns and other more expensive pieces in addition to their original clothing . 8 their 1990 spring summer women s collection referenced the mythological painting of raphael and the duo began to build a reputation for crystal encrusted clothing . the 1991 fall winter women s collection was also adorned by trinkets including filigree medals and embellished corsets . the 1992 fall winter women s collection was then inspired by the silver screen of the 1950s though the collection still included crystal embellished body suits . 13 by 1991 their men s collection was awarded the woolmark award for the most innovative men s collection of the year . 14 what is considered to be their first foray into international recognition came when madonna wore a corset made of gemstones and accompanying jacket from dolce & gabbana to the premiere of truth or dare in bed with madonna at the 1990 cannes film festival . the duo then partnered with madonna in 1993 to design over 1500 costumes for the artist s girlie show international tour in support of her 1992 album erotica . 12 in an interview about the costumes madonna stated that their clothes are sexy with a sense of humor like me . 8 in 1994 the house s trademark double breasted jacket was named la turlington after model christy turlington . that same year the company launched its second main line d & g a line aimed at younger individuals . in 1996 the d & g runway show only appeared only on the internet and not the runway in an experimental move towards new media . that year dolce & gabbana also designed the costumes for the film romeo juliet . 15 in terms of the film industry both dolce & gabbana appeared in the 1995 film the star maker l uomo delle stelle by director giuseppe tornatore playing minor roles as extras . they appeared in more significant cameo roles in rob marshall s film adaptation nine . 16 as stylists they also worked on the music video girl panic by duran duran . 17 in terms of their market expansion in the 1990s in 1989 dolce & gabbana signed an agreement with the kashiyama group to open their first boutique in japan . they released their first fragrance for women in 1992 called dolce & gabbana pour femme which was awarded the perfume academy s 1993 award for best feminine fragrance of the year . their first male fragrance dolce & gabbana pour homme was the recipient of the best masculine fragrance of the year award from the same academy in 1995 . 14 that year dolce & gabbana s collections caused a controversy with the british and italian press when they selected the american gangster motif as inspiration for their work . 18 dolce & gabbana transposed this fall winter 1995 inspiration onto women s wear which critics