On Thursday, news broke that Stefano Gabbana, one of the co-founders of the 41-year-old Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana, had resigned from the company in January. But the story quickly evolved: Gabbana had resigned as chair of the company and was considering options for his 40% stake of the company, but he would be remaining in a creative role alongside co-founder Domenico Dolce. Bloomberg also reported that the company is considering hiring former Gucci CEO Stefano Cantino for a senior role. The confusion over Gabbana’s role and its evolution coincides with an uncertain future for Dolce & Gabbana. Like many independent luxury brands, it has faced a slowdown, impacts from the war in the Middle East and rising costs of business, all without the backing of a major conglomerate. As luxury evolves, independent brands like Dolce & Gabbana continue to struggle compared to conglomerate giants like LVMH and Kering. David Ratmoko, founder of the Swiss modeling agency Metro Models, said he has had an inkling that changes were happening at D&G for months, based on conversations with models and other agencies about bookings from the company. But Ratmoko said Gabbana leaving his role on the business side of the company isn’t the biggest issue.Continue reading this article on glossy.co. Sign up for Glossy newsletters to get the latest on the business of beauty, fashion and pop culture.
