Zendaya Unfurled in 'Her Own Way' by Josh Olins for Vogue Australia May 2024
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Met Gala Co-Chair Zendaya Blooms in Couture Elegance for American Vogue May 2024
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Zendaya has no intention to make music anytime soon. Not only is her life overflowing with acting projects like her just-opened film ‘Challengers’, where her character Tashi, a fiercely-competitive tennis phenom turned coach over an accident, whips her husband into shape on the tennis court and in the bedroom.
Zendaya is the cover star for both American Vogue and British Vogue’s May 2024 issues, photographed for American Vogue [IG] in these images by Annie Leibovitz [IG] and for British Vogue by Carlijn Jacobs.
Zendaya is a co-chair of this year’s Met Gala, joining Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth. Loewe's creative director Jonathan Anderson and TikTok CEO Chew are Honorary Met Gala chairs.
Read MoreZendaya Enters an Era of Risk, Lensed by Steven Klein for ELLE US September, 2023
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Uber talent Zendaya tells ELLE US September 2023 writer Clover Hope, that at the impending age of 27, she’s “entering an era of risk.”
Stepping into the role of Tashi in director Luca Guadagnino’s R-rated, tennis-pros tryst drama ‘Challengers’ leaves her fans asking ‘Disney who?’
Clover Hope uses a new-to-AOC term that we admire and understand: ‘sensual chaos’. And who better to photograph the layers of sexual heat, ambiguity and self-revelation — but also misunderstanding— embedded in human sexuality, than the master of such images Steven Klein [IG].
It’s been a real drought of edgy images like Klein’s, but human sexuality itself has evolved mightily. Hence the repressive, hair-on-fire tactics of the right-wing extremists, who are always lurking under our bedcovers.
Read MoreLouis Vuitton Makes Zendaya Official in 2023 Capucines Campaign by Mert & Marcus
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On Thursday rumors that Zendaya had made a major luxury brand move were confirmed, with Louis Vuitton announcing her as its newest house ambassador.
Master photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott captured Zendaya as the face of its Capucines bag, shot in color-saturated, cinematic images of blue sky and a quiet Mediterranean backdrop at the restored 1929 Roquebrune-Cap-Martin house, designed by Irsh architect Eileen Gray./ Hair by Raoul Alejandre; makeup by Antoinette Hill
The Golden Globe–winning actor’s career is in fifth gear, with two highly-anticipated films this year. ‘Challengers’, a Luca Guadagnino–directed tennis drama [‘Call Me by Your Name’] will release in August on August 11, 2023. Zendaya stars with ‘The Crown’s’ Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist ‘West Side Story’ in a tennis tournament in which her husband faces off against her former lover.
Read MoreValentino's Pink PP Fall 2022 Campaign Is a Powerful Sign of the Times
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Valentino previews its Pink PP advertising campaign for fall 2022, fronted by celebritiy friends of the house Zendaya and Sir Lewis Hamilton — who are literally drenched in pink, photographed by Michael Bailey Gates.
“One color, bold, strong, fluid, extravagant, one color to summarize everything I like in fashion and everything that I choose to represent: the liberation from the ordinary, a space to be oneself, a loud symbol for equality and love,” said Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli.
Read MoreZendaya Dazzles in Italian Glamour for Vogue Italia July 2022 by Elizaveta Porodina
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Actor and singer Zendaya covers the July 2022 issue of Vogue Italia. The ‘Euphoria’ star, named to the TIME 100 2022 list of the world’s most influential people, reflects on her status as the “portrait of a generation’, writes Jordan Anderson in the Vogue Italia interview.
Read MoreSleek and Sophisticated Zendaya Covers British Vogue October 2021 by Craig McDean
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‘The World According To Zendaya’ is British Vogue’s October 2021 cover story. Her close friend Law Roach — Zendaya was his first major client at age 14 and with Roach owning a vintage store in Chicago — chooses sophisticated luxury — lensed by Craig McDean.
Read MoreValentino Was Woke Before Naming Zendaya As New Brand Face
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Piccioli’s relationship with Black models is at the top of luxury fashion houses. In his spectacular January 2019 couture show, the creative director and designer featured a dominating majority Black models extravaganza, reflecting a historic commitment to Black model representation. Vanessa Friedman reported that of 65 models, 45 were Black.
