The forever-young, springy Caten twins aren’t usually associated with the concept of longevity (as in old age)—yet they’re celebrating 30 years in the industry. “Well, it’s been a long run,” they remarked ahead of their celebratory show, called Obsessed2.
They went all-out to make it memorable—proving that their showmanship, if anything, has only sharpened since their debut in 1994. Titled Homesick Canada, their first show featured “a bunch of lumberjack guys in long johns emerging from a wooden forest,” they recalled; it was a nostalgic yet bold, provocative tribute to their homeland by “two identical twins determined to succeed in the land of bourgeois high-fashion.” Then came Madonna; in 2000, they designed the costume for her “Don’t Tell Me” video, followed by her Drowned World tour in 2002. It was their moment of consecration. The rest is history.
If the Catens wanted to make their 30th anniversary show unforgettable, they certainly succeeded. It was boisterous, outlandish, and unabashedly over-the-top. The set recreated a New York street scene, complete with a procession of vintage limos, pick-up trucks, yellow cabs, and patrol cars arriving in sequence, each unloading models who were catapulted into a sprawling sort-of-nightclub space in a nonstop, high-octane, cavalcade. Showgirls and leather men, cowboys, hot cops, gym boys, adult film stars, and BDSM aficionados—it was a parade of scantily-clad, costume-y characters, embodying Dsquared2’s unapologetic, sexy spirit.
Supermodels and pop stars rallied to fête the designers—Alex Consani, Irina Shayk, Amelia Gray, Tyson Beckford, Alton Mason, Isabeli Fontana, and NLE Choppa, to name a few. An imperious, lion-maned Naomi Campbell commanded attention, while rap superstar Doechii, joined by JT, delivered a powerhouse, electrifying performance. For the finale, Brigitte Nielsen stormed in dressed as a police officer, “arresting” the Catens—who, dapper in tuxedos and towering platforms, broke free from their cuffs, kicking off a raucous after-party.
The Dsquared2 posse included collaborations with Magliano, Vaquera, and Bettter—Julie Pelipas’s sustainable line—all of whom were welcomed into their archives to rework past designs, a generous act of openness and sharing. The show was dedicated to Julie Enfield, a model and style muse who played a pivotal role in Dean and Dan’s journey. It was a deeply personal tribute that went beyond the glitz, the sex appeal, the extravagance, the theatrics. The Catens did it from the heart.
