Filippo Monteforte; Maria Moratti/Contigo

Lady Gaga is now officially the face of one of Valentino’s perfumes, the upcoming Voce Viva, by creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli with Valentino Beauty.
   The new campaign breaks in September with the perfume’s release.
   â€˜Lady Gaga means freedom, self-consciousness, pure hear,’ said Piccioli. ‘Her participation in this campaign elevates the symbolic power of the project to the highest level. She is the icon of a generation. Her message of freedom, passion for art, self-consciousness and equality is the same our Valentino community stands for. I am so proud for having her in.’
   On the new scent, the house said in a release, ‘Imagined as a voice to spread a message around the world, Valentino Voce Viva invites everyone to touch hearts, inspire others and live their dreams. Expressing the Maison’s values of inclusivity and individuality, Voce Viva celebrates one of the women’s most intimate sense.’
   Lady Gaga, already a modern-day icon and the only artist to receive an Oscar, Grammy, BAFTA and Golden Globe in the same year (for A Star Is Born), has recently released ‘Rain on Me’, a duet with Ariana Grande, and created her own beauty line.
   The star said in the release, ‘Be yourself, love who you are, and never give up your dreams.’

German model and actress Tiana Pongs, who had authored Der kleine Model Guide in her native country some years ago, has released an updated English-language equivalent, Keep Smiling: a Career Guide for Models, from the same publisher, Ebozon Verlag.
   According to the publisher, the guide ‘explains, step by step, how to start, what the everyday life looks like and how emerging models can successfully establish themselves on the international market.’
   Pongs runs through advice on securing an agency, photographers and clients, photo shoots, and general conditions. She also discusses fees, tax advisers, travel, and beauty and nutrition. The book also has a verified list of international agencies.
   She also covers the seedier side of the business, including ‘dirty offers’, as well as personal difficulties such as homesickness.

Tiana Pongs’ original German edition, from the same publisher

Kathy Ireland, poolside, wearing classic vintage swimwear on the French Riviera for the Cannes Film Festival at the invitation of Elizabeth Taylor. The image and silhouette are inspirations for design, form, fit and fabrications of Kathy Ireland Swimwear by Trunkettes’ launch.

Kathy Ireland Worldwide (KIWW) has inked a five-year agreement with Trunkettes to create a range of co-branded designer swimwear, showing off its first four collections under the new arrangement this week.
   Kathy Ireland Swim by Trunkettes’ first four lines are Oceana, Aloha Sunset, Coastal Shores and Maritime, with additional lines to come.
   Ireland is a three-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model, with one issue having the distinction of being SI’s best selling of all time.
   It is Ireland’s modelling imagery and silhouette that form the inspiration for the new range.
   With her company a highly influential licensor, Ireland, as chair, CEO and chief designer of KIWW, has been very careful about who gets to use her brand. It supports the Millennium Development Goals, and its brand partners work to further this initiative.
   â€˜All of us at KIWW are delighted to be working with Hilary and her team,’ said Ireland in a release. ‘It’s been a very long time since our company’s involvement in the fashion category of swimwear. Many industry leaders have asked for that brand extension, and their vision did not inspire us. After meaningful consultation with our team as well as our long-term partners, John and Marilyn Moretz, we met Hilary, who is a great leader and powerful inspiration to all of us. The irony of this agreement is that my work for Sports Illustrated would never have happened without the stewardship of the amazing Jule Campbell, a woman who took charge of the SI brand, and made it a global powerhouse. Working with Hilary, a greatly talented CEO, who understands, as a woman, the unique needs that we have in swimwear, definitely had an impact on our thinking. When Brian Nguyen introduced us all to Hilary … the answer was yes! The company is amazing, the suits are spectacular, and Hilary is amazing as well.’
   â€˜We could not have imagined a more ideal fit for a partnership than with Kathy,’ said Hilary Genga, Trunkettes’ founder, CEO and chief designer. ‘Her strength, confidence, and empowerment of women represent everything the Trunkettes brand stands for.
   â€˜Today, Kathy has as many Forbes covers as she does Sports Illustrated. I am honoured to work with Kathy, a woman who has inspired so many women—myself included.’
   Trunkettes will support women’s and minority initiatives as part of the arrangement.

