Dolce and Gabbana Beauty makes its debut in the United States

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have spent more than 40 years creating an Italian lifestyle brand that draws on its founders' ties to Sicily, offering a designer clothing line for men and women, a diffusion line for teens and children's products, best-selling fragrances, a full line of home goods and food and beverage offerings, and even an 'Alta Moda' collection.

Except for a five-year partnership with Shiseido, the beauty category has eluded the brand until now. Under the leadership of chief beauty officer Gianluca Toniolo, Dolce & Gabbana is entering a space that has seen rapid and exponential growth over the past decade. To celebrate, the brand hosted an elegant event in lower Manhattan in partnership with exclusive launch retailer Saks.

FashionNetwork.com spoke with Toniolo about the category's ambitious growth plan.

Held at fashion's favorite hub, Spring Studios, and co-presented with Kate Oldham, senior vice president of Saks Fifth Avenue, The brand transformed a massive studio into the world of Dolce & Gabbana by installing makeup stations, interactive product walls, seating areas covered in the brand's signature leopard, and recreating part of the makeup line's first advertising campaign, 'Il Pranzo' or 'The Lunch'. '

Filmed by Steven Klein and starring Irina Shayk and Jerry Hall, the sensual film takes place in a Sicilian villa and pokes fun at its former Italian mafia roots through a lunch where Shayk and Hall, in perfected makeup, have a mock confrontation . According to Toniolo, the project, which culminated in the launch of 80 makeup SKUs and the campaign, is due in part to its fast and agile nature.

Guests including Alton Mason posed for social media alongside Dolce & Gabbana's three beauty ambassadors: American beauty guru YouTuber Jake Warden, London-based makeup artist Naoko Scintu and London-based makeup artist, beauty editor and business content creator the Netherlands Celine. Bernaerts who interacted with the attendees.

Other guests looked professional on the spot with new makeup, interacted with a digital device and listened to the sounds of DJ Anastasia Bondarenko while sipping custom cocktails and nibbling on Italian-themed bites. One guest, a professional makeup artist, was impressed with what he saw and pointed out some quality features, such as that the eyeliners don't smudge and that the face powder contains no harmful ingredients and has a “baked” formula that keeps skin glowing. .Toniolo explained how the new division came to fruition.

“Before, makeup was not developed, it was licensed and the brand did not control the merchandising, the number of SKUs, the returns, so we took it internally to develop and elevate the positioning appropriately,” he told FashionNetwork. com.

Toniolo is the first CEO to lead the separate beauty division, which includes fragrances, makeup and skincare, which will arrive in 2025. The division now employs 300 people and has six subsidiaries: Miami for the US markets. USA and Latin America, Dubai for the Middle East. Singapore for the Asian market, and Italy, France and Spain as a joint venture.

The CEO was quick to point out that the line, which included 80 SKUs ranging from hyaluronic acid facial primers and pressed powders, dynamic eyeliners in jewel tones, a D&G logo palette with bold eye and cheek colors, shimmer lipstick and an illuminating palette. The compact face powder is entirely manufactured in Italy.

“We don't partner with an existing makeup company like before; we make all the formulations ourselves in our fragrance labs using ingredients found in Italy. No other Italian fashion brand makes their own beauty products,” she said.

Toniolo said that by the end of the year, another 100 SKUs, including SPF foundations and lipsticks, will be introduced to complete the line. The first retail partnership in the United States will be Saks, and stores like Sephora and Alta Beauty will end up stocking the line.

The Everlift Luminizer features the Devotion motif, also known as Holy Heart, taken from the brand's accessory hardware since 2015.

“It is one of our unique points that differentiate us from others. It is a unifying element in the DNA. It is recognizable to customers who know our codes,” explained Toniolo, adding: “We are a totally Italian brand and the founders manage the creativity throughout the brand, unlike other brands with multiple visions.

“Our model and attitude are the quick and agile decisions made by Stefano Domenico and me. This is how we have been able to create a company and launch the new beauty and skincare fragrance brand that will appear soon; now you know our secrets “, he added before returning to the guests.