Shortly after Dolce's hiring, Gabbana was drafted for 18 months of civil service at an institution for the mentally ill, but after his return, the two created a design consulting business.

The collection's advertising campaign was shot in Sicily by photographer Ferdinando Scianna and featured Dutch model Marpessa Hennink in black and white pictures reminiscent of Italian cinema from the 1940s.

The dress is considered to be the epitome of Dolce & Gabbana's style, with a slip-like silhouette that emphasizes the figure and flares out at the knees to create a swaying motion when walking.

The straps fit tightly to the body just like those of a bra; the neckline runs straight but is pinned at least twice, once on each side, to caress the two breasts and in the middle to meet an uplifting fold that provides slight support.

That same 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.

The following day, a public exhibition was held which included a room with several dozen televisions piled haphazardly upon each other, each displaying a different collection from the design house's twenty-year history.

[42] In 2019, Dolce & Gabbana extended its size range up to UK 22, making them one of the first luxury fashion houses to move towards body positivity and inclusivity for women.

[44][45] Dolce&Gabbana collaborated with the British-American designer Harris Reed to present Somali model Iman Abdulmajid at the 2021 Met Gala fashion event in New York City.

Iman, who faced institutional racism as a model, and founded a cosmetics line for women of color in 1994, was seen as an ideal collaborator to create a statement on the red carpet.

Dolce&Gabbana (spelled without spaces, unlike the name of the company) is a luxury fashion brand that draws inspiration from high-end designs and specializes in timeless and formal products that respond to both long-term trends and seasonal changes.

Since its first runway show, Dolce&Gabbana has presented new collections at Italian landmarks such as Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Piazza San Marco in Venice or Temple of Concordia, Agrigento.

The collection presented four themes: Leo, Zebra, Blu Mediterraneo, and Carretto, featuring a variety of furniture and interior accessories such as table ornaments, chandeliers, cabinetry, textiles, and other home decor items.

[112] The Casa brand's products were created through collaborations with Italian artisans, including Venetian furniture experts such as Barovier & Toso, Mian, I Dogi, Venini, Barbini, Salviati, and Tessiture Bevilacqua, who provided their procedural knowledge to the company.

[123] The "Sicily is My Love" collection, features products such as refrigerators, ranges, and small appliances adorned with illustrations reflective of Italian culture and Sicilian themes.

[125] Starting in 2021, Dolce&Gabbana collaborated with Sicilian dessert maker, Fiasconaro, to produce a line of Christmas panettone pastries wrapped in colorful tins and D&G gift bags.

[130] British designer Matty Bovan showcased his collection at Milan Fashion Week, marking his debut on the Italian schedule, thanks to the sponsorship of Dolce & Gabbana (D&G).

[131] After discovering Bovan's work on Instagram, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana provided him with financial support, design team assistance, and access to their archives.

[136][137] In this collaboration, Koizumi integrated Dolce & Gabbana's renowned Carretto print into his designs, merging his unique aesthetic with the brand's iconic patterns.

[137] The debut commercial for Dolce&Gabbana's first women's fragrance, starring Monica Bellucci and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, ran for several years in Italy.

[140] Dolce&Gabbana has worked with numerous photographers and filmmakers on their advertising campaigns, including Giampaolo Barbieri,[141] Michel Comte,[142] Fabrizio Ferri,[143] Steven Klein,[144][145] Steven Meisel,[146] Mert + Marcus,[147] Jean Baptiste Mondino,[63] Ferdinando Scianna,[148] Giampaolo Sgura,[149] Mario Sorrenti,[150] Sølve Sundsbø,[151] Mario Testino,[152] Giuseppe Tornatore, and Mariano Vivanco.

Dolce & Gabbana is known for trademark styles such underwear-as-outerwear corsets and bra fastenings gangster boss pinstripe suits, and extravagantly printed coats.

[157][158] In January 2016, the design house launched a high-end fashion line aimed at affluent Muslim women, featuring a collection of hijabs and abayas printed with daisies, lemons, and roses.

Spain's Labour and Social Affairs Ministry branded the campaign as illegal and humiliating to women, saying the woman's body position had no relation to the products Dolce & Gabbana was trying to sell.

[204] In an interview on 16 March 2015, issue of Italian magazine Panorama, Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce caused controversy when they remarked, "We oppose gay adoptions.

Celebrities, including Elton John, Madonna, Victoria Beckham, Ricky Martin, Martina Navratilova and Courtney Love, were among those expressing anger over the remarks.

"[211] In November 2018, Dolce & Gabbana released a series of videos on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter profiles, as well as its Sina Weibo account in China, featuring a Chinese model with her eye intentionally narrowed,[212] dressed up in the brand's garments and accessories and clumsily attempting to use chopsticks to eat Italian food in a pretentious way.

[215] Social media outcry was further exacerbated by a screen capture of racist comments alleged to have been made from the D&G co-founder Stefano Gabbana's Instagram account.

[216] Later Dolce & Gabbana claimed on Instagram that both the brand's and the designer's accounts had been hacked, also issuing a video where they apologized for the ads and asked for forgiveness from the Chinese people.

"[217][218][219] Stefano Gabbana complained about removing the videos from the internet and called China the "Ignorant Dirty Smelling Mafia", adding that it was a "country of shit" and "feel inferiors" in the message.

[229][230][231] Following the cancellation of their 2018 show in China, Dolce & Gabbana filed a lawsuit against fashion watchdog Diet Prada, claiming defamation by the bloggers who reposted anti-Asian comments made by one of their designers.