Music and fashion have always enjoyed a richly entwined history, and now that bond has been cemented just a bit more with the announcement of a new menswear collaboration between Dolce & Gabbana and DJ Khaled.
DJ Khaled, an American born to Palestinian parents who describes himself as a devout Muslim, is known for his larger-than-life persona and distinctive look. Favouring brightly patterned shirts and tracksuits that the DJ, producer, and Grammy Award winner dubs his "Miami style," he has now joined forces with the Italian design duo on a unique collaboration that brings maximalism to the fore.
Leaning on the designer's love of lavish images and finishings, the collection that launched on Monday is decorated with motifs and patterns that Dolce & Gabbana has revealed hold meaning for them as well.
Unusually, the collection is just two designs, offered across tracksuits, T-shirts, shorts and hoodies, and even beachwear. For those keen to dress the sofa to match, there are even velvet cushions embroidered with the men's initials.
One of the designs has the face of a lion emblazoned across the chest, surrounded by flowers. While flowers are one of the house codes at Dolce & Gabbana and appear across every collection, music fans will also recognise this as a nod to Khaled's 2016 album Major Key, that saw him pose with a real lion, surrounded by thousands of flowers. Around the flowers are polka dots, another key part of the Dolce & Gabbana lexicon.
The other design is a bold mix of foliage and flowers that echo the palms, flowers and the bright colours of Miami, the city Khaled calls home. On one side is a bright pink floral print, now joined to dark green print of palm fronds.
To come up with the idea, Dolce & Gabbana looked to Miami's famous art district, Wynwood, and its graffiti and murals which are also filled with typical Italian plants such as bougainvillaea flowers and agave.
Speaking of the collaboration, DJ Khaled said: "I’m excited to announce this amazing new collection I have been working on with Dolce & Gabbana. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to collaborate with Stefano and Domenico, and this collection showcases a fun blend of my classic Miami style and the high fashion of Dolce & Gabbana."
Multi-talented, Khaled is also the president of the Def Jam South record label, as well as chief executive and founder of the non-profit charity We The Best Foundation. To honour the work of the foundation, We The Best is written on the cuff of one of the sleeves in the collection.
In a press release about the collaboration, the designers Dolce and Gabbana explained why they decided to join in on the collaboration.
“DJ Khaled’s energy and passion greatly impressed us. Working with him on this special project was a new and exciting experience.”
Following a recent pledge to increase the size range of their clothes, to make them more accessible, Dolce & Gabbana will offer this latest collaboration up to an Italian size 60, which is XXL in US sizes.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh209,000
On sale: now
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
New Zealand squad
Tim Southee (capt), Trent Boult (games 4 and 5), Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson (games 1-3), Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')
Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)
The years Ramadan fell in May
