The Kardashian-Jenner clan sported numerous total-look ensembles by Dolce & Gabbana during a highly-publicised weekend in the upscale Italian resort of Portofino to celebrate Kourtney Kardashian’s marriage to musician Travis Barker.
Dolce & Gabbana also housed Kardashian and Barker on a mega-yacht and staged a portside pop-up shop to outfit onlookers and guests during the celebration, which doubled as a major marketing coup for the Italian luxury brand.
The brand denied a report by The Daily Mail describing the partnership as an exclusive sponsorship deal: Founders Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce were “hosting this happy event,” a spokesperson said.
But whatever Dolce & Gabbana may be calling the arrangement, the essentially co-branded wedding was a first for the luxury and marketing industry, and has been calibrated to generate valuable online buzz.
Kardashian’s sisters Kim and Khloé, mother Kris Jenner and half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner were photographed repeatedly ( including by star photographer Ellen Von Unwerth) wearing a mix of new and archive Dolce & Gabbana looks throughout the wedding weekend. Speedboats that ferried guests to the wedding were accessorized down to the seat cushions in Dolce & Gabbana’s most recognisable prints.
The event marks a significant milestone in Dolce & Gabbana’s long journey back into the spotlight after a series of online PR blunders, which culminated with an insensitive marketing campaign and leaked racist tirade during a 2018 visit to China. Clients in that key luxury market, as well as many influencers, editors and celebrities globally became reluctant to touch the brand.
But a fiercely devoted client base and close ties with key luxury retailers have since helped steady the business, while savvy investments in glossy magasines and efforts to dress celebrities including Cardi B, Saweetie, Tiffany Haddish and Doja Cat steadily pushed the company back into the fashion conversation.
Stefano Gabbana, the brand’s trash-talking billionaire co-founder who once called the Kardashians the “cheapest people in the world,” no longer posts on social media, allowing celebrity tie-ups and fashion shows to do the talking for the brand.
The Portofino ceremony Sunday was actually Kardashian and Barker’s third “wedding,” following a small ceremony and official courthouse proceeding in California ( both of which were also served up as social media “moments” for fans).
