Staff International, the main operating company of Renzo Rosso’s Italian fashion empire, has fired the latest volley in its dispute with Dsquared2’s decision to interrupt their licensing agreement.
The Staff release comes six hours after Dsquared2 released a communiqué Thursday morning alleging that Staff had committed “several serious contractual breaches,” forcing the fashion house to end the license prematurely.
Originally signed in 2002 and extended in 2010, the license was due to end in 2027. The Milan-based fashion house, founded by twins Dean and Dan Caten, first announced its decision to sever the licensing contract on Saturday morning, leading to a first rebuttal by Staff International that it would enforce the agreement.
But in the latest tit-for-tat, Staff responded Thursday afternoon: “In relation to the further statements released today by Dsquared2 through the press, Staff International denies the existence of any breaches of the license agreement in place with Grascoe Holdings Limited, Dsquared2 Trademarks Limited and designers Dean and Dan Caten.”
Besides Dsquared2, Staff International also manufactures several other acclaimed runway brands, which are controlled by Only the Brave (OTB), Rosso’s main holding company. These include Maison Margiela, Marni, Jil Sander, and his key denim marque, Diesel.
Staff International also noted that: “It reiterates that it has already brought an action before the Court of Milan seeking a declaration that the license agreement is still in force and that it is Grascoe Holdings Limited and the designers Dean and Dan Caten who have failed to fulfill their contractual obligations.”
Grascoe Holdings Limited is a business services company based in Dublin, Ireland, with an office in Lugano, Switzerland. Staff International filed a filing with the Milan commercial court naming it along with the designers and their trademarks.
The legal dispute between the Caten twins and Rosso, who scrupulously sat in the front row at Dsquared2 runway displays for two decades, is expected to prove increasingly bitter and complicated. In their release Thursday morning, the Catens referred to him as “billionaire Rosso” and insisted they were merely “safeguarding our dream, our legacy.”
The remarks clearly hit home, as Staff International concluded its release by stating: “It should also be noted that the involvement of Renzo Rosso in the statement issued by Dsquared2 to the press is completely inappropriate, as Renzo Rosso is not a party to the license agreement (which was signed exclusively by Staff International).”
This leads most observers to conclude that this is one fashion battle that will not be settled quickly.
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