Dolce&Gabbana: From the Heart to the Hands

The many influences of Italian culture on fashion powerhouse Dolce&Gabbana.

From the Heart to the Hands pays tribute to the values of Fatto a Mano (hand-made), an essential part of Dolce&Gabbana since its founding in 1985. The book brings together a unique collection of Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria garments, exquisite jewelry, and archival treasures for the first time.

Curator Florence Müller explores Dolce&Gabbana’s Italian heritage and the enduring influence of Italian culture in inspiring some of the brand’s most iconic and innovative collections. The book’s ten chapters—handcraft, artistic glass, the leopard, devotion, the workshop, architecture, the white baroque, Sicilian traditions, goddesses and opera—combine runway and editorial photography with images of art, architecture, movies, and artisanal craft. An open love letter to Italian culture and Dolce&Gabbana design, this project serves as a translation of Domenico Dolce’s and Stefano Gabbana’s ideas, from the heart through to their realization by hand. Behind-the-scenes images reveal the intricate fabric inlays, leatherwork, embroidery, lacework, crochet, beadwork, and multitude of other techniques that brings each garment to life.

An internationally renowned art and fashion curator, professor, and author, Florence Müller has held the positions of Director and Curator at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and of Curator of Textile Art and Fashion at the Denver Art Museum. An esteemed professional with fifty years of experience in the luxury industry, Franco Cologni is president of Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and cofounder of the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship. Alberto Rocca is a fellow at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana Library in Milan, director of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, and director of the Class of Borromean Studies.