M.I.A. wore knockoff Versace when she was younger. She pitched the idea to create a collection reminiscent of her those days and Donatella Versace was intrigued. She tells WWD, “I adore the energy of the street, so when M.I.A. proposed to expose the issue of counterfeit Versace pieces by creating a collaboration inspired by these items, I thought it was an incredible idea. The collection represents all that I love of the new Versus Versace: it’s fast, it’s noisy, it’s brazen and it blends the world of music with that of fashion. I can’t wait to see it worn.”
“The theme of counterfeits, of those that produce and sell them has always been part of the culture of M.I.A.,” says the rapper/singer, whose next album, Matangi, hits shelves on November 5. “When I was contacted by Versace, it seemed a great idea to invert the circle. Versace’s designs have always been copied, now it’s Versace that copies the copies, so those that copy must copy the copies. So this will continue.”
A 19-piece mens and womenswear collection, it will feature printed jeans, silky shirts, t-shirts, jersey dresses, and military coats and jackets.