“As a designer I have a voice,” Piccioli said in the moment. “Hopefully a loud one. I want to use it.”
Read MorePierpaolo Piccioli Was Woke Before Naming Zendaya As New Brand Face
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‘Euphoria’ star Zendaya has joined the Valentino stable of celebs and voices representing the brand. The star shared the news, saying that she is “honoured to have been chosen as the face of Valentino,” and “so excited to begin this amazing collaboration with Pierpaolo and the entire Valentino family.”.
WWD delivered the message that Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli wants “to make the brand more in sync with the times and more inclusive, while maintaining its storied codes.”
From his perspective, Piccioli wants “to resignify the brand and how it is generally perceived. It’s like a different take on a familiar landscape.” Zendaya “embodies and represents what Valentino is and stands for today,” Piccioli explained to the press. “She is a powerful and fierce young woman that uses her talent and her work to express herself, her values and her generation as well.”
As an actor, the recent Emmy Awards youngest winner of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Zendaya’s role in ‘Euphoria’, joined Viola Davis as only the second Black female actor to win an Emmy in the high-profile category.
Valentino Isn’t New to Supporting Black Creatives and Culture
Valentino haute couture, spring 2019.Credit...Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times
Valentino and Piccioli are walking a needlessly treacherous balance beam in AOC’s opinion.
Perhaps because we follow the fashion industry so closely, we know Valentino and Piccioli himself have existing credentials in their support of Black creatives and models. I would have positioned that existing pedigree as part of their new announcement about Zendaya.
Piccioli’s relationship with Black models is at the top of luxury fashion houses. In his spectacular January 2019 couture show, the creative director and designer featured a dominating majority Black models extravaganza, reflecting a historic commitment to Black model representation. Vanessa Friedman reported that of 65 models, 45 were Black.
“As a designer I have a voice,” Piccioli said in the moment. “Hopefully a loud one. I want to use it.”
Fine — we are accustomed to marketing manipulation — but when Roberta Flack’s ‘The First Time’ hit the runway, tears welled up in more than one set of fashionista eyes. The beauty of the January 2019 moment existed in the reality that Pierpaolo Piccioli’s gesture was not tokenistic.
Joining Naomi Campbell were Aaliyah Hydes, Adut Akech, Ajak Deng, Akiima, Alek Wek, Alyssa Traore, Annibelis Baez, Anyelina Rosa, Assa Baradji, Ayak Veronica Bior, Blesnya Minher, Duckie Thot, Eftagine Fevilien, Grace Bol, Hannah Shakespeare, Hiandra Martinez, Janaye Furman, Judy Kinuthia, Karly Loyce, Litza Velloz, Lineisy Fatou Liya Kebede, Jobe, Lisette Moriello, Mayowa Nicholas, Miqueal-Simone Williams, Montero, Naomi Chin Wing, Nichole Atiero, Rouguy Faye, Niko Riam, Nyara Aboja, Saba Koj, Sana Diouf, Selena Forrest, Shanelle Nyasiase, Sompra Antonio, Tami Williams, Ugbad Abai, and Veronica Cabral.
Valentino’s Moncler Collab with Liya Kebede
Image courtesy Moncler.
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s collaboration with Lemlem’s founder Liya Kebede on puffer gowns for Moncler also comes to mind. Kebede’s Ethiopian artisans created colorful borders on the gowns, like those found on the ‘habesha kemis’ traditional Ethiopian dress.
AOC’s only point is that there’s no need for Valentino to communicate a message that’s it’s a luxury brand jumping on the Black representation bandwagon.
Valentino was ‘woke’ on this issue before most other luxury brands. They don’t deserve an award for being among the first to take a leadership position around Black beauty and creativity. But Valentino could have celebrated their ongoing commitment to racial justice and Black representation by announcing Zendaya as a next step in this long-overdue journey.
It would be like Anne of Carversville announcing our commitment to Black models, when we’ve been fighting for them for a decade. Nobody deserves a bow on this issue, but Valentino is not new to this long-overdue party. It didn’t take a summer of widespread protest and discontent to prompt Valentino to action. Nor did it take embarrassing condemnation from Black leaders and racial justice activists pointing out the obvious racism in their product offerings — as experienced by Gucci and Prada. ~ Anne
