How David Beckham inspired Dolce&Gabbana

Even during this Milan Fashion Week, football confirmed to be one of the major inspiration for the fashion world. Particularly during the fashion show of Dolce&Gabbana's collection, which through a journey through their archives combined historical garments from their 30-year career with others designed for the occasion. And in this Re-edition collection they could not miss a tribute, as they called it, to David Beckham, the icon of the D&G man at the beginning of the millennium. Indeed, the Manchester United footballer defined the figure of the metrosexual man even in the sports imaginary, usually far removed from such an aesthetic, imposing himself as the first player in the fashion world. But not only that, his impact radically altered fashion itself by bringing it closer to performance and muscular bodies different from the models previously used. 

It was 2003 when Dolce&Gabbana paraded a legion of Beckham look-alikes down the runway for their spring/summer collection, all dressed in a red V-neck jersey with the number 7 and name David printed on the chest and a set of baggy, ripped pants. It was a rather direct reference to the English player, the latest in a long line of right wings to wear George Best's number, and his style off the field. But Beckham's relationship with the Italian fashion house certainly did not stop at the catwalks; rather, the footballer became Dolce&Gabbana's ambassador to the world, contributing in large part to the Sicilian duo's fortunes in the early 00s. Together with wife Victoria, he formed the most influential and envied couple by dint of tank tops, crop tops, logoed underwear, and hairbands. 

From billboards in jeans with bare chests and abs and rosary beads in plain sight to total white suits, Beckham rewrote the code of male aesthetics by introducing the concept of metrosexual through a photoshoot in Vogue Sport in 2004 that overturned stereotypes applied to the football player. Portrayed through the lens of Steven Klein, the "The Beckhams" all dressed in D&G became the new British royal couple, a trend that is now powerfully back in fashion within the Y2K revival also celebrated in the Milan fashion show. Between direct quotations, such as precisely the shirt with the number 7, and suggestions that ran through the entire collection heavily influenced by football, including a tank top that literally quotes it, even 20 years later Beckham confirms himself as a timeless men's fashion icon. 

This was admitted by Dolce&Gabbana themselves, who stated on the sidelines of the fashion show what the inspiration for their designs was. "Definitely David Beckham, he cleared the glamour for men with tuxedos and destroyed jeans, with hairbands and rosaries. We paid tribute to him, we met him recently and told him that we were inspired by him. He introduced true glamour to menswear, it was a key fashion moment that changed the conversation about how men dress."