It might be a disaster or a stroke of genius, but Versus Versace is collaborating with R&B singer and one-time boyband member Zayn Malik.
Zayn, 23 years old, will be creating a capsule collection for men and women. It will drop next May and will be shown to the media in the spring. He will also be face of the campaigns for the collection.
Tagged as #ZaynxVersus, there’s not a lot of hints yet about what the collection could look like and how long the collaboration will last. Versus Versace has yet to find a replacement for Anthony Vaccarello who left the post of creative director for Saint Laurent Paris. However, Donatella said this is the start of more collaborations. “Zayn is clearly our plan for now. But I think going forward I will keep doing collaborations with other musicians and rock stars as guest designers. It will be like our version of taking our brand on tour.” Versus is, after all, Versace’s secondary line that features a hip, raw vibe geared more toward millennials.
Could bringing in Zayn be Versace’s bid to connect to the in-crowd the way Gucci has of late? What do you think Zayn can bring to the table? Though more of a musical entertainer, Zayn is not a stranger to fashion, dating model Gigi Hadid (who also has her own line with Tommy Hilfiger, btw) and sporting designer duds himself. He also previously launched a collection of streetwear under his own name last year.
[The New York Times]
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