Dsquared2 at 20 Marking Two Decades of Irreverent Italian Fashion Through a Canadian Lens
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WWDSECTION II MILESTONES Dsquared2 at 20 Marking two decades of irreverent Italian fashion through a Canadian lens. I THE DAN AND DEAN SECRET I FASHION AND FROLICS THROUGH THE YEARS I PLUGGING THE GREAT WHITE NORTH I THE BUSINESS, THE LICENSING AND MORE Dean and Dan Caten at their spring 2012 Dsquared2 show fi nale. 2 WWD FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015 SECTION II WWD.COM WWD MILESTONES Two Brothers, One Brand, 20 Years The Catens and Dsquared2 through the years. By Eleonora Molesti 1991 2007 I Launch of Potion for men I Dan and Dean Caten arrive in I The first Dsquared2 men’s fragrance. Italy from Ontario, Canada. fragrance, He Wood, launches. I Women’s footwear makes 2012 1995 its debut. I Dsquared2 opens stores I The I The first Dsquared2 flagship in Tokyo; Nanjing, China, Catens opens in Milan. and Nicosia, Cyprus. present I Launch of Potion for their first women fragrance. men’s wear I The brand licenses silk collection house ISA to produce under the and distribute underwear Dsquared2 and swimwear for men label. and women. Potion I The company renews 1996 launched its eyewear license with I Debut in 2011. Marcolin through 2017. of the first Men’s wear men’s 2013 made its debut The Milan fashion show I Dsquared2 signs a five-year in 1996. fl agship. The Los Angeles store opened in 2014. in Milan, the licensing deal with Brave Kid “Homesick for children’s wear and Andrea Canada” collection, for fall 1996. Montelpare for kids’ footwear. International Canadian Designer 2008 of the Year award and Outstanding 2000 I The company licenses Marcolin Achievement award at the first I The brothers design the for eyewear. Brave Kid produces the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards. looks for Madonna’s video I The first women’s brand’s children’s wear. I Opening of Dsquared2 boutiques “Don’t Tell Me” and 2001 fragrance, She Wood, in Barvikha, near Moscow; “Drowned World” tour. launches. Chongqing, China; the Greek island I They sign a license and I Opening of Mykonos; Porto Cervo on the island distribution agreement Dsquared2 boutiques of Sardinia; Salonicco, Greece; with Staff International, in Capri, Italy; Kiev, Baku, Azerbaijan; Los Angeles, and which is controlled by Ukraine; Istanbul; and New York’s SoHo. Renzo Rosso’s OTB Srl. Hong Kong. I Launch of the men’s fragrance Wild. 2002 2015 I Dsquared2 presents I The brand marks its 20th its first women’s capsule anniversary. collection in Milan. Eyewear 2003 was licensed I Debut of the first Madonna in to Marcolin complete women’s ready- Dsquared2. in 2008. to-wear collection, “Star 2009 D2 Fast Facts 24/07,” with a show in Milan. I Dsquared2 boutiques open in 150: Outfi ts designed for Madonna I The Catens design costumes for Cannes, France; Dubai; Singapore; and her dancers for the 2001 Christina Aguilera’s world tour. and Hong Kong (Kowloon). “Drowned World” tour and for the I They receive the Italian fashion award I The Catens are awarded the music video “Don’t Tell Me.” La Kore for best emerging designers. Canada Honour and unveil their star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 17,000: Number of timber chocks 2004 Toronto, which celebrates Canadian used to create the Milan fl agship. The Catens design an exclusive excellence in music, sport, film, TV, commemorative sneaker for the science, innovation, and literary, 10: Looks created for the opening Olympic Games in Athens. visual and performing arts. and closing ceremonies of the 2010 I Dsquared2 designs the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. 2006 Barcelona Football Club’s official I The brothers are awarded the 20th off-field uniforms. 984 feet: The distance each of annual juried Spanish fashion award the Caten brothers ran during the Aguja de Oro (“Golden Needle”). 2010 Olympic torch relay. I Juventus Football Club of Turin I The brothers design costumes for the selects Dsquared2 to design its Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 100: Number of seats at the Ceresio official off-field uniforms. Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. 7 restaurant. I Dsquared2 inks a licensing deal I They design costumes for rock band with ICR-ITF Group for fragrances. Tokio Hotel’s “Welcome to Humanoid 240: Types of wine available at City” tour. Ceresio 7. I Dsquared2 shops open in Monte 5: Number of honors and awards Carlo, Monaco, and received for their work in Canada. Shanghai. Ceresio 7 rooftop I The company bar in Milan. 1,000: Guests at the Wild party renews its licensing to celebrate the opening of agreement with Dsquared2’s Mykonos boutique in Staff International I Boutiques in Abu Dhabi; August. for 17 years. Hangzhou and Shanghai in China; I Dsquared2 moves and St. Moritz, Switzerland. 