For designers Dean and Dan Catan, the D25 capsule collection is a celebration of Dsquared2’s past and new beginnings. Here, we go one-on-one with the two creative legends to find out more!
Founders of Dsquared2, Dean and Dan Caten with iconic Colombian singer Maluma in head-to-toe Dsquared2.
As brothers, working side-by-side, how does it feel to celebrate the 25th year of Dsquared2?
We started celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Dsquared2 on January 10th in occasion of the FW20 runway! We went through “Dsquared2 icons” and revealed their evolution over the years.
Preparing this collection was like “telling our first 25 years story” to which there is no end…and in another 25 years, we will have gone through other changes and evolutions that we are sure people will notice, appreciate and celebrate with us! We treasure of our past, our origins and we look ahead to the future, in 25 years and more, but always together, with the same motivation we always had, and we still have!
D25 Full Print Jacket from the 25th Anniversary Capsule Collection.
Tell us about this amazing anniversary capsule and how it honors the brand’s 25 years of fashion.
We wanted to present a brand-new capsule collection expressing the true spirit of the brand in occasion of its 25th anniversary. The collection is composed of key and timeless pieces, including ready to wear, underwear, swimwear and accessories for men, women and children that express the spirit and attitude of the brand.
Print, a signature code in all Dsquared2 collections, is focused on two main themes for this anniversary. Actually, the two prints in the collection – “D25” created around the main color-story of red and black and the numeric “95:20 Dsquared2” logo – are reinterpreted through the anniversary numerology: the D25 and 95:20 logos recall directly the brand, its values, its aesthetic and above all, Dsquared2 history of past and present.
D25 Active Windbreaker and Active Hooded Sweatshirt from the 25th Anniversary Capsule Collection.
In fact:
- 1995 represents the first Dsquared2 ready-to-wear men’s collection – Homesick Canada Collection – the year that coincides with the founding of the brand.
- 2020 represents the brand’s 25th anniversary.
- the 95:20 digital logo, designed like a clock, recalls the brand’s founding year and the time since then until today.
Of all the collections and designs, is there one that resonates most deeply with each of you?
All of our collections are like children; therefore, we cannot choose!
Celebrated artist Madonna dressed in custom Dsquared2 during her Drowned World Tour in 2001.
With a history of “iconic Dsquared2” moments, from Naomi Campbell’s famous opening walk for Fall 2004 to legends like Madonna, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Lenny Kravitz and Justin Timberlake propelling the brand forward, is there one key moment that stands out the most?
We have been honored to collaborate with famous top models and important artists so far, and all of them have always given us so much professionally and personally. Everyone has a special story and we established a very unique connection with all of them. All of the amazing people we have worked with interpreted Dsquared2 their way, adding personality and charisma to every single item they wore.
But the moment that was game changer for us was dressing Madonna, she had been our first celebrity. Madonna is definitely “the icon” of pop music, but also of fashion. She is a powerful and glamourous muse, a strong woman and an amazing performer. These are the reasons why we had to create something extraordinary for her “Don’t Tell Me” music video and her Drowned World Tour! We have to say it has been intense work: we had very short timing to conceive the idea, produce it and ship it to the United States—but as she is source of inspiration, creativity ran by itself!
An iconic Dsquared2 custom design for Britney Spears during her Circus Tour in 2009.
How do you both maintain your pulse on pop culture?
We take inspiration from everything that surrounds us, and we just transform positive feelings into creative ideas!
How is the brand connecting with ‘Gen Z’ consumers? In other words, how do you build a new generation of loyalty?
We try to keep the brand connected to the world thanks to social media and being creative in the way we do it. We are really active at this point, trying to keep up with the times. For example, this year we launched Dsquared2 App, Tik Tok and we are now using Reel—a new format for videos on Instagram!
Superstars Karolina Kurkova and Naomi Campbell showcasing Dsquared2’s first women’s runway collection from the Fall/Winter 2003 Runway collection.
From your first runway show in 1995 to your most recent 2020 show, how has the fashion space evolved and how do you continue the dialogue given today’s unique challenges of connecting with clients and fans?
Our vision in fashion is to create innovative yet wearable clothes for people like us who work, play and party. It doesn’t really matter how old you are, what’s important is to wear clothes that make you feel perfect and at ease day and night. We have always tried to combine denim with more sartorial pieces to give a more classical twist.
Our collections are and have always been a seamless melding of contrasts: sporty and glamorous, laidback and extravagant, masculine and feminine. We have always been true to ourselves. We think it’s always been what we like. It just evolved, it got broader, we covered more occasions, from formal to sport…now you can go to the beach…go to the disco…go to the Oscars—wherever you want to go, we’ve got something for you. We’ve got it covered.
Women’s campaign look from the D25 Anniversary Capsule Collection.
Speaking of challenges, how have these last six months impacted your relationship as brothers and designers/owners of the Dsquared2 brand?
In the past months, we have used this time as one of reflection and to truly consider what is most important in life. We’ve acted according to ‘The Three As’: Acceptance, Appreciation, and Adapt. You need to accept the situation, appreciate what you’ve been given and be grateful, and adapt to a new way forward.
We never stopped doing it, but we had the possibility for the very first time to also take a breath and reassess our lives and our work. Our hope is that everyone is able to find some type of inspiration from this moment, as this is a huge chance to re-evaluate everything. We can just be very focused and more creative than ever, keeping in mind exactly what we are, looking at our brand identity and trying to figure out how to stay relevant and to communicate everything in the best way with our community.
Dean and Dan Caten at Bal Harbour Shops during The Official Miami Super Bowl Host Committee VIP Party in January 2020.
As we know you have had the opportunity to visit Bal Harbour Shops, is there a particular favorite or fond memory you have with us?
We can definitely remember when we came in January 2020 in occasion of the Super Bowl and for presenting the capsule designed exclusively for Saks Fifth Avenue!
As you know, we love Miami and we like to spend time here when we have the chance!
Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2020 Men’s and Women Runway looks.
Can you walk us through three key pieces every Bal Harbour shopper needs this season?
For the FW20 collection, which was our 25th Anniversary collection, we redesigned iconic pieces from the archive by playing with proportions—super tight and shrunken or oversize—with a tactile washed look and feel in warm, earthy tones. Key pieces for women are leather mini dresses, shearling bomber, western fringes and suede boots; whereas for men key pieces include Twin Pack Straight Leg Sharpei Jeans, oversized coat faux fur or camouflage and calf leather western boots.
Dean and Dan Caten childhood photo taken in Canada circa late 1960’s.
As brothers, creative geniuses and business partners, is there something specific that the two of you are most proud of and could share with us?
We are a team, we do everything together, we complete each other, and we would not function one without the other as Dsquared2 is all about two creative forces coming together!
Even if we have a different personality we have never been “one”, we cannot think of one of us without the other…and we definitely do everything together. We never make a decision if one of the two of us does not agree, and in this case, we always find a compromise!
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