Grammy-winning artist Dua Lipa, who has won the prestigious award three times, has collaborated with Versace to co-design an exciting new collection called “La Vacanza,” meaning “the holiday.”
The partnership between Lipa and Donatella Versace, the label’s creative director since 1997, began in 2018 when Lipa wore a daring combination of a leotard and denim jacket for her debut Brit Award performance. During a press conference prior to the show, Lipa and Donatella described their collaboration as a historic moment.
The collection was unveiled at a villa in Cannes, surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens, and timed to coincide with the world’s most extravagant film festival. The guest list mainly comprised influencers and musicians popular among the Gen Z demographic, including Rina Sawayama and Peggy Gou.
Notable attendees at the show included British model Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan.
Versace has always understood that fashion is more than just clothing. For the late founder Gianni Versace and his sister Donatella, the focus has always been on celebrities, creating spectacles, and engineering moments that transcend the fashion industry and become part of pop culture history.
Who can forget Jennifer Lopez’s provocative emerald green jungle dress at the 2000 Grammy Awards, which led to the creation of Google Image Search by tech engineers?
Inspired by Versace’s iconic archives from the 1990s, the resort collection, which refers to clothing produced outside of the traditional Spring-Summer and Fall-Winter seasons, began taking shape in October when Lipa shared her vision through sketches with Donatella. “I can’t really draw at all,” admitted the singer during the Cannes press conference. “But it was enough!” chimed in Donatella, emphasizing Lipa’s involvement in the entire creative process, from start to finish.
Versace is not the only brand recognizing the power of high-profile co-designers, particularly musicians. Just this month, Erykah Badu launched a collection with Italian fashion house Marni, while Blackpink’s Jennie Kim unveiled a capsule collection with Calvin Klein. In March, Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing collaborated with Beyonce to release 16 couture looks inspired by her acclaimed 2022 album, “Renaissance.”
On the runway, the aesthetic of “La Vacanza” exuded vibrancy, playfulness, and a distinct Barbie-inspired style (Lipa is also featured on the soundtrack for Greta Gerwing’s upcoming “Barbie” movie and teased the track to her 88 million Instagram followers while wearing Versace).
The collection showcased faux metal-mesh dresses in aquamarine, miniskirts adorned with embellished butterflies, and fluorescent capri leggings. When asked about the inspiration behind the collection, Lipa summarized it with a tagline reminiscent of Mattel’s Barbie Summer Beach range: “The weather is nice, and we want to dress up and look cute.”
Apart from a few all-black ensembles, the color palette predominantly featured pastel shades, including powder pink mini dresses embellished with the brand’s signature Medusa pendants and Greca key detailing, as well as sky blue monogrammed suits. Lipa described the collection as fun, flirty, and perfect for summer.
Versace is actively positioning itself as the designer for stars, evident in their recent show held in the Hollywood Hills just two days before the Oscars (where Lady Gaga wore a black gown fresh off the runway with a low-slung waist and mesh bodice).
Rather than relying solely on traditional celebrity endorsements, Versace’s strategy involves strategically timed fashion shows around events such as the Oscars or Cannes, capitalizing on the existing spectacle and media attention to their advantage.
“Donatella and I bonded over our shared love of this time of year while making this collection. Digging through the archives we discovered we were drawn to a lot of the same references which was such an inspiring and fulfilling process. La Vacanza ranges from metallic miniskirts and sexy bikinis, to butterfly rings and printed pieces inspired by the Versace SS ’95 collection. There’s always an occasion to wear Versace, and I know I’ll be spending my days (and nights!) in La Vacanza all summer long.” — Dua Lipa.
With the collection instantly available online, it won’t be long before we see if this strategy resonates with shoppers as well.
