CAPRI SUN
Written By: William Buckley
Sorbet drops in on Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana Beauty’s suitably audacious launch
Three days in Capri with Dolce & Gabbana – you don’t say no to that. I landed in Naples with pizza dreams, and promptly boarded a ferry that smelled faintly of sunscreen and espresso. As the boat sliced across the Tyrrhenian Sea, I could see Capri rising out of the water like a bougie socialite – all hard-edged cliffs, seductive curves, and that famous, impossible light.
Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty
We were whisked from the marina to Villa Certosa – a hotel so beautiful it could’ve been on my vision board for 2025: cream- colored stone, citrus trees on every ledge, and balconies that spill out onto endless blue.
Dinner that first night was a spectacle; it looked like someone cast a show called Love Island: Global Influence Edition – about 50 of the world’s most beautiful content creators crowded into one very glamorous restaurant. I locked eyes with Arnas Fedaravičius – the wellness guru from White Lotus season three. It took a second to place him without the Thailand tan and too many clothes, but then the penny dropped and I texted everyone I’d ever met to tell them.
The pizzas came out like runway looks – one after the other, each hotter than the last, and just when we thought we’d collapse from carbs, the music turned up and a very enthusiastic Grazia Middle East editor was hoisted from her chair by a waiter who looked like a D&G campaign model, and so began a conga line that caught on like Labubus – everyone got involved.
Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty
Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty
Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty
Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty
The next morning, I opened the doors to my balcony and looked out over the famous Faraglioni cliffs, just in time for room service to arrive with my coffee. After a quick wardrobe change and a leisurely walk under waterfalls of bougainvillea, I arrived at yet another impossibly stunning hotel for the unveiling of the new Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana Beauty.
CEO Gianluca Toniolo gave a charismatic presentation (complete with hand gestures), followed by sit-downs with the iconic noses behind the scents – Olivier Cresp and Alberto Morillas – who were every bit as charming as you’d expect, and wearing matching contrasting D&G Majolica shirts.
Then came pasta-making with local nonnas who could probably arm-wrestle a Roman gladiator. A sandal-making session followed, guided by Italian artisans that also looked suspiciously like campaign models. And then, naturally, we boarded a yacht with Theo James and Vittoria Ceretti.
Just when you thought it couldn’t possibly get more surreal, a speedboat pulled up and Stefano Gabbana climbed aboard like James Bond, but with better taste. There were custom cocktails, cliffside sunsets, and dancing that went on until morning. Were it not for my voice recordings, I might have wondered if it was all a Light Blue dream.
GIANLUCA TONIOLO: The Light Blue project had been dormant for a while. Sales were stable but flat, and the brand wasn’t investing much. When I joined, it was clear we had a diamond that just needed polishing. We didn’t want to simply revive Light Blue – we wanted to re-energize the emotion around it. It’s a fragrance that people remember. It evokes a place, a moment. Our goal was to recapture that essence and make it relevant again.
Building a brand means anchoring it in the codes and values that define it. That’s why we work differently. We develop fragrance options and then, based on what we feel, we launch. We don’t do testing. This is a major point of difference. We take a lot of risks, because as you can imagine, fragrance development involves studies, ingredients, and time. But we prefer to remain unique. Testing tends to dilute originality. Often, consumers – especially those not attuned to scent – will reject anything unfamiliar.
We want to remain original. Stefano and Domenico have always insisted on uniqueness across fashion, eyewear, and now beauty. We’re carrying that spirit forward.
We take risks.We didn’t test-market anything. No consumer panels, no A/B testing. That’s very unorthodox in the beauty world. But Domenico and Stefano don’t believe in focus groups. They believe in instinct, and I share that. We worked very closely with the perfumers to refresh the formula without losing its soul. The packaging was updated slightly – not to change the identity, but to make it feel new in the hand.
Is it easy to relaunch a global success? Of course not. When a fragrance has been in the top five or six worldwide for 25 years, the question becomes: why relaunch? And how? You have to choose what to alter, what to improve, and what to preserve.
Together with Stefano and Domenico, we reworked the packaging – less plastic, more glass – aligned with market expectations. It’s more elegant, but the overall shape and glass effect remain unchanged. That continuity is a competitive advantage.
Next came communication. Do we change the setting? The talent? These are critical decisions. Stefano and Domenico wanted change – but not too much. The setting stayed in Capri, honoring the original spirit.
After 25 years, and 10 with David [Gandy] and Bianca [Balti], we lowered the age of our talent to connect with younger customers. That’s why we brought in Theo James and Vittoria Ceretti. The result? By late April 2025, we were on shelves globally. By early June, Light Blue had grown by 25 per cent worldwide – well beyond expectations for a legacy fragrance.
To expand the universe further, we added two permanent companions: Capri Love. The women’s fragrance by Emilie Coppermann is floral and spicy; the men’s by Alexandra Carlin is woody and spicy. These offer more intensity within the Light Blue DNA.
WILLIAM BUCKLEY: Let’s talk noses. Olivier, you’ve been with Light Blue from the beginning.
OLIVIER CRESP: Yes, I created the original Light Blue in 2001. At the time, it was something very new. A fresh, fruity floral with a woody base – very Mediterranean. I was inspired by Capri, the sea breeze, the citrus trees. It had to feel like sunlight on skin.
WB: Has the formula changed?
OC: Slightly. Some ingredients had to be replaced due to updated regulations. But the structure is the same. The heart is the same. We just refined the balance. We now have access to better-quality raw materials, and we can achieve more transparency, more luminosity. The spirit remains untouched.
Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty
Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana Beauty
WB: Alberto, you created the men’s Light Blue, yes?
ALBERTO MORILLAS: Yes. Light Blue Pour Homme was a challenge. Men weren’t used to citrus fragrances with sensuality. It had to be fresh but also sexy. I worked a lot with aquatic notes and amber woods. It had to last without being overpowering. Balance is everything.
WB: Did you two work together on the reformulations?
AM: We spoke often, yes. We wanted the two versions to speak to each other – same story, different perspectives.
OC: Like lovers who share a scent memory.
WB: Was it important to keep both noses involved?
OC: Essential. They are part of Light Blue’s DNA. You don’t rewrite a classic with strangers. Olivier and Alberto brought not only their skills, but also their emotional memory of the scent. That’s irreplaceable.
WB: How has the reception been so far?
AM: Very strong. Especially with the Light Blue Summer Vibes editions. We brought back storytelling. The packaging, the imagery – all inspired by Southern Italy, ceramics, holidays. People want to be transported, and Light Blue delivers that.
WB: The fragrance world is changing rapidly. How do you keep up?
OC: By being bold. We can’t just follow trends – we have to lead. That means being fast, fearless, and true to the brand’s soul. Dolce & Gabbana is about passion, sensuality, Mediterranean life. The fragrances must embody that.
WB: How do you maintain creativity after so many years?
OC: I walk. I listen. I remember. Every scent is a memory. Every perfume is a gift to someone else’s memory. That keeps it fresh.
WB: Alberto, what does success smell like to you?
AM: [Laughs] Success? It smells like happiness. Like skin, sun, and something you can’t quite name. If you can name it, it’s not magic anymore.
And what for the future? “We’re already thinking about next summer – limited editions, new locations, new inspirations,” said Gianluca. “But the core will stay the same: emotion, clarity, joy – the scent of a perfect summer day. And in 2026, we’re preparing something entirely new, something that might expand Light Blue into different olfactory territories. Stay tuned.”
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