Dolce & Gabbana once again turns to Steven Meisel for Autumn 2026, revisiting the Sicilian codes, black, lace and tailoring that define its identity.
Dolce & Gabbana is once again looking to one of the key figures responsible for shaping its visual identity. The Italian fashion house has once again chosen legendary American photographer Steven Meisel to shoot its Autumn 2026 campaign, extending a creative partnership that began more than three decades ago and has produced some of the most recognisable imagery in the maison’s history.
The relationship between Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana and Steven Meisel dates back to the Autumn 1989 season. Since then, the photographer has played a fundamental role in translating the brand’s universe into images, characterised by an unmistakable combination of sensuality, Italian tradition, Sicilian references and cinematic drama.
For the new campaign, Meisel returns precisely to those essential elements. Rather than attempting to radically transform Dolce & Gabbana’s visual language, the photographs celebrate the codes that have shaped its personality for decades, while reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens.
Black takes centre stage. Deeply associated with the house’s aesthetic, the colour serves as the connecting thread throughout a proposal featuring some of its most emblematic signatures: lace, religious symbols, tailoring and references to Sicily.
The intensity of black is punctuated by carefully considered touches of colour through the accessories. Burgundy is particularly prominent, introducing depth and breaking up the uniformity of an intentionally dark palette.
This approach connects directly with one of Dolce & Gabbana’s greatest historic strengths: its ability to transform elements deeply rooted in Italian culture into internationally recognisable luxury codes. Rather than distancing itself from the house’s past, the campaign demonstrates how those symbols can continue to feel relevant within today’s fashion landscape.
The menswear offering follows a parallel direction while developing a distinct personality of its own. The Dolce & Gabbana Autumn 2026 menswear collection focuses on building the wardrobe around several key pillars: tailoring, knitwear and denim.
The sartorial looks revisit Dolce & Gabbana’s long-standing fascination with a polished and clearly defined vision of masculinity, while knitwear and denim introduce a more relaxed, everyday dimension. The combination expands the house’s vocabulary without sacrificing the sophistication traditionally associated with its menswear collections.
One of the project’s defining elements lies precisely in the relationship between the menswear and womenswear campaigns. Both operate as independent productions, yet they have been conceived to maintain an ongoing dialogue between femininity and masculinity.
This duality has formed part of the company’s creative and commercial strategy for decades. Although Dolce & Gabbana originally launched as a womenswear brand more than 40 years ago, its universe quickly expanded into menswear, eventually developing two distinctive propositions built around a shared creative vision.
Stefano Cantino, co-CEO of Dolce & Gabbana, previously highlighted the strength of this structure, noting that Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have a very strong point of view when it comes to both genders.
