Dua Lipa made her first attempt in the field of fashion, in design, of course a collaboration with her friend Donatella Versace, with clear ideas in mind they prepared the idea for the “La Vacanza” collection.
At a press conference and preview in Cannes, hours before the collection was unveiled at a successful presentation on the French Riviera, Dua said:
“We decided to do it in one night in New York. Donatella and I have done a lot together over time, but the opportunity to step into the atelier and be part of Versace’s history has been absolutely fascinating.”
The singer’s close relationship with the fashion house began in 2018, when she wore a pair of Versace spring/summer 2018 swimwear in her Tresor de la Mer print to perform her smash hit “New Rules” at the Brit Awards. Dua also shared:
“Donatella has supported me from the beginning. That British performance was very special for me.”
In the years since, the star has worn Versace at the Grammys, modeled his collections in the pages of British Vogue and opened Donatella’s spring/summer 2022 show at Milan Fashion Week. While luxury brands recruiting celebrity ambassadors is nothing new, a star being invited to explore a fashion house’s archives and have a hand in designing a collection is something else entirely.
“I feel like I now know the Versace story inside out and feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to immerse myself in it all. I started making little sketches… I was going to send them to Donatella and ask her what she thinks? And I really can’t draw at all! But we have such a common language… we were able to bounce ideas off each other.”
It was a special experience not only for Dua Lipa, but also for Donatella who explained that the singer brought valuable insights into how Gen-Z wants to interpret archive footage in a contemporary way. Donatella herself showed in Cannes that:0
“Having a voice outside of my team tells me how she sees Versace and it’s so important. Dua represents today’s woman: she is confident, strong and has the ability to influence people – not only because she is famous, but because of her values.”
The La Vacanza collection, which is available to buy immediately after the show, combines Versace signatures with the singer’s signature style.
“The butterfly is something we connected very early on. It’s fun, it’s flirty.”
A shimmering one-shoulder dress with a turquoise ombre effect takes inspiration from Versace’s metallic mesh.
“We’re trying to create the very classic Versace metal mesh identity, but make it a little more accessible.”
Other parts of La Vacanza are extremely special.