The DSquared2 duo of Dean and Dan Caten have taken the unprecedented step of explaining in some detail the reasons for ending their license with Staff International, citing breaches to the contract.
As reported on Saturday, DSquared2 announced the ending of its 25-year license with Staff International, the key manufacturing arm of Italian fashion billionaire Renzo Rosso, the founder of Diesel. Six hours later, he responded by stating that he would sue DSquared2 for breach of contract.
However, this Thursday morning, Catens released a further statement: “This carefully considered decision, taken with support from Legance law firm, follows several serious contractual breaches by the licensee and reflects the brand’s commitment to protecting its values, heritage, and the excellence that has always defined it.”
“With the termination of the license agreement with Staff International and billionaire Renzo Rosso, DSquared2 leverages its roots to shape the future ahead and enters a new phase of turnaround marked by strategic, creative and operational independence,” the brand continued in a lengthy communiqué.
“We are not simply protecting a business. We are safeguarding our dream — our legacy. And we are doing so honestly, purely, and with the utmost respect for those who walk this journey with us,” the brothers themselves insisted.
“As the business that Dean and Dan Caten created against all odds now enters a new era, the move also enhances the founders’ desire to honor and hone the values of autonomy and authenticity at the heart of DSquared2 February’s 30th-anniversary celebration,” added the statement, which revealed previously unknown details about the Caten twins.
The twins celebrated the 30th-anniversary show in Milan this past season with their latest mammoth theatrical show — the cast marching out of a wrecked brick garage or arriving in a series of mighty wheels. From armored personnel carriers and Ford Mustang convertibles to an all-silver DeLorean and a vintage Rolls Royce, all took turns arriving in the huge warehouse done up like a nightclub.
“Personified by Dean and Dan Caten, DSquared2 is a testament to tenacity. Raised in Canada between foster care and group homes, the brothers overcame an upbringing of mental and physical exploitation at the hands of authorities and guardians. They created DSquared2 as a monument to the self-reliance and fighting spirit that paved the way for the freedom they found through their careers in fashion,” the twins revealed in a statement bearing the headline “DSquared2 Leverages Its Roots to Shape the Future Ahead,” the release read.
It added that bringing production and distribution in-house is a move “caused by the reiterated contractual breaches.”
In the future, the Milan-based house will operate a new strategy. Starting with the Spring-Summer 2026 pre-collection, DSquared2 will oversee production and distribution directly. Supported by dedicated teams, trusted advisors and a solid financial base — an evolution powered by courage, clarity and long-term ambition, the brand insisted.
The statement ended by expressing “heartfelt thanks to those who have upheld the independence and integrity of their life’s work and look forward to building new, constructive partnerships in the future.”
Rosso, a hard-charging self-made man whose empire encompasses stellar brands like Marni, Jil Sander and Maison Margiela, is expected to contest the early ending of the agreement in court.
Expect the mother of all legal battles.
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