Dean and Dan Caten

Dean and Dan Caten (born Dean and Dan Catenacci) are identical twin brothers, fashion designers, founders and owners of DSQUARED², an international fashion house.

Biography

Early life and career

Dean and Dan Caten were born in 1964 as Dean and Dan Catenacci in Toronto, Ontario and grew up in Willowdale. They are the youngest of nine children. Their father is from a small town near Sora, Italy.

In 1983, they moved to New York to study fashion at Parsons The New School for Design, but stayed for only one semester before returning to Toronto. Finding a financial backer in 1986, they launched their first signature womenswear collection, DEanDAN. By 1988 they had signed on to label Ports International (currently Ports 1961) as creative directors to bring the company more fashion forward and upscale. At the same time, the Catens designed for their lower-end, leisure brand, Tabi International. In 1991, the brothers moved to Milan, Italy where they worked as designers for the house of Gianni Versace, and denim brand Diesel, the latter of which funded and launched their namesake brand. They debuted their men's collection in 1994, and in 2003, they launched a women's collection and a men's underwear collection.