Dolce & Gabbana dress Italy's team for World Cup

Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana will dress Italy's national team off the field during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, echoing other designers who are capitalising on the football craze.

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Players will be wearing dark blue, hand-made satin suits, dark blue ties featuring Italy's flag and dark blue cotton shirts for formal occasions, and a blazer-and-denim jeans outfit for more casual events, Dolce & Gabbana said in a statement.

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Sport-and-fashion projects are becoming increasingly popular as design houses launch their own sportswear brands and sportswear firms hire big Couture names for special collections.

Germany's team will be wearing Gabriele Strehler's Strenesse label off the field during the June 9-July 9 World Cup, while Giorgio Armani has been dressing England's football players for several years.