STEFANO GABBANA, DESIGNER: We buy (bought) the house nine years ago and we come just for the weekend usually because it is so close to Milan. It's just one hour, two hour(s) by car. We take the car, and we arrive with my dog. It's very relaxing. When I arrive here by boat I say, "Wow, finally!"
NARRATOR: Domenico and Stefano were romantically involved until 2005. Since the breakup, they have never stopped working together, a liaison which is the backbone of the multimillion-dollar Dolce & Gabbana brand. The relationship began in a Milanese design studio 30 years ago.
HILARY ALEXANDER, DAILY TELEGRAPH FASHION EDlTOR: When Stefano and Domenico first came on the scene, it was quite unusual to have, you know, designers as a pair, you know, a couple, for example. I think right from the beginning, it was obvious that Dolce and Gabbana were going to be a major force.
NARRATOR: Out of the passion and hard work was born the first line of women's wear.
DOMENICO DOLCE, DESIGNER: At the first show,Dolce & Gabbana Woman, we produce(d) a lot. We organize[d] a show in one small studio, and we organize[d] the show for the real woman. We didn't have money for paid model[s], and we ask[ed] all my friend[s]. We didn't have money, too, for any shoes, bag[s], belts, and all the people use[d] the personal accessory. And this (was the) way it was at Dolce & Gabbana.
NARRATOR: In the years of success which have followed, the faces of Domenico and Stefano have become synonymous with their brand. Domenico is reluctant to be photographed, but plays along9 for the photo shoot.
DOMENICO DOLCE, DESIGNER: I prefer my clothes. I work for my clothes. I don't care about Domenico Dolce. I am Domenico Dolce. I work for Dolce & Gabbana. I would like one day that people remember my label, not my face.
NARRATOR:Since today is a celebration of the past two decades of Dolce & Gabbana Menswear models will include Tony Ward and Enrique Palacios, stars of the very first campaigns.
ERIQUE PALACIOS, MODEL: And actually my first job was with Domenico and Stefano. Every time I have shared time with them, we have been on vacation or we go somewhere, it is like being with my family. Even though they're not together, they [are] still a couple. That's what I want you to understand. That's how it is.
NARRATOR: The collection represents six months of collaboration between the designers, but they do not always agree.
STEFANO GABBANA, DESIGNER: When you fight... I express myself, he express[es] himself, and I defend my opinion, and him too. I don't know. Maybe he tried to convince me to do it red and I try to convince him to make it white, and maybe in the end we do it black.
NARRATOR: VIP guests are whisked off to an after show party at the Piazza dell a Scala in Milan, where the mayor of the city has given over the town hall in honor of Dolce & Gabbana.
LETIZIA MORATTI, MILAN MAYOR: When you talk about Milan, you talk about fashion. When you talk about fashion, you talk about the big names, and Dolce and Gabbana are among those.
NARRATOR: The party seems a fitting tribute to two of the key players in Milan's foremost industry. Dolce and Gabbana are a powerhouse of design in a country where beauty and style will always be beacons of national pride.
STEFANO GABBANA, DESIGNER: Fashion is, first of all, an expression of life. You know, I put all [of] myself in my fashion. It's a mirror. It is an expression about Domenico and Stefano.
DOMENICO DOLCE, DESIGNER: I want to ask Jesus, "Why [did] you make this combination?" I don't know. I think we are destiny. I think this one desire is that me and Stefano are together.
