Traditional Sicilian clothes Carretto Siciliano | Page 2

predominate yellow, the red and the turquoise: the colors of the passion, of the lava that flows
from the Etna, the sun of Sicily, the fire of the Sicilians. Today the cart has almost disappeared, but
all the charm that can be exercised in those lucky enough to admire the details remains
intact. The first decorations of the finely decorated sides of the cart are linked to ex voto or
testimonies of popular religiosity: images of the Madonna or of Saints to thank the received graces
and exorcise the evil; only later in the decoration of the cart the master decorator engages in
depictions of the most disparate themes: from the stories of the epic deeds of the paladins of
France, particularly present in carts built in western Sicily, dominated by red and yellow (the colors
of the municipality palermitana), to those of the Cavalleria Rusticana, typical of the carts built in
Catania, in turquoise tones. Whatever the geographical origin of the cart, certainly the various
craftsmen dedicated to its construction a great care and attention and all stages of processing
were performed exclusively by hand.
Thus Sicily, the birthplace of Domenico Dolce has been an inspiration and reference to
Dolce&Gabbana since the duo’s first forays into fashion. When looking back at the earliest
collections, which launched Dolce&Gabbana onto the scene, the reference to Sicily is transparent
and uninhibited.
With the evolution of Dolce&Gabbana, and the endless source of inspiration which Sicily provides,
the design duo began looking at the folkloristic elements of the islands, such as the Sicilian horse
drawn cart, ceramics, and even the pupi marionettes. These highly unique elements of the
folkloristic tradition created a conceptual, ironic and wildly appreciate direction.