Dolce & Gabbana showcases Arab influence in latest menswear collection

Italian couture house Dolce and Gabbana showcased Arab influence in Sicily with its latest menswear collection over the weekend, reported The National.

The Alta Sartoria menswear presentation explored the history of Arab rule on the Mediterranean’s largest island. The collection featured harem pants, embroidered slippers and flowing robes along with bejewelled accessories, all featured against a backdrop of Arabian music.

The presence of Moors, or Saracens can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and their influence is still widely noted in Sicily’s architecture, language and cuisine.

The newly arrived Arabs introduced crops such as lemons, oranges and pistachios, as well as sugarcane production, paving the way for some of the area's most famous dishes, including cannoli and cassata.

For the show, Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce crafted a story to be told on the catwalk, based on a little-known legend from Sicily’s Arab past.

Legend has it that when the Normans drove the Arabs from Sicily, they allowed the wife of Emir Ben Avert and their daughter, Calafarina, to return to their homeland unscathed. The two women arrived in Marzamemi along with 30 guards and 100 mules laden with gold and precious gems.

Using magic and trickery, the women hid their spoils in a cave near the beach, before meeting a tragic end.

This treasure still waits to be discovered, according to the legend, and Dolce and Gabbana chose to unpack this tale, featuring plenty adornment heaped onto Alta Sartoria's latest offerings.

“We took the legend of the princess and we took the jewels and put them all over the clothes,” Gabbana explained. “So it’s a very sparkling collection. It’s very unusual … a collection filled with fantasy.”

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As a result, the collection featured bejewelled body harnesses, bibs and head coverings juxtaposed with jeans. It also featured gold brocade suits, satin and lace kimonos, and velvet robes in shimmering shades of blue, paired with heaped necklaces crafted from multi-coloured crystals.

“We took inspiration from the Arabian [influence],” Dolce said. “And we want to show the audience a piece of Sicilian folklore.”