The Dolce & Gabbana group has just announced that Stefano Gabbana stepped down last December as chairman of the fashion house he co-founded with his then-partner, Domenico Dolce. This departure, purely managerial in nature and widely reported in the press, comes as the Italian brand faces significant financial strain.
Dolce without Gabbana?
On April 10, Dolce & Gabbana announced the departure of Stefano Gabbana as chairman of the fashion house—now a luxury group—which he co-founded in 1985 in Legnano with his creative partner Domenico Dolce.
This resignation from the group’s presidency took place in December, with Gabbana handing over the reins a month later to Alfonso Dolce, Domenico’s brother and current CEO of the Italian brand known for its baroque style.
However, and contrary to certain persistent rumors, Stefano Gabbana has not hung up his scissors at the company.
Creative pillar of the House
Luxury is a matter of succession. The industry has already found waysto ensure that Houses survive their founders, when they were the sole creators.
But what about a creative duo that splits up? Could a House survive that, without losing its soul?
Over the course of 41 years, the two men have managed to propel their bold and glamorous vision of fashion onto the global stage and build a leading family-owned group. To the point of making their creative thread—the elegance of the Sicilian Madonna—an emblem of Italian luxury. So does Dolce without Gabbana still make sense?
The question, a critical one indeed, has begun to surface in recent days, to the point that the Italian group had to quickly deny a complete departure of the man who was one of the founders and heroes of a group that generated €1.9 billion in revenue in 2025.
“As part of a natural evolution of its organizational structure and governance, the Dolce & Gabbana group confirms that Stefano Gabbana has submitted his resignation, effective January 1, 2026, from his positions within Dolce & Gabbana Holding Srl, Dolce & Gabbana Trademarks Srl, and Dolce & Gabbana Srl,” the company stated in a press release issued on Friday.
While Alfonso Dolce has resumed the presidency of the company, Stefano Cantino, former CEO of Gucci, is reportedly being considered for a key role in the new governance of the Italian group.
“These resignations have absolutely no impact on the creative activities carried out by Stefano Gabbana on behalf of the group,” the company clarified.
A turbulent period
The official announcement of Stefano Dolce’s departure from the group’s presidency comes as, according to sources close to the matter, new discussions with creditors are set to address a refinancing of the €450 million debt. The banks, for their part, are recommending a capital injection of 150 million euros.
To bolster its liquidity, the Italian company is considering the sale of assets, including real estate, and even the renewal of licenses.
For his part, the man at the center of it all, Stefano Dolce, is exploring other options regarding his stake, estimated at around 40% of the company’s capital.
The House remains in the hands of its founders, as its creative partner, Domenico Dolce, holds an equal stake (40%). The remainder of the capital is divided among members of the Dolce family.
B Bold in its stylistic choices, Dolce & Gabbana is equally bold in its public statementsB and has not been spared in recent years by a series of media scandals.
Thus, in B 2015B , the duo saw its popularity seriously tarnished following their B statements in the Italian press regarding same-sex parent familiesB . More recently, in 2018, the Italian fashion house was forced to cancel its planned fashion show in Shanghai amid a promotional campaign that internet users perceived as racist and disparaging of Chinese culture. That same year, messages attributed to Stefano Gabbana posted on social media sparked negative reactions and led to calls for a boycott.
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Featured photo: © Dolce & Gabbana
