The designers guide the cultural icon through three decades of legacy and a fashion journey that’s lived – and dressed – like the ultimate party.

“All the young people,” Dean and Dan Caten respond in unison when asked who wears Dsquared2. They do that a lot – jumping in to finish each other’s thoughts, making it almost impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. They’re in perfect sync. But then again, they have to be. For the past three decades, the twins have steered their brand to the top of the industry, not just through headline-grabbing pieces – the infamous skate boots now enshrined in shoe history, spring to mind – but through an unerring sense of cultural relevance. Thirty years on, their brand remains as restless as it was on day one. In a world that’s aged around them, Dsquared2 still feels like the party that never ends. 

Perhaps that’s why they retain such a strong connection with younger generations. A generation that was in school when, in 2008, Rihanna pulled up to their runway in a muscle car, or when Bill Kaulitz thrashed inside a cage in 2010.  Through social media, the brand continues to resonate with new audiences. It’s not hard to understand why: long before fashion week became a celebrity spectacle, Dean and Dan were writing the rules the industry now lives by. Their 30th anniversary show, staged in February in Milan, was the ultimate testament to that philosophy – a pop-culture candyland. 

Rapper/singer Doechii opened proceedings – just three weeks on from winning her first Grammy – jumping down from an army tank before taking off running downstage. However, before the commotion settled, a star-studded crowd followed suit. Model Alton Mason arrived in crystal denim pants, followed by his fellow runway mainstay Amelia Gray in her best Cher drag. Naomi Campbell would, ostensibly, close the show in a skin-hugging leather bodysuit. But, suddenly, red and blue lights flared as a police car became the next vehicle on the catwalk. Out stepped a Dsquared2 vision of a cop. An altogether sexier remix of the getup of those patrolling New York streets – complete with leather trousers, boots and a red lip. It was Brigitte Nielsen.

She hauled a handcuffed Dean and Dan from the car and slammed them against the hood before escorting them down the runway. It wasn’t merely a fashion presentation, but a cultural eruption. But, then again, how else could one celebrate the legacy of the Caten twins?

For all the fascination the TikTok generation has with Dsquared2, the feeling is mutual. Even as veterans of the industry, Dean and Dan still design with a thread of what they call “teenage courage.” As Dan puts it, “You can never let go of that eagerness.” That spirit pulses through their clothes. The brand’s codes are as sexy as they are playful: denim torn and frayed, leather and lace twisted into kinky silhouettes. They’ve created a visual lexicon that is character-driven. Cowboys, club kids, leathermen, bombshells, jetsetters. Dsquared2 is instantly recognisable, easily covetable. And just as their clothes conjure these larger-than-life characters, their shows bring them to life in the flesh.

Sometimes the twins escape the runway. Like today, huddled together in Milan, at the mercy of Nielsen once again. This time, a video call separates them, and there’s no uniform,  but the energy is the same: she keeps them in line. The three laugh along as they discuss the perils of celebrity dressing, the worst thing that’s happened at one of their shows, the influence of club culture and what pair of Dsquared2 heels Prince would wear if he was resurrected for one of their iconic parties.

Brigitte Nielsen: Hi, how are you, my twin-y, gorgeous boys? 

Dan: We’re great! 

BN: How is Milan?

Dean: It’s raining. Where are you?

BN: I’m in gorgeous Marbella, and it’s sunny and it’s warm. I would imagine it’s like Cyprus.

Dean: Oh, nice, nice.

BN: We last saw each other at your most amazing 30th anniversary mega show…

Dan: Where you killed it.

BN: I’m so appreciative. I feel so lucky I’ve had the chance to know you. You really made a huge impression on me. The show was outstanding: bigger than life, exotic, dangerous. But then the two of you are so kind, humble and down to earth. I was very taken aback. How do you manage to be so sweet?

Dan: Well, first of all, you are a star. We adore you.

Dean: We have five sisters who sort of educated us on being polite. There’s also this Canadian quality about being cautious, courteous and polite.

Dan: It doesn’t make you any better if you’re mean to people. It doesn’t get you anywhere. You can treat people like you want to be treated. So we’re just very down-to-earth and straightforward.

BN: I also noticed that, because it was a huge production, you have a lot of people on set, and everyone was so wonderful to be around. Your show was incredible. You had so many icons there. What was the best moment?

