MILAN – The love affair between Zara and Ludovic de Saint Sernin keeps going strong.
After creating a chair as part of Zara’s 50th anniversary celebrations, the Paris-based designer has extended its partnership with the Spanish powerhouse conceiving a collection of women’s and men’s ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as beauty products, to be launched globally on Nov. 17.
The campaign for the Ludovic de Saint Sernin x Zara collection.
Courtesy of Zara
The range reflects de Saint Sernin’s idea of a “perfect wardrobe,” with a focused lineup of staples hinging on his signature sleek aesthetic and following into the footsteps of his fall 2024 collection presented in New York, since the city acts as a key inspiration for the collaboration.
In tune with de Saint Sernin’s ethos, leather plays a central role in the collection, with standout pieces including coats, trench coats, minidress bralettes and pants, often dotted by studs. Highlights also include a car coat in shiny black ponyskin, metal mesh dresses, glam halter-neck tops and frocks and tailored pieces in wool or silk duchesse. Basics such as logoed tank tops and stonewashed denim separates add to accessories such as belts and gloves in rounding out the range.
The campaign for the Ludovic de Saint Sernin x Zara collection.
Courtesy of Zara
“What we’ve created together is my idea of the perfect wardrobe: pieces made with extraordinary quality, that I want to wear, that I want to see my friends wear, that I want everyone to wear,” said de Saint Sernin. “The most incredible thing about this project is knowing how universal it will be. Thanks to Zara, people all over the world will have the opportunity to enter the universe of Ludovic de Saint Sernin.”
Such a universe will also include beauty products encompassing lip glosses, foundations, mascaras, sticks, eye patches and skincare tools, among others.
The Ludovic de Saint Sernin x Zara collection.
Courtesy of Zara
The launch at a selection of Zara’s stores worldwide and e-commerce will be flanked by a dedicated campaign and video directed by Gordon von Steiner, who filmed the likes of Alex Consani and Amelia Gray with the designer himself in Downtown Manhattan.
“One of the central concepts of the film is the daydream — that fine line between reality and imagination. But I also wanted to remind the world to keep dreaming, in a bigger way,” said de Saint Sernin. He highlighted that this collaboration was a dream coming true, underscoring how “from the beginning, working with [Zara] has been like becoming part of a family.”
The campaign for the Ludovic de Saint Sernin x Zara collection.
Courtesy of Zara
As reported, he already got a taste of such a synergy by accepting the invitation of Marta Ortega Pérez, nonexecutive chair of Zara’s parent company Inditex, to design an object to mark the company’s 50th anniversary.
This was celebrated with a genre-crossing exhibition and pop-up staged during Paris Fashion Week last month, which drew the likes of Rosalía, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Narciso Rodriguez, Anna Sui, Pat McGrath and Mario Sorrenti, among many others.
The campaign for the Ludovic de Saint Sernin x Zara collection.
Courtesy of Zara
For the occasion, de Saint Sernin veered from fashion to conceive a sleek leather chair. “I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and I always have loved furniture design and interior design. And I love Zara Home, I have pieces at home from Zara Home,” de Saint Sernin said at the time. “So I really wanted to work with the home team and build something that feels totally me but at the same time that feels new and exciting.…Obviously I had to go for leather and hardware and it’s a sling so it has a fun, kinky side to it.”
The anniversary exhibition, which was a year in the making, was only the latest move Ortega Pérez orchestrated to align Zara with creative and cultural figures and position it as aspirational, an evolution started in 2022 with a collection from Rodriguez.
The campaign for the Ludovic de Saint Sernin x Zara collection.
Courtesy of Zara
