Dolce & Gabbana names co‑CEO

Dolce & Gabbana named Stefano Cantino co-chief executive on April 13, putting the former Gucci boss alongside Alfonso Dolce at the top of the company. (ansa.it) The company said Cantino will work with Alfonso Dolce, who had been serving as chairman and chief executive after co-founder Stefano Gabbana stepped down as chairman in January 2026. (reuters.com) Cantino arrives with senior posts at Prada Group, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, where Kering named him chief executive in October 2024 and installed him in the role from January 1, 2025. (wwd.com) Dolce & Gabbana cast the move as a management change, not a creative one: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana remain in charge of the brand’s creative direction. Alfonso Dolce is Domenico Dolce’s brother and has long overseen the business side. (rte.ie) The appointment lands as luxury groups are reshuffling leadership during a slower market, with brands under pressure to tighten operations, sharpen distribution and protect margins. Reuters reported Dolce & Gabbana is also in debt talks with creditors and weighing asset sales, including real estate. (reuters.com) That makes the co-chief executive structure look less like a symbolic hire and more like a thicker management layer around a founder-led house. Bloomberg reported the change followed Stefano Gabbana’s departure as chairman and came as the company considered funding options. (bloomberg.com) Cantino’s résumé is unusually weighted toward brand building and corporate management rather than design. WWD said Gucci first hired him from Louis Vuitton as deputy chief executive in 2024 to reinforce its management bench during a turnaround push. (wwd.com) For Dolce & Gabbana, the immediate picture is clearer than the long-term one: the founders keep the aesthetic control, while Cantino joins Alfonso Dolce to run more of the company’s day-to-day machinery. (wwd.com)