M.I.A. Shows Off Her Versace Line

BY Alex HudsonPublished Oct 7, 2013

Controversial finger-flipping pop singer M.I.A. has her album Matangi coming out on November 5, but rather than focus solely on LP promotion, she's diversifying her resume by designing her own clothing line for Versace.

The line is being released through Versace's label Versus, and it's due to launch on October 16. As you can see from the image above (and from the pictures at the Versus website), the duds are consistent with M.I.A.'s recent visual aesthetic; that is to say, there are lots of garish, faintly Sanskrit-esque letters and Incan-looking patterns.

Versace describes the line like this: "Riffing on classic sportswear, the collection remixes Versace trademarks, combining golden medallions with Sanskrit-inspired lettering and glowing lotus flowers. Loud, outspoken and ready for action, it's everyday armour, bristling with urban attitude."

The style is inspired by "fashion bootleggers" — that is, counterfeit clothing items. There are 19 pieces in all.

Donatella Versace told Women's Wear Daily [via the Telegraph], "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."

Versus is a diffusion label, meaning that it's a bit cheaper that Versace's usual clothes. In other words, you probably won't have to pay over a hundred dollars for a plain tee.

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