Stefano Gabbana, the co-founder of one of Italy’s most iconic fashion houses, has resigned from his executive roles at the group he built with Domenico Dolce, as the brand navigates a luxury sector slowdown and refinancing talks with its banks.
Stefano Gabbana has resigned as president of Dolce & Gabbana, the group confirmed on Friday. The departure took effect on 1 January 2026 and covers his positions across three entities: Dolce & Gabbana Holding Srl, Dolce & Gabbana Trademarks Srl and Dolce & Gabbana Srl.
The group was at pains to characterise the move as routine rather than dramatic. “This has no impact on the creative activities carried out for the Group by Stefano Gabbana himself,” its statement said, describing the resignation as part of “a natural process of organizational and governance evolution.” Gabbana and his longtime creative partner Domenico Dolce remain at the helm of the brand’s design direction.
Alfonso Dolce, Domenico Dolce’s brother and the group’s chief executive, becomes the new president.
The financial backdrop
The governance change comes at a moment of financial pressure for the group. Bloomberg reported that Gabbana is considering options for his stake, which stands at around 40%, matching Domenico Dolce’s holding, as the company negotiates the refinancing of approximately 450 million euros of debt with its banking partners. The group is also said to be exploring asset sales, including real estate, and the renewal of licensing agreements, as part of a broader effort to raise cash and strengthen its balance sheet.
Dolce & Gabbana declined to confirm the specifics of those discussions. “Regarding the debt, the company currently has nothing to declare as negotiations with the banks are still ongoing,” its statement said.
The financial backdrop is not unique to Dolce & Gabbana. The global luxury sector has experienced a marked slowdown over the past year, driven by a combination of factors. Brands across the luxury spectrum have felt the pressure, but privately held houses like Dolce & Gabbana, without the financial cushion of a large conglomerate behind them, face those headwinds more directly.
Four Decades of Partnership
Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce founded their fashion house in Milan in 1985, initially as a small atelier that drew on the deep well of Sicilian and southern Italian aesthetics and built it into one of the most recognisable luxury brands in the world. Their personal and professional partnership defined the brand’s identity for decades, and their singular creative vision, expressed in collections that have dressed some of the world’s most prominent figures, gave D&G a cultural reach far beyond fashion.
The road has not always been smooth. The pair have faced controversy on multiple occasions. Most significantly in 2018, an advertising campaign and social media comments sparked a furious backlash in China that cost the brand dearly in one of the luxury sector’s most important markets. More recently, their outspoken personalities and the brand’s maximalist aesthetic have sat at an oblique angle to the quieter, more minimalist mood that has dominated parts of the luxury market.
Gabbana’s exit from the boardroom does not mark an exit from Dolce & Gabbana. But it does signal that the company is entering a new chapter.
