Dolce & Gabbana stage show and Harrods takeover in major brand promotion

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Nov 3, 2017

Dolce & Gabbana staged a major event at Harrods in London on Thursday with the Italian luxury label staging an extravagant fashion show starring a cast of London millennials and a selection of exclusive product.

Dubbed The Sun in a London Night, the event was the culmination of a virtual Harrods takeover by the brand on Thursday, The store, which has a large Dolce & Gabbana concession on its designer floor, made over its windows to look like Italian markets and Sicilian puppet shows. There was also a branded Christmas tree outside the store and a fine jewellery pop-up, among other Dolce & Gabbana specials.

Walking the runway in the store’s food hall for the evening show was a cast of rock star kids, young aristocrats and other ‘It’ millennials, including Amber Le Bon, Lady Tatiana Mountbatten, Lady Kitty and Lady Amelia Spencer, Lady Alice Manners, Rafferty Law, pop star Pixie Lott, Olivier Cheshire and diving champion Tom Daley. 100 of them had been pulled together at short notice for the show.

Elitist it certainly was, but as an exercise in pre-Christmas brand awareness it was a masterstroke. Announced only last week, the show was designed to support the brand’s newly-installed Sicilian Christmas market in Harrods that features Italian Christmas treats as well as that collection of exclusive product.

Those exclusive pieces include tiaras and clothing and accessories with the word ‘Queen’ on them, items sporting Union Jack designs or other quirky/traditional motifs, as well as a sweatshirt with the slogan D&G Loves London. The ‘models’ also wore pieces we’re more used to seeing from the label, including its signature lace, sequinned jackets, floral ballgowns, brocade pantsuits and decorative sunglasses.

Dolce & Gabbana has been among the most successful luxury brands in targeting a wide age range. It has celebrated both the younger and older end of its customer base during Fashion Month with several recent runway shows having featured clients of all ages and several generations of the same family.

But this show was unashamedly millennial-focused, which is perhaps no surprise given that the designers are set to publish a picture book called, simply, Millennials.