Madonna Stars in Dolce & Gabbana’s New Campaign for The One Fragrance

MILAN — There’s a song that for the past month has been booming on the loop in the offices of Dolce & Gabbana’s beauty division here: a cover version of the 1968 hit “La Bambola” by national icon Patty Pravo.

Starting Thursday, this new version is set to reach a global audience and new resonance across different media, courtesy of its unique interpreter — Madonna.

The global star has been tapped by the brand to front the campaign for two new fragrances that expand its The One franchise. In the cinematic and seductive commercial flanking the images and directed by Mert Alas, Madonna both acts as the protagonist and sings in Italian for the first time for its soundtrack.

In an interview with WWD, Dolce & Gabbana Beauty’s chief executive officer Gianluca Toniolo underscored that the choice of Madonna was a no-brainer.

“We picked a celebrity that has always been very close to Dolce & Gabbana and its history; she’s been part of this brand’s legacy,” said Toniolo. “Since the mid-‘90s, she’s been close to the codes of the house… and when you look for a talent to embody the concept of being ‘The One,’ well, that’s what she’s been doing for 30 years,” he added, describing the pop star as a transgenerational icon.

“So the choice was pretty easy, also considering we had the good fortune of being close to her for years. Plus, she never did something like this in the world of fragrances, which makes this project even more exclusive,” said Toniolo.

The campaign also marks the revamp of one of the most popular fragrance franchises for the brand, since it turns 20 this year. Toniolo highlighted how even though it hasn’t been promoted since 2015, the fragrance family that was first launched in 2006 has continued to generate sales over the past decade.

“That proves the strength of this franchise, which is our only line where the men’s counterpart is stronger than the female one and accounts for 60 percent of its total sales,” he said.

The revamp sees the line expanding to include The One Eau De Parfum Intense and The One for Men Parfum, created by master perfumers Quentin Bisch and Jean-Christophe Hérault, respectively. Both scents are defined by a higher-concentrated juice, answering to a growing demand for more intense formulations, and add to the existing The One Eau de Parfum scent by Christine Nagel and The One for Men Eau de Parfum, which was created by Hérault.

The One Eau De Parfum Intense will retail from 40 euros for the 10-ml. size up to 172 euros for the 75-ml. version. The One for Men Parfum will be priced between 39 euros for the 10-ml. size and 155 euros for the 100-ml. bottle.

All the range’s fragrances have also been updated in their packaging to modernize the clean lines of the original sleek bottles, which are capped in gold for her and brown for him. 

A Buoyant Business

This is the latest in a streak of relaunches that have been central to the company’s business strategy. Last year the brand focused on reigniting attention around its bestselling Light Blue franchise via a flanker and a new campaign featuring Theo James and Vittoria Ceretti. 

That was followed by other launches, such as the Devotion for Men Parfum and My Devotion Eau de Parfum Intense released in September. They built on the successful Devotion family introduced in 2023 and that has ever since exceeded expectations sales-wise, resonating particularly well in the U.S., said Toniolo.

These launches helped consolidate fragrance as the biggest category and growth driver of the Dolce & Gabbana Beauty business, which Toniolo projected to increase between 15 percent and 20 percent in 2025.

As reported, after bringing its beauty business back in-house in 2022 — it was previously licensed to Shiseido — the Italian fashion house has invested significantly in growing the category and has seen significant sales gains under the lead of the former LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton executive. The firm ranked 45^th in WWD Beauty Inc’s 2024 list of the top 100 beauty companies by sales, with estimated sales of 910 million euros at the time, up 35 percent versus 2023.

Toniolo said that currently fragrances account for 93 percent of the business, followed by the newly launched makeup and skin care categories, accounting for 5 percent and 2 percent, respectively. He forecast fragrances, makeup and skin care to account for 70 percent, 25 percent and 5 percent out of total sales, respectively, in three years.

The journey toward that goal will start this year, as Toniolo teased that 2026 will come with “the most aggressive plan in terms of innovation we had since we launched the company. And we already did plenty of stuff in these past three years.”

A Three-pronged Strategy

In fragrances, the focus on The One in the first quarter will be followed by key launches in the Light Blue line, including a higher-concentrated flanker and the debut of an innovative perfume gel. Coming in patented packaging, the latter promises “to change the way how a fragrance is applied,” claimed Toniolo.

