D&G: Campioni by Domenico Dolce

Unless you actually follow soccer or don't live in the United States, there might be only a few contemporary male players whose names come readily to mind: Beckham, Ronaldo, um...Beckham? However, Dolce & Gabbana may finally be able to school us on the sports stars we ought to know.

Enter Campioni, the newest photography tome from the men behind the iconic Italian fashion house. While the "real man"-as-model is not an entirely new concept for D&G — remember these Sicilian catwalk amateurs? — this latest compilation puts famous soccer players in the spotlight, all the while showcasing the impeccably tailored, sleek, and sexy designs that the label is known for.

Shot by Domenico Dolce, VMAN features a preview of the new coffee-table must and an interview with Dolce himself in their upcoming fall issue. The designer, an admitted soccer mega fan, may have selected subjects who were not necessarily accustomed to primping, camera close-ups, and outfits that don't call for shin guards, but these fine, fine men don't really seem to be novices. “The guys were the real surprise of this project," Dolce tells VMAN. "When they stood in front of the lens, they seemed to be actors. Their looks came naturally and spontaneously, and they had no problem posing.”

Campioni is the realisation of one of the many dreams of Domenico Dolce: he has been able to test himself photographically behind the camera. It was he who shot the intense portraits of these football icons of the future. Young, handsome and sporting, they encompass the qualities that Dolce & Gabbana so admire in sport. The project will support AriSLA, Research Foundation for ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.