'Dubai Mall is the most important shopping destination in the world': Dolce & Gabbana Beauty chief executive

On Wednesday, Dolce & Gabbana unveiled its first stand-alone beauty boutique in the UAE, a gleaming white-and-gold jewel box in Dubai Mall.

Glittering and impossible to miss, the new space stands out across the concourse and signals the brand’s arrival in a new category with characteristic flourish. Gianluca Toniolo, chief executive of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty, explains the design simply: “Gold is the DNA of this region and of Dolce & Gabbana. We call it our jewel.”

The location, he notes, was a deliberate choice. “Dubai Mall is, I would say, the most important shopping destination in the world.” Filled with perfumes, make-up and the brand’s newly launched skincare, the golden boutique makes its intentions clear. “If you want to stand out, you need to play where the big brands are playing,” he adds. “This is why we created this unique jewel here.”

Dolce & Gabbana's beauty store in Dubai Mall is part of a their growth strategy for their beauty business, which was brought in-house four years ago. Photo: Dolce & Gabbana

The significance of the moment becomes even clearer an hour later when Stefano Gabbana himself arrives to cut the ribbon. At only 100 square metres, the store may be compact, but it has been crafted with care – private rooms at the back allow for make-up trials or perfume exploration in an indulgent, velvet-lined chamber kept intentionally colder to heighten the olfactory experience.

In the main area, an entire wall is devoted to a vast digital screen – a Middle East first – flanked by rows of fragrance bottles. The installation encourages clients to experiment with scent layering, an art long embraced in the region.

Sensors hidden in the velvet bottles respond to whichever fragrance is chosen, instantly offering combinations. It’s playful and oddly revealing, as though being let in on a secret – how two perfumes can be transformed into four distinctive scents.

The Velvet range is a key part of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty's growing portfolio of fragrances. Photo: Dolce & Gabbana

Passion Wood layered with Zafferano, for instance, becomes an unexpected journey through the fruity lift of passion fruit and the fiery complexity of saffron, depending on which is sprayed first. “This concept is unique to Dubai,” Toniolo notes.

Also unique is the personalisation service, where customers can have a loved one’s name printed on ribbon, on a fabric bottle tag, or engraved directly onto the bottle within minutes - it's a charming touch.

The interior was designed by Domenico Dolce, drawing inspiration from the vaulted ceilings of old churches. Toniolo describes it as a space conceived for exploration and ease. A circular seating area sits discreetly behind a counter, offering a quiet expression of Italian hospitality. “Come in, sit down, have a coffee. Even if you don’t buy, it’s OK.”

While Dolce & Gabbana has had its name on fragrances for years, true ownership has only returned to the designers recently – and the pace since has been remarkable. In only four years, the house and Toniolo have taken the entire perfume division in-house, from bottling to distribution, and built a full make-up line of more than 300 products. All with a team that is a third of the size compared to its competitors.

Dolce & Gabbana's make-up range has also expanded in recent years. Photo: Dolce & Gabbana

It has been possible, he explains, because the designers are involved at every stage. “It’s Stefano, it’s Domenico, it’s Mr Alfonso (Dolce’s brother and the group chief executive) and me, so the team is directly speaking with them and creating something very fast. This is how we can create and launch one new programme in only 12 months, cutting by half the time of giant corporations."

With the designers guiding every detail, the visual language of the new store aligns seamlessly with the codes of the house. The fragrance, Devotion, for example, carries one of Dolce & Gabbana’s most enduring motifs – the sacred heart – echoed throughout the new make-up line.

“The strategy was to elevate our beauty products to the same level as the other categories,” Toniolo explains.

“Dolce & Gabbana are pioneers,” he says. “This is a brand that can mix and match across categories, because everything speaks the same language.” With an empire spanning ready-to-wear, couture, leather goods, jewellery, eyewear, interiors, homeware, perfume and now beauty – all threaded with the same distinctive lexicon – this boutique marks the latest bold move by the Milanese house. And with an instinctive understanding of what its customer desires, expect these new treasures, wrapped in exquisite packaging, to fly off the shelves. Just ask the crowd at Dubai Mall.