Dean: The energy between all the people. Each one gave everything to be their very best. It was amazing for us because, in a weird way, we felt like these people were happy to be there, they were doing this for us, and they kind of loved us. It’s the kind of magic that you can’t organise.

Dan: We’re fortunate to be able to attract those people. Maybe it’s the kindness that makes them want to give back to us. And I think they did. Everybody, including you. I mean, you killed it with that closing scene.

BN: How did you come up with an idea like that?

Dan: We wanted to make an entrance. We were inspired by the Paradise Garage, which was the downtown version of Studio 54, but it was more, ‘Everyone welcome in.’ The street we created was like the street in front of Paradise Garage, and then [the audience] was already inside the club, so that you saw the people arriving in their cars and going to dance. The whole idea was creating a night [around it].

Dean: And then having the party right after. 

BN: Mega! In fact, I spoke to a couple of people who were there for the show and the party, and they were blown away. They always want to go to your parties. It’s an understatement to say that your parties throughout the 30 years are iconic. How did that all come about?

Dan: We were born in disco. We grew up in clubs. We met these interesting people, these models and hairdressers, and we hung out. That was our world. That shaped and informed us. A lot of the characters in the show were relevant people of our past and reflections of people that we admired.

BN: Do you want to work with people you adore? Does it matter if there is a mutual feeling of appreciation?

Dan: It has to be there. It’s difficult to work with someone, or for someone, when they don’t appreciate you or aren’t interested. If they’re interested, then we’re interested. That’s how things work. Even with [Doechii], she was interested in our brand. We were dressing her before she won the Grammy and thought this would be a great opportunity. Moving forward, we continue to work with her.

Dean: But it has to be even on both sides. 

BN: That’s how it’s supposed to be in real life. I was blown away by the clothing, the looks, the sexiness. Throughout 30 years, you have done so many iconic, beautiful pieces, anywhere from your distressed denim to the skate boot. Thinking back, what would you say was the best piece you’ve ever made?

Dean: They’re like children, you love them all. But I think maybe that skate boot did encompass everything: it’s dangerous, it’s sexy, it has a sense of humour.

BN: Oh, life should always be like that. I get hungry for something nasty. When I think about 30 years, I think about you, collection after collection, hit after hit. How do you keep it up?

Dan: It’s a very good question. It’s the biggest challenge of our lives. That’s why, after you do a major show, it’s hard to think of something that can be better. We rack our brains.

Dean: How are we going to top that? 

Dan: Sometimes you think of things and then somebody else does it, and then you just have to start over. I think the best part about us is that we’re always together. We’re always communicating, always talking and talking and talking. We can come up with ideas in the middle of the night.

BN: Does it ever interfere with your stress levels? Or do you know your brand well enough to say, no matter what, we’re going to make it?

Dean: We’re shitting bricks all the time, until it’s over. [Laughs]

Dan: Sometimes, this time too, we also feel the energy of the people and think: ‘This is going to be a good one.’ And then we’re just hoping nobody falls.

Dean: That no one gets hit by a car.

Dan: And then, even sometimes when it does, people don’t really know.

Dean: There was one show that, at least four girls came out of the shoes, tripped, and it took them out. We were dying backstage. But then, because we had Fergie in the front row, and we had just done a video with her called “Clumsy,” where she falls off the runway, the journalists thought we did it on purpose.

BN: Oh my God. Someone is looking down on you, gracing you with the perfect opportunities. You push things to the edge. Did you ever feel like you did too much?

Dan: Fortunately, no. We have a pretty good threshold of what’s over the top. We know where to draw the line between sexy and vulgar.  

Dean: It’s a fine line. But I think the balance is where it becomes magic.

BN: I personally love it, but you know how people are so quick to judge.

Dean: We’re blessed that we can get away with it. We just did drag in a collection. I don’t know many designers who could do that. We do push the limits in a tasteful way.

Dan: It’s when we push that line that the magic happens and people respond. We haven’t got bad press about anything [being] vulgar. We are a good balancing act.

BN: I love this picture of the two of you, from Interview magazine, where you are lying with high heels. It took me back to my times with Helmut Newton. He would have kissed you both on the mouth. 

Dan: You did your homework. [Laughs]

BN: I was so blown away when we got to meet in Milan. You’ve been in the business for 30 years. What does the future look like? What are your dreams?

Dan: Good question. We treat our legacy as a playlist. We play, we go back and forth, we remix things.

