All about Dsquared2

At first glance the Dsquared2 label may seem a little too sexy, a little too, shall we say, brassy. Think Pamela Anderson in a bustier and bulging muscle-gods in skintight denim and you get the look. But that doesn't seem to be affecting the company's success, or indeed, its popularity. Its current Brokeback-esque marketing campaign is proving a hit with customers and is as tongue-in-cheek as fashion advertising gets. Perhaps more cheek than tongue, as little is left to the imagination of understatedness.

The uber sexy label was launched in Milan in 1994 by Canadian twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten. The result was a debut with a Men's collection and in February 2003 they launched their first women's runway show. The rest, as they say, is history. Dsquared2 shows are often multimedia extravaganzas, combining fashion with art and music, and a whole load of sex. "We consider our clothes to be real," says Dean. "We want people to look cool, not dressed up. We design what we want to wear ourselves." Among this growing following are celebrities such as Lenny Kravitz, Justin Timberlake and Ricky Martin. The twins have also put their stamp on the women's fashion world and were thrilled when they were commissioned to create costumes for Madonna's "Don' Tell Me" video and the cowboy segment in her 2002 Drowned World tour.

"The Madonna thing was a big deal for us, because she has always been a huge inspiration. She first liked a pair of our jeans and before we knew it we had created 150 pieces for her tour. It has been an amazing and fulfilling experience" said Dan. The brothers teased the public in June 2002 when Dsquared2 previewed their Spring/ Summer 2003 menswear collection with an unexpected twist - showing nine looks from their long-awaited Women's Col lection. The following day WWD featured the designers on their prestigious cover and published a two-page interview.

"Accessories are the finishing touch to complete the look and we have a clear idea of what our woman wants," says Dean. The Women's Col lection completely embraces the Dsquared2 spirit. It is vibrant, confident, fun and effortlessly cool. Did we mention sexy? The collection is available at the Design Lab at Selfridges.