No matter what she does, it seems like Zendaya can’t put a foot wrong. The 24-year-old went from making music to starring in the year’s most talked-about show, Euphoria, which cemented her as the youngest person to ever win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
When she won the award, Zendaya used the opportunity not to boast about her accomplishments, but to speak about the Black Lives Matter movement, praising those on the streets fighting for justice.
Of course, in recent years, she’s also become a fashion darling, in part due to her stylist Law Roach (the man to thank for those epic Christopher Esber cut-out moments) and her standout collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger.
Now, Zendaya’s rounding out 2020 with another incredible announcement: she’s been tapped by Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli to be the new face of the Italian fashion house. The move couldn’t be more perfect for Piccioli, who announced in September his plans “to resignify the brand and how it is generally perceived,” saying he doesn’t want to revamp Valentino completely, rather he sees the pivot as being “like a different take on a familiar landscape.”
“The reason why we chose Zendaya as the new face for Valentino is because she perfectly embodies and represents what Valentino is and stands for, today,” Piccioli said of his choice in a statement. “She is a powerful and fierce young woman that uses her talent and her work to express herself, her values, and her generation as well.”
For her part, Zendaya said she’s “honored” to have been chosen as a face of the house, coming after the likes of British musician FKA Twigs. “I’m so excited to begin this amazing collaboration with Pierpaolo and the entire Valentino family.”