Dean: There are so many other things that we could tap into.

Dan: For the future, we need to stay true to ourselves and understand the new culture. We want to stay in touch with young people. Tapping into that young energy is good for us. And it’s interesting for them too because we bring something to the table too. They say, ‘I love speaking with you because you have so many stories to tell.’ We have to understand what makes them tick, and our shows make them tick.

BN: I also saw that you had the help of young designers, like Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee, Luca Magliano, and Julie Pelipas. I was wondering what the best moments of those collaborations were.

Dean: It was a good experience because when we were young, we didn’t get anybody who really helped us. So, this was us sharing our stage with designers, where we said, ‘How do you see us?’

Dan: It was real fun, because we went to Vaquera’s studio in New York and all of a sudden, it brought us back to when we were young and at the table cutting fabrics. It brought us back to the beginning of our careers. The fun part about not caring is the teenage courage.

BN: Do you guys miss the eagerness and the insecurities of when you just started out?

Dan: When we were younger, we took more risks. Now we’re more mature and the company is bigger, we cannot get away with as much. We have more responsibility. Also, because there are more people watching us, we feel like we have to be cautious. You don’t think that way when you’re 20.

BN: Are there messages in your designs? Is there something between the lines?

Dean: I think our responsibility as designers is to create an emotion, so you put something on and you feel sexy.

Dan: So, it evokes a reaction.

Dean: Things that make you happy on a bad day. It has to say something to you.

Dan: We enjoy making characters and building personalities. Through fashion, you can do that. You can dress a certain way and feel a certain way. We touch on iconic things that we think are sexy, for men and women. Our iconic guys are cowboys; they’re leathermen. We’ve wrapped up what is identifiably beautiful to us throughout our career. 

BN: I have a feeling that what you think is beautiful and sexy, a lot of people think is sexy because those boys are gorgeous. I mean, from lips to nose to eyes to the six pack and everything else. I wanted to ask you, for your next party, if you had to choose three people you would like to attend, dead or alive, who would they be? 

Dean: Well, you’d have to be there.

Dan: Prince? I would love Michael Jackson. Marlon Brando or James Dean, one of those sexy, hot icons from the old films.

 BN: Prince was amazing. I had the pleasure of dancing with him for a whole evening, even though he was tiny. If he shows up, he needs to be wearing skate boots. He would look amazing. 

 Dan: I have to say also, you were a big thing for us when in Beverly Hills Cop II, the scene where your leg comes out of the car, and it’s an Amazon woman. It was fashion. We were overtaken by that movie and by you alone. That’s where the idea for you in the show came from.

BN: It was a fantastic ending to such an incredible show. And what a great idea. I hope this wasn’t the only time working together and getting together. And even though I’m your age, boys, you do need a mature, sexy woman in there.

Dan: We do. [Laughs]

BN: Back to you, you’re identical twins, but where are you not in sync at all?

Dean: We know who we are. We know what our differences are. That’s what helps us balance. I would say I could be more responsible. He could be less responsible. One time, someone said that we were like a bird. I was the wings, Dan was the feet. He couldn’t fly without me, but I couldn’t land without him.

BN: Are you always together?

Dean: Yeah, pretty much 99% of the time. We have our ups and downs. It’s sixty years of living together and…

 Dan: We haven’t killed each other. We understand that when we’re both in sync and we’re on the same page, we’re more powerful. That’s the uniqueness of our partnership. 

BN: Do you think it’s more difficult to make dresses for famous people than it is for your fashion brand?

Dean: If they have opinions, sometimes it’s hard because it needs to be mutual. Beyoncé called us because she was touring, and she wanted something for her shows. She explained the vibe she was going for, and it made sense. Even for Cowboy Carter, everything blended good. 

 Dan: We always end up working perfectly, especially in the music world, somehow.

BN: What about if the pope asked you to make his Sunday preaching dress?

Dan: That would be a challenge. And we love a challenge.

BN: Can you imagine life without each other?

Dean: Not really. We’ve lived our lives together. Good or bad, we did it together. That’s what we know. It would be like losing an arm. 

BN: Tell me something about you two that no one knows.

Dean: We’re not really twins. [Laughs] 

Dan: Everyone knows everything about us.

BN: I’m going to leave it on this note. I want to see you again. I wish you a nice autumn. Good luck with your work in Milan. I adore you.

Dean: Ciao.

Dan: Ciao.