Zendaya Coleman took to the streets to redefine fashion, and her latest business endeavor is doing all of the talking.
The young Hollywood actress, singer, dancer, designer, producer and spokesperson (Is there anything she doesn’t do?) recently expanded her brand with the launch of the “DAYA by Zendaya” clothing collection, an extension of her shoe line. Inspired by New York City’s distinguished street style as well as a crew of multicultural trendsetters, “DAYA” has urban chic written all over it.
However, there is more to the collection than merely meets the eye.
Amongst the lineup of a classic flight bomber jacket, white lace-up sweatpants and an oversized graphic sweatshirt, representative of the “unbothered” and “unapologetic” city streets, is an underlying trend of acceptance, empowerment, equality and inclusivity.
DAYA By Zendaya
“I wanted the line to be empowering,” Zendaya told Vibe Magazine. “I wanted everything to feel empowering and good. I wanted everyone to feel included. It’s a very inclusive brand and that’s just something from the very beginning I needed to make sure was possible. I can’t just talk the talk and not walk the walk.”
The label’s “Street Utility” and “Urban Legend” collections succeed in doing just that, beginning with the items’ sizing and pricing and remaining fluid with the uniquely cut, detailed and gender neutral-like pieces.
Each piece is priced at an affordable rate, which allowed Zendaya and her long-time stylist, Law Roach, to maintain the luxury and quality of the clothing they desired, but also making them both affordable and accessible to as many people as possible. The same goes for the collections’ variety of sizing. The young designer has pieces ranging from “XS” to “XXL,” from size zero to 22.
The line also features styles of gender-neutral colors and silhouettes, such as oversized sweats, tuxedo pants, jackets and jumpsuits, one thing Zendaya passionately wanted to introduce with her collection.
As a firm believer in “wearing what you want and doing what you want to do,” the collection offers a medley of low-key basics, elevated to androgynistic fashion staples. This style remains consistent through every aspect of the brand, from each piece of clothing to the labels’ campaign videos.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL_uuYhgIxD/?taken-by=dayabyzendaya
“I tried to listen to what the people wanted, what they needed, what they were asking for,” Zendaya said.
It is truly a collection inspired by the people, for the people.
However, this is not to say that Zendaya did not add her own personal and stylish touch, the same touch that makes her one of today’s greatest fashion icons. Instead, each piece weaves together the tomboy-meets-glamorous style characteristic of the star. We could definitely see her rocking each piece!
Some of “Zendaya’s Picks” highlighted on the label’s website include an olive-green quilted kimono wrap jacket, a brown oversized velvet jumpsuit as well as two on-trend mid-length satin slip dresses. It’s safe to say that each piece merges the sense of femininity, masculinity, and street utility.
DAYA By Zendaya
The collection’s blush pink Satin Cross-Back Slip Dress with high side slits and a plunging backline is a standout in the lineup, as it exudes such elegance and fluidity. However, when paired with its matching Longline Satin Bomber, the slinky slip dress instantly evokes the effortlessly cool vibe of New York City’s urban culture.
DAYA By Zendaya
Perhaps the most personalized piece of the collection is the Patched Military Anorak.
DAYA By Zendaya
Every detail on the parka was hand-picked by Zendaya herself and is symbolic of her life, as the military-inspired outerwear piece features “EST. 1996,” her birth year, as well as “ORIGINATED IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,” her home town.
Making the piece even more personal to the label’s designer, Zendaya selected a variety of patched accents that play on her Californian roots and hip-hop inspirations. Patches of Oakland, California’s area code “510,” peace signs and illustrations of Michael Jackson and Tupak Shakur add a hint of flare and personality to the classic military-inspired look.
Though the collection is uniquely Zendaya’s, the modern day star is not the first of her kind to transition from Hollywood and into the realm of fashion. Like many in her field, the worship of fame has launched celebrities into a new arena of the fashion world, gaining more power ever to design and even more power than ever to sell, according to Teri Agins.
With the rise of the Internet and social media in the 21st century, this monetization of fame and celebritization of fashion has only increased throughout recent years.
Zendaya clearly used her power over social media to her own benefit, as the star teased fans with sneak peaks and addresses of the varying pop-up shops on social media just a few days prior to the “Daya” launch.
If the collection did not already exude the vibes of New York City’s culture of authenticity and freedom, the superstar brought the collection to life by literally taking it the streets.
Hundreds of fans and fashion lovers lined the streets of Chicago, Los Angeles and New York to catch a glimpse of the collection at the three pop-up shop locations last weekend, in which Zendaya made appearances at each shop all in a day’s time. Based off of the reactions of fans across the social media universe, the launch was a clearly a success.
However, despite Coleman’s fame, the star proved that her collection was more than just another form of capitalization as she poured her love of fashion and her passion for her fans into each ensemble.
“Honestly, when it comes to the line, I tried to think about different areas of who I am as a person and I tried to hit all of that,” the designer said. “I tried to hit the glamor and I tried to portray who Zendaya is and in turn, translate how that reflects people. I feel like I am, in a very many ways in my career, a spokesperson for the people and how they feel. I think that was the whole feeling behind that line. And especially paying attention to the details, cut, how certain things hit the body, the quality, and how things are made.”
Check out more from Zendaya herself by clicking the link below!
http://www.usatoday.com/videos/embed/93260676/?fullsite=true
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