Much like how the world had their eyes on Zayn Malik, especially after he broke away from One Direction, Donatella Versace instead saw something more in the stylish 24-year-old: his attitude, his energy and his individuality. So much so that the Artistic Director of Versace decided to work with Zayn to come up with a special collection for Versus Versace.
The Zayn x Versus collection encapsulates the attitude of the street for the new generation, with a mix of sports and functionality, and a play with proportion and customisation. Inspired by the essence of how Zayn and his friends dress, the collection is spearheaded with an ad campaign, which features the star and his equally fashionable girlfriend, Bella Hadid, caught in natural and informal settings in candid images much like the ones seen spewed from a Polaroid camera.
The collection features pieces for men and women in Zayn’s preferred colour palette of khaki green, wine, black and white, and occasional splashed of red. Versus patches are as if hand-stitched throughout the collection, while a ZXV print has letters created from tape.
Zip up bomber jackets head the collection alongside functional oversized parkas, both perfect uniform for the city streets, whereas Eco-leather jackets have been graffiti-ed, then embroidered on the back with energised takes on Zayn’s name and the VERSUS logo.
Besides that, athleticism is served up with an edge, with technical sweat tops that carry the ZXV lettering down the arm, as well as technical pique leggings that can be carried out at the gym straight out onto the streets. Finishing off the collection are the accessories of functional and athletic mood, such as the backpacks and gym bags covered in black-on-black Versus patches.