The opening of Dolce Gabbana’s standalone beauty store in Dubai Mall this week — its fourth in the Gulf region during the last quarter — underscores just how central the region has become to the Italian house’s beauty ambitions.
After shifting from licensing to direct management in 2022, under president Alfonso Dolce and beauty CEO Gianluca Toniolo, the brand has spent the past two years studying the nuances of the Gulf market and shaping a strategy built around curation, localization and experience-led retail. The new store follows the immersive blueprint piloted in Jakarta, Hong Kong and London, with tailored product selections and exclusive in-store collections.
Ahead of the Dubai launch, Toniolo spoke to Vogue Business about the brand’s regional strategy, growth plans and the evolving beauty landscape in the Middle East.
Vogue: This is Dolce Gabbana’s first standalone beauty boutique in Dubai. Why is this an important market for the brand?
Opening here is making a big statement. Everyone knows the sophistication of Dubai Mall — it’s a symbol of luxury and a place for people who love experiencing exceptional products.
I would say that, in the beauty market here, standalone stores are very important; many beauty brands make around 25% of their revenue from their boutiques. For us, having a standalone boutique allows us to show fragrances, makeup and skincare in dedicated spaces. We’ve designed two experience rooms: one for Velvet, our high-end fragrance line, where customers can explore the layering of ingredients to create their own personalized fragrances; and another offering specialized makeup and skincare services. Even outside these rooms, customers can enjoy touchpoints like interactive screens, curated gifting experiences and coffee. This boutique really allows us to deliver the best possible experience for our beauty category in Dubai.
Vogue: Before your standalone stores, you’ve been present in the Gulf through retailers like Sephora. What have you learnt about the region?
We started by working with Sephora across the Gulf in 2023, including the flagship in Dubai Mall, which is one of the most important stores in the world in terms of turnover. We also opened Bloomingdale’s, Harvey Nichols and other key points of sale, including travel retail at airports.
Dubai is a melting pot, very dynamic, with customers from all over the world. Today, for example, there are many Russian customers in the region, but this wasn’t the case when we first entered. The market is becoming more international, and you really have to keep your fingers on the pulse.
We’ve also seen a shift in fragrance preferences: fruity and floral scents are much more accepted than a few years ago, reflecting the more adventurous and globally minded nature of customers here. That’s why having a standalone boutique is so important, it allows us to engage directly with this diverse and evolving audience, and offer them the full Dolce Gabbana beauty experience.
Vogue: You are hoping to open 20 stores in the Gulf in the next three years. Why are you so focused on this region?
The Gulf has been very strategic for us from the start. We consider it one of the most important regions in the world. We set up a subsidiary in Dubai with local staff to understand the market and its customers better. In the last few months, we’ve opened stores in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, and we plan to open up to 20 standalone beauty boutiques [across the Gulf] in the next three years, mainly driven by the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The region is competitive, but our brand has a huge advantage, because Dolce Gabbana is bold, colorful and communicates across multiple categories — fashion, eyewear, home, and, of course, beauty. Being a lifestyle brand resonates strongly with Middle Eastern customers, and they love the immersive experiences we offer.
Vogue: Dolce Gabbana fashion was among the first to launch Ramadan capsules. What will you be doing in beauty here?
For 2025’s Ramadan Collection, we launched a limited-edition [scent] from our Velvet Zafferano [fragrance] line. For 2026, we have another special collection planned and will be taking our Ramadan activations a step further with a new campaign shot with our regional brand ambassador, Egyptian actress Huda El-Mufti. For us, Ramadan is about honoring tradition while making every detail feel special.
Vogue: Some recent beauty product launches by superbrands have been called out for their very high prices. Also, brands here are more expensive than in Europe. Where does Dolce Gabbana Beauty sit on the pricing spectrum?
We are, I would say, very democratic in pricing. We are not going to launch something, as you mentioned other brands did, at a very high level of positioning. This is not our approach. We understand that Middle East consumers do compare pricing in their own country to Europe. Our prices in the Gulf respect the price position we have in Milan, or in New York. And I can tell you that for us, in terms of pricing, we have worked a lot in benchmarking other fashion brands in beauty.
