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In this collection, Dolce drew upon his Sicilian roots. Their fourth collection was the first to make a significant impact on the Italian fashion market. They called their collection of T-shirt-cotton and elastic-silk pieces, Transformation." The clothing in this collection came with instructions on the seven different ways a piece could be worn in an outfit, as the wearer could use Velcro and snaps to alter the clothing's form. Their few models changed behind a rickety screen.
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Michael Gross wrote of their third collection in a 1992 interview, "They were a secret known only to a handful of Italian fashion editors. In 1990 the brand opened its first women's boutique in Via Sant’Andrea, Milan. They produced the next collection in 1986. However, Dolce's family offered to help meet their costs when the two visited them in Sicily over Christmas, while incidentally, the fabric company did not receive the cancellation notice in time so the fabric was ready for them back in Milan upon their return. Sales from their first collection were disappointing enough for Gabbana to cancel the fabric order they'd put in to create their second collection. The name of the collection was due in part to the participation of local women as models on the runway. In March 1986, Dolce & Gabanna released their first self-produced collection Woman FW 1986/1987 entitled Donne Vere/Real Women. They used a bed sheet that Dolce had brought from home as their stage curtain. The models (their friends) simply wore their personal items to complement the clothing.
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The two did not have enough money to hire models or provide accessories for them, so they sought help from their friends. The SS 1986 collection was titled Geometrissimo alongside five other up-and-coming Italian labels as part of Milan Fashion Week. The Dolce&Gabbana brand was born with a women's fashion show in Milano Collezioni in the New Talents section.
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