Biography
Dean and Dan Caten are the Canadian twins behind Dssquared2, the cult Italian label launched in the mid-1990s. While the foundations of DSquared2 are in menswear, today the brand has expanded its production line to include womenswear, accessories, childrenswear, eyewear and fragrances. They also founded Ceresio 7, a restaurant in Milan.
Dean and Dan Canten were born in 1964 in Toronto, Ontario. In 1983 they moved to New York to study fashion at Parsons The New School for Design, but left after only one semester before returning to Toronto where they were employed as junior designers by Canadian label Ports International. In 1991 the brothers moved to Milan, where they worked as designers for Versace and Diesel, before securing financial backing from Renzo Rosso to build DSquared2. The duo debuted their men’s collection in 1994, and in 2003 launched a women’s collection that — despite its status as still-emerging brand — saw Naomi Campbell and Karolina Kurkova walk. By 2017, the label had merged its men's and women's lines into one fashion show.
The Caten brothers have become known for their elaborate fashion shows such as Spring/Summer 2012, which, inspired by Glastonbury, saw models walk the runway trawling through five inches of mud. They have featured major artists like Rihanna in their shows and have dressed a number of celebrities on the red carpet including Kanye West and George Clooney. In May 2016, the brand dropped a collaboration with hip-hop artist and fellow Canadian Drake's clothing label OVO.
The twins, who have spoken openly about their experiences with bullying, foster care and abuse growing up, have worked with prolifically with anti-bullying foundations such as Be Cool Be Nice, for which they also designed a capsule collection in 2017.