Skip to main content

MARLON GOBEL, again the target of design piracy ...

Dolce & Gabbana's founders may be busy with tax evasion proceedings, but Italian brand conducted business as usual this past week, showing its Spring 2014 collection during Milan's mens week.

Once again, it seems Dolce & Gabbana may have taken a bit inspiration from other designers' collections. Case in point: the landscape-printed suit that bears quite a striking resemblance, at least in theory, to pieces from NYC-based menswear brand MARLON GOBEL's Fall 2011 collection. 

 MARLON GOBEL Fall 2011 (left) and Dolce & Gabbana S/S 2014 (right)

Gobel showed a series of tactfully hand-painted suits, which were highlights of his Fall collection a couple years ago, and while we may not have ordinarily given this similarity a second look, there are a few factors in play here that made us think twice.

MARLON GOBEL S/S 2011 (left) and Dolce & Gabbana S/S 2012 (right) 


Gobel, the former Director of Operations for Thom Browne and former Assistant Creative Director for Michael Bastian, is one of NYC's based kept secrets, having launched his label just three years ago. 

Worth noting: Gobel's work consistently serves as a point of inspiration for bigger brands. The industry took note of the similarity between Moschino's S/S 2013 wares and Gobel's Spring 2012 collection. Also, this isn't the first time D&G has showed pieces that bear a similarity to Gobel's. For Spring 2012, Dolce & Gabbana showed an interesting cut-out jacket, which was very similar to one that Gobel showed a year prior.

 Coincidence or copycats? Tell us what you think!