Ever since Madonna wore a pair of mud-splattered Dsquared² jeans in her
2000 video for "Don't Tell Me," designers Dean and Dan Caten, the only
pair of Canadian identical twins to helm an Italian fashion house, have
routinely dressed some of the world's biggest pop stars. Their clients
need no last names: Christina, Justin, Mariah, Fergie, and Rihanna, to
name-drop a few. Britney Spears rocked their costume design for her
Circus Tour.
Known for sexy silhouettes and outrageously themed fashion shows, the
buzz-generating party boys hail from Willowdale, ON. After a stint at
Parsons in New York and a subsequent job designing at Ports 1961, they
set out for Italy determined to make it in Milan. In 1994, they
launched a men's line at a Paris trade show with $35,000 in savings.
After taking $250,000 in orders, the Caten boys were in business.
Today, Dsquared2 also includes accessories, footwear, and fragrances. Little wonder that they have been honoured with the 2009 Order of Canada.
-Jessalynn Keller