MILAN – “An ideal ambassador? No one. If you already have Ibra, you don’t need anyone else.”
True to his reputation and famous confidence, AC Milan soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimović dismissed any suggestion of a potential ambassador to embody the capsule collection he developed with Dsquared2 beyond himself.
Teased in January, the Black on Black range was celebrated with an in-store event on Tuesday, which inevitably drew a crowd of football supporters and Ibra fans (the two don’t necessarily coincide as his fame of skip the sport itself ) off the brand banner here.
The collection that the two parties designed for fall 2022 and that was officially launched this week is the second link between the founders of the fashion label Dean and Dan Caten and the athlete, after last year’s seminal project Icon Ibrahimović x Dsquared2. But the relationship was established long before.
“I met Dean and Dani when I first arrived in Italy, in time to play for Juventus in Turin,” Ibrahimović said of his first two-year stint in Italy’s Serie A soccer league in 2004.
“My agent Mino [Raiola] made the presentations and suggested they design the team’s uniform, so it all started from there,” continued the forward, recalling how the Canadian duo created the club’s away kit in 2006.
It took more than a decade to take the relationship to the next level, with Ibrahimovic declaring that “first I had to stand up and prove myself” before developing a collection that could be called Icon, as the first was .
“I was very proud, firstly because this wasn’t my world, it was Dean and Dan’s and I was in good hands. And then I was happy because [the collection] he actually performed well,” said the forward.
For the second effort, the pair came up with a full range including daywear, sportswear, eveningwear and accessories, all done in black.
“Black is easy. It’s a staple,” said Dean Caten, explaining the stylistic choice. “When in doubt, always go black.”
In the case of a soccer star with 55.3 million Instagram followers, a touch of glitter is also welcome. Ibrahimović’s rhinestone-studded denim shorts from the Black on Black collection and worn at the event, styled with a black blazer and shiny, pointy shoes.
Courtesy of Dsquared2
“I like fashion, but I’m not an expert, my wife Helena [Seger] it is,” said the player, pointing to his partner, who also sported a total black look from the brand. “In the beginning, my style was very sporty, I wore a lot of hoodies. Then when I met her she said, ‘We need to change your wardrobe a bit’, so I sent her shopping [clothes] for me, – he said laughing.
However, the player still favors staples off the football pitch, such as Dsquared2 T-shirts and jeans, “which fit me really well,” he said. “I like clothes when they are comfortable. When they make me feel comfortable, they work. And that’s what happened first with ‘Icon’ and now with ‘Black on Black’. I really feel myself wearing these,” said Ibrahimović.
For the Catens, the capsule collection aims to appeal to a different kind of customer, “sporty, mature, who wants to be fashionable but not too much,” said Dean Caten.
Ibrahimović teased one of the head-to-toe black looks already as he attended the Dsquared2 Fall 2022 menswear show in Milan, which marked a first for him and a “beautiful and intense” experience, as he described it.
Asked if he sees himself in fashion one day, the player’s bullish attitude gave way to a more cautious approach. “I am interested in fashion, although this is still new. When you work with experts, you can learn and grow on your own. So I still stick to football, but I approach this world with curiosity. I’m also in the fashion city, so of course it’s a good start,” said Ibrahimović.
While the designers and soccer star remained mum on a possible third chapter of the collaboration, the “Black on Black” range hits the shelves of Dsquared2 stores and e-commerce, as well as select retailers worldwide, this week.
Given the uniformity of colors, the collection plays with textures – from leather to satin – and details, including printed logos of the brand name, the footballer’s nickname “Ibra” or embroideries with his initials. Custom denim labels and denim labels are also featured on the products.
Everyday options, style-wise, include a double-breasted wool coat, biker trousers and wool knits, as well as bomber jackets featuring the football star’s nickname printed on the back and washed denim jackets. Hoodies and joggers make up the sportier part of the collection, which also includes beachwear such as swimwear, swimwear and sandals.
Evening wear ranges from a classic black tuxedo to sportswear, such as hoodies and shorts, covered in black crystals for a touch of glittering eccentricity à la “Ibra”.
