Dean & Dan Caten of Dsquared2 on Designing for Ricky Martin’s Las Vegas Residency & Their New Flagship Store

Braudie Blais-Billie
·4 min read
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Dsquared2 — the luxury fashion brand with the motto “Born in Canada, Living in London, Made in Italy” — has a strong history with music industry legends. Founded by identical twin brothers Dean and Dan Caten, they were commissioned by Madonna to design over 150 pieces for her Drowned World Tour in 2000 and have since collaborated with Rihanna, Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar just to name a few.

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So far in 2017, the international brand has opened its fourth U.S. flagship in Las Vegas on April 6 and have been tapped exclusively to create all the costumes for Latin star Ricky Martin’s new residency, Ricky Martin: All In, at Park Theater (runs until September 23). And luckily for the Caten brothers, the grand opening and residency kick-off coincided in a star-studded celebration at the 2,200-square-foot storefront.

“Vegas screams DSQUARED2 and it’s an honor to be a part of their store opening,” Martin, who helped commemorate the Dsquared2 opening and started his residency the following day, said in a release. “To me, there was nobody else I could partner with to give me the costumes my dancers and I could only dream of wearing. They mirror what I am trying to give everyone coming to see the show…full blown entertainment.”

For a deeper look into Dsqaured2’s Ricky Martin: All In custom designs and their flagship grand opening, Billboard caught up with Dean and Dan Caten below.

Congratulations on your Dsquared2 flagship store opening in Las Vegas! What was the night like for you both?

Thank you! We’re excited to have our store officially open. It was a great night and we’re happy to have had everyone be a part of it.  We feel the love.

 

What made you choose Las Vegas for your next flagship? 

It was a logical choice for us since we only have one other store on the West Coast. We’re a luxury brand with a tongue-and-cheek approach to fashion. It’s something personal and should be fun — just like the experience most people have here.

 

What are some of your favorite pieces in the new Spring collection?

There are so many – we can’t choose just one. That would be like asking to pick your favorite child!

Describe Ricky’s style. How does Dsquared2 complement it?

Ricky is very confident, determined and also a visionary. We created looks from pieces that were part of our collections because he loved what was already there — we reworked archive pieces and added in some custom elements. It was a matter of having his and the dancers’ looks coincide with the mood of each show segment.

 

What was the process of designing costumes for both Ricky and his dancers? How involved was Ricky?

Ricky was very involved and provided feedback for what would work on stage and with movement. We made minor adjustments to make sure he and his crew were comfortable on stage, so it was very seamless.

 

Could you describe your favorite pieces in the show?

They’re all very different but we like the opening look — it’s very old-school, Vegas and elegant. Dsquared2 is known for many things and tailoring has always been a focal point of the brand DNA, so this look really stands out as a favorite.

Which pieces were Ricky most excited about?

We think he’d agree on the opening look and the casual look for the “Cup of Life” finale. Both are very different but Ricky’s comfort level in both was completely natural. He’s the perfect Dsquared2 guy.

 

Do you have a favorite Ricky Martin song/album? If so, what is it and why?

Again, that’s like picking your favorite child. It really depends on our moods. We’ve seen the show during rehearsal and during opening — every time we’re surprised and something new becomes a favorite. We love everything from “Livin’ La Vida Loca” to his entire Latin section of the show.

 

What do you hope Ricky’s fans and Dsquared2 fans will take away from his costume designs?

Like Ricky’s show, the clothing help create a celebratory mood and we want everyone to walk away with a smile on their face.

What’s next for your brand?

We’re getting ready for our Spring/Summer 2018 show since it’s just around the corner in June. We’ve also just opened stores in Vienna and Amsterdam. 

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