Dsquared2's Caten twins launching into limelight

Hysterics ensue.

They've been this close since the day they were born in 1964 in Willowdale, Ontario, and have wanted to work in fashion almost as long, Dean says. Family life was as ordinary as it could be in a household with nine kids, yet he and Dan always had an eye on a bigger picture that his family couldn't see -- one that would take them to New York, Milan, Italy, and now London.

"It was normal people, growing up, just not us," Dean says. "We didn't quite fit in, but it was still fun."

Dan jumps in: "With five sisters, though, we did a lot of shopping, dressed them for a lot of proms and parties -- and we dressed them! We could do it on a budget, which allowed us to be more creative, and they trusted us because they knew we knew better than them."

The way they tell it, they couldn't wait to start their careers. The first stop was a summer program at Parsons School of Design straight out of high school, but before they knew it they were back in Canada, coaxed by the owner of Ports International (now known as Ports 1961).

It was there that the Catens cut their technical teeth, learning how to cut a pattern, tailor a jacket and critique their own work. On a local scale of success, they were a hit -- but the brothers weren't satisfied. It was going to be the European runway or bust.

"People say, `Why risk everything?' But I say, `Why not risk everything?'" Dan says.

"We chose Europe instead of New York," Dean adds, "because it was not so easy to come back home."

Still, they're proud of their Canadian roots: Maple leaves are incorporated into several designs each season.

They started in menswear in 1994 and added womenswear in 2003. Their runway shows are among the most elaborate and flashy on the Milan schedule with themes ranging from "Charlie's Angels" to "Mad Max."