Dolce & Gabbana is now the first Italian fashion house that has brought its beauty department in-house. CEO Mario Dolce & Gabbana stated Tuesday that this would help strengthen the connection between fashion and beauty, and also allow them to reach younger customers.
Alfonso Dolce, CEO, stated that developing products with a new Milan team will allow for more creative tie-ins to runway collections. This will “create a more global and transversal experience” that will bring the brand closer to not only our loyal customers but also new Gen Z clients.
Milan Fashion Powerhouse, a fashion giant, made the decision after the Shiseido licensing agreement was terminated last summer. This is the latest in a string of licensing agreements Dolce&Gabbana entered since launching fragrances thirty years ago.
While luxury fashion brands have had beauty sections for a long time, only a few, such as Chanel and Dior manage the manufacturing and distribution in-house. Although fragrance has been the beauty standard-bearer for many fashion houses, cosmetics have become a more viable option to reach younger customers. Gucci and Hermes offer their runway color palettes in beautifully bottled nail varnishes.
Gianluca Toniolo (new operating chief executive at Dolce&Gabbana Beauty and former managing director of LVMH global retail fragrance and cosmetics) stated that Dolce&Gabbana aims for cosmetics to grow from 2% to 15% within five years after the 2023 launch.
Retail sales of beauty products are currently worth 1 billion euros annually.
This new division will include fragrances, which make up the majority of current business, as well as cosmetics and skincare. Next year will see the launch of the first new fragrances, and cosmetics will follow shortly.
Toniolo stated that the first goal of Dolce & Gabbana’s beauty category is to establish a strong relationship with fashion. Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce are in the same fashion industry, so we can communicate in the same language and transmit the stylistic canons in beauty. “
The brand will be able to reposition its beauty products with selected retail partners who sell its fashion. It will also expand geographically by introducing Dolce&Gabbana cosmetics into countries where they are not sold.
Dolce & Gabbana’s beauty expansion plans are in line with other areas, such as home design. These will be revealed at the Milan Furniture Fair in June.
Alfonso Dolce stated that the new businesses offer “a chance for the brand to communicate with customers in a new manner.”