140: Relatives invited to the Catens’ into the Via Ceresio I The Ceresio 7 bar and restaurant, Christmas party at Casa Loma. building in Milan. located in the penthouse of the Dsquared2 building, opens. 26 years: The duration of the license The Paris 2011 with Staff International. shop opened I Shops open in 2014 — E.M. Beijing and Paris. I The Catens are honored with the 4 WWD FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015 SECTION II WWD.COM WWD MILESTONES Hip to Be Dsquared2 These brothers love to tell a story, and they’re anything but grim. By Alessandra Turra THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF their Dsquared2 fashion brand isn’t the only thing Dean and Dan Caten are celebrating: the designers turned 50 last December. While some might be nervous about hitting the half-century mark, for the Canadian twins, it was just another reason to throw a couple of stellar parties — a private dinner with music by star DJ David Morales at the Chalet Etoile, in Cervinia, a popular ski resort in the Italian Alps, and an extrav- aganza at Toronto’s Casa Loma, an early 20th-century Gothic Revival mansion. This is the sort of thing that de- fi nes the Caten twins — the kind of glossy, happy, somewhat wild lifestyle they both live and sell to the world through their glamorous’’ fashion col- lections. There is nothing accidental about it: This is the path the identical twins, raised in the Willowdale suburb of Toronto, intentionally picked for themselves when they moved to Italy in 1991 to seek their fortune on the European fashion scene. Dean and Dan are the youngest of nine children born to an English moth- er and an Italian father, whose deci- sion to shorten the family name from Catenacci to Caten mirrored that of scores of immigrants before him. “He knows me, I know him. We He knows me, I know him. We understand each other. — DAN CATEN, ABOUT HIS BROTHER DEAN understand each other,” said Dan, explaining the natural affinity he shares with his brother. The twins don’t just work together, sharing the same desk in their hyper-chic offi ce in the Dsquared2 building on Milan’s Via Ceresio; they also live together in London, hang out together, go on vaca- tion together: they are very much the idiomatic two peas in a pod. They have no specifi’’ c roles, either, when it comes to designing a collec- tion, approving a business plan or de- vising a new campaign. “We both feel if something works or not,” Dean said. The twins left Willowdale at 19 to attend Parsons The New School for Design in New York, but dropped out after only a semester and went back to Canada, where they joined fashion label Ports International as junior de- signers. They spent six years there, eventually becoming head designers. At that point, they decided to make the big jump, and, returning to their Italian roots, they crossed the ocean and settled in Milan, where they began developing their own fashion label in Dean and Dan Caten in their Milan offi ce. {Continued on page 6} PANSINI PAOLA PHOTO BY 6 WWD FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015 SECTION II WWD.COM WWD MILESTONES The “Charlie’s Angels” spring 2009 show. some ferocious criticism. In February 2012, ICR-ITF for fragrances and Isa for un- for instance, the designers sent out models derwear and swimwear. Hip to Be Dsquared2’’ in chic and preppy Sixties-inspired outfi ts Concurrent with Milan men’s fashion — with cigarettes. Model and actor Rick week, which Dsquared2 will open with {Continued from page 4} The tone of Dsquared2’s future shows Genest — aka Zombie Boy, famous for the a special anniversary-themed show a garage on Via Burlamacchi, in the was set. More than a runway, more than tattoos completely covering his body — was tonight at the Hangar Bicocca exhibi- city’s Porta Romana district. an occasion to present new collections, also smoking in the front row. tion space, the label will also christen “When it was too cold there, we the Caten brothers’ shows are always “We did apologize,” said Dan. “That a store in the city’s Porta Nuova district. used to move into the kitchen of our large-scale events or quasi-theme par- was too much.” “This is going to be a concept store apartment,” Dan said. ties, where the inspiration running At any rate, taking a walk on the where we can give visibility to a cer- Strongly believing in the innovative through the lineup is evident to all from wild side is part of Dsquared2’s phi- tain kind of product,” Dan said. “It’s power of their project, in 1995 they pre- the moment one sets foot in the venue. losophy, rooted, say the designers, in a a different concept for us. We like to sented their fi rst men’s collection, and “We always want to make our mes- very specifi c set of values: “Sexy, cool, work on new things.