In September, the brand will focus on reinforcing the Devotion range via the new “Your Devotion” scent. Toniolo revealed it will be the first Dolce & Gabbana fragrance to launch at Sephora first before hitting global distribution, in a move set to further boost the fragrance business and expand its footprint, currently stretching to 146 countries.

The partnership with Sephora also will be important for the brand’s makeup category, which debuted in October 2024 but already includes more than 300 stock keeping units across eye, face and lip products. The firm will expand the makeup distribution footprint, now counting 1,100 doors across 71 countries. In April, it will launch on Sephora’s e-commerce in the U.S. and Toniolo aims to almost double its physical distribution and reach 2,000 doors by the end of 2026. Overall, the goal is to reach between 5,000 and 6,000 doors in three years. 

The brand’s official foray into skin care will also bow in September with the release of the anti-age “Ever Youth” line. So far, the category was represented by a collection that debuted last spring and hinged on pre-makeup products aimed more at refining the complexion than addressing skin conditions.

“For us skin care will never be an obsession. We’d be fools to believe that’s our arena,” said Toniolo. Yet he highlighted how the segment is instrumental in recruiting consumers in the growing Asia-Pacific, eventually redirecting them toward the brand’s fragrance and makeup offerings. It will also play a strategic role in expanding in the travel retail channel, which currently generates 12 percent of total sales and Toniolo projects it could grow to account for between 18 and 20 percent of total revenues in three years.

Going for a Global Reach

Overall, Dolce & Gabbana Beauty’s distribution strategy will bank on a widespread presence in the wholesale channel, strategic retail openings and a digital boost. 

Online sales generated on the brand’s own e-commerce and those of its partners currently account for around 23 percent of total sales. In the near future, Toniolo sees this reaching 30 percent, following sales generated by brick-and-mortar wholesale distribution and accounting for 65 percent of total revenues.

“I believe the world of beauty is wholesale, and that channel will remain a priority for brands like ours in the coming years,” said Toniolo. Yet he acknowledged the surge in stand-alone beauty stores by fashion players, which he sees as more instrumental in enhancing positioning and brand awareness rather than sales.

Still, the company has embarked on a significant rollout plan of dedicated stores, debuting such a format in Jakarta, Indonesia, last year. The opening was followed by similar units in Hong Kong and London’s Covent Garden, before rolling out at Dubai Mall, Bahrain and Kuwait as part of the brand’s ongoing expansion in the Middle East.

In the next three years, Toniolo aims to open another 20 stand-alone beauty stores in that market, as well as 15 units in India, six in Brazil, two in Mexico and two in the U.S. The goal is to reach between 50 and 70 stand-alone beauty stores globally, with this channel generating 5 percent of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty’s total sales.

“However, what really sets us apart is the cross-pollination of categories in our fashion stores,” said Toniolo. “We’re among the few brands dedicating an average of 215 to 322 square feet of retail space entirely to beauty… It’s quite unique in the industry for its financial implications, that is to dedicate that space to a category generating an average spending of $140 while other labels just show some fragrances [on a shelf],” said Toniolo.

The strategy — part of signaling the Dolce & Gabbana lifestyle dimension that extends also to the home, kitchen appliance, food and beverage categories, among others — will be sustained with the development of 21 beauty areas in its fashion stores by the end of 2027, which will add to the existing 20 ones.

As for geographies, the Americas account for 55 percent of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty’s total revenues, with the U.S. representing 60 percent of that.

Europe accounts for 40 percent of total revenues, driven by Italy, Spain and Germany. In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are key markets for the brand.

Next month, the company will open a subsidiary in India, which Toniolo sees as full of potential. “The brand codes resonate well with that market. It’s not that the consumer was waiting for us because we are already distributed there but we took the strategic decision to control directly our presence because we have high expectations there,” he said.

Ditto for Asia, which accounts for 6 percent of total sales but shows potential for growth. While already gaining traction in South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, the brand is slated to debut in China in mid-2026. Toniolo is also eyeing expansion in Japan, where “fragrances represent 10 percent of the beauty business. Up until last year we had only scents to offer, so it was difficult for us to tackle that market. But with our makeup offering we’re starting to get seen as a business opportunity.”

Dolce & Gabbana Beauty manages all business activities in the Asia Pacific region via a subsidiary in Singapore. This adds to the one in Miami counting 180 people, handling directly the activities in North America and managing distributors in Latin America; and subsidiaries in Dubai, Paris, Italy, and a joint venture with Farlabo for the Spanish market.