Katherine Langford, the 24-year-old Australian actress known for her role as Hannah Baker in 13 Reasons Why, is the new L’Oréal Paris international ambassador.
   Langford, who hails from Perth, WA, was a nationally ranked swimmer before embarking on an acting career, with a Skype audition for 13 Reasons Why. On the silver screen, she was one of the ensemble cast in the Daniel Craig starrer Knives Out, playing Meg Thrombey, and starred as Leah in Love, Simon, about a young man who comes out. Her next role is as Nimue in Cursed, a retelling of the Arthurian tales but with women in the main roles.
   Langford has become a role model for youth and is an advocate for mental health. She is also passionate about equality across gender, sexual orientation, age and race.
   She currently has 16·4 million followers on Instagram, making her a particularly influential celebrity for the French giant to reach a millennial audience.
   â€˜L’Oréal Paris is the brand that creates what’s next in beauty with an essential message: everyone is worth it. It is all about learning how to love yourself, how to be bold, how to be confident!’ said Langford. ‘People my age should not be afraid to be themselves, because that’s what makes us beautiful. When you know you are worth it, you live your life to the fullest. Having always valued empowerment, I can say that I am very grateful to be part of such an inspiring group of women spokespersons.’
   â€˜We are thrilled to welcome Katherine to the L’Oréal Paris family. She is a role model, a talented and confident young woman using her platform for positive influence. Katherine’s star will only continue to rise. As a young radiant heroine who encourages people to believe in themselves, she’s the perfect spokesperson to embody our signature brand message: we are all worth it,’ said Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, L’Oréal Paris’s global brand president.
   Langford’s first campaign breaks later in 2020, for Air Mascara and Casting Crème.

New Zealand-founded label Icebreaker has shown its autumn–winter 2020 collection, with the staples that we’ve come to love from this outdoor wear label, including tops, vests, shirts, puffer jackets, and leggings. The brand continues to incorporate super-fine merino wool, which in Icebreaker’s case is ethically sourced from growers who have banned mulesing. The wool is biodegradable and annually renewable.

   COVID-19 has forced many to slow down and appreciate what we have. Malo (www.malo.it), the cashmere brand from Firenze, Italy, agrees, with its chairman, Walter Maiocchi, noting: ‘Now it’s time to reflect and slow down. We need to grasp the positive teachings of this new global situation.’ He stresses that his company makes timeless garments that transcend seasons, and this is its contribution to sustainability. The Malo spring–summer 2020 collection, made in Italy, is based around a virtual journey around the country.

   Paradigm Eyewear’s sunglasses have become a favourite among Hollywood celebs, especially its 19-34 model. Both Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) and Hannah Ann Sluss (The Bachelor) have been photographed wearing their Paradigm sunglasses as they went out and about. The 19-34, available in different colours and lenses, retails at US$125 at baxterandbonny.com.

As some celebrities and models continue with lockdown, and others are starting to emerge from theirs, their Instagrams are a far more mixed bag than when we began peering into them again earlier this year.
   While a few months ago, there were express acknowledgements of the COVID-19 pandemic, this week there was no caption from Kylie Jenner as she posted a selfie of herself in a bra and jeans, love heart aside, with half-sister Kim Kardashian exclaiming ‘WOW’ with six flame emojis. And being Jenner the photo received 10·6 million likes, and Kardashian’s comment, at the time of writing, had 11,999—it’ll easily be over 12,000 by the time you read this.
   In Milano, where things are beginning to open up again, Chiara Ferragni showed off her pride capsule collection, sharing the link in her Instagram Stories. The home-shot top showcases its rainbow stripes proudly, with ‘Love fiercely’ emblazoned on the front.
   It’s outside for singer–model Hilde Osland modelling Bombshell Sportswear, showing off the red autumn leaves in Western Australia, as that country’s COVID-19 infections dwindle. German actress Franziska Knuppe went further afield, into the Baltic Sea on board a boat for a photo shoot, doing her own make-up (using Shiseido) and hair (using Schwarzkopf), but beyond that, it’s a ‘secret project’ and we’re to wait to see just what this is.
   Bar Refaeli had a far simpler, more relaxed post on her ’Gram, looking natural in Tel Aviv with the simple caption, ‘Favorite time of the day. ME TIME’, a sentiment which many of us would embrace. Just as blissful was a post from Marina Laswick to her one million followers, her husband Kev Dukes holding her up. They’re making a Q&A video to answer questions about their successful marriage, and among the comments is an admission that Kev is usually behind the lens of Laswick’s photographs.
   Silvana Araujo, with nearly a million followers as fans of her fitness advice, is the only one in our round-up who mentions her quarantine (in Bogotá) directly. Wearing a bikini, she’s alerting fans to her upcoming fitness videos.
   Finally, Lucire cover alumna, actress Violett Beane, who turned 24 earlier this month, showed off a new hair colour (‘Extremely-faded-dark-brown-box-dyed’) and ’do.