If you were to read the Slack DMs between myself and fellow editors, you’d know one thing: We’re obsessed with Zendaya. For superfans, it’s no secret that, in our minds, Zendaya has always been a style icon. But it wasn’t until her most recent Emmy-winning performance in the popular HBO show Euphoria, alongside actresses Hunter Schafer, Maude Apatow, and Alexa Demie, that she caught the attention of just about everyone on the planet.
It’s easy to say that Euphoria’s beauty looks and costumes are what created a mass following for the former Disney star or that her always-perfect waves did the trick or that her next-level iconic red carpet style is what did it. Who could forget her 2018 Met Gala look? But in truth, Zendaya represents the future of fashion, a future which Valentino has most recently backed by dubbing her the new face of the brand.
In an announcement made today, Pierpaolo Piccioli of Maison Valentino explained, “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. 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.”
The announcement was met with fanfare across social platforms, and while Valentino isn’t new to picking some of the most forward-thinking women to represent the brand—it’s had women like Janet Mock inspire it—the announcement solidifies what many fans (including myself) already knew about the star: She is the style icon of our generation.
