KING OFF THE COURT

Lin Dan was appointed as the Italian house’s first Asian ambassador in 2013. The Fujian native and the designers had met for the first time in Beijing a few years earlier. “For us, Lin Dan stands tall among the new icons of masculinity,” says Gabbana. “The commanding and charismatic personality of Lin has intrigued us since the first time we met. His aesthetic sensibility, his taste for beauty, his elegance and his innate affinity for fashion impressed us immediately.” Lin champions the label’s fashion in the book, printed by publishing powerhouse Rizzoli. Each stunning photograph captures the athlete posing in Dolce & Gabbana in a picturesque scene, whether in a tailor’s studio, an Italian eatery or a lavishly furnished abode.