A messy desktop has become an unlikely source of the latest rumour in fashion. During a talk at New York's PS1 gallery this weekend, singer MIA projected her desktop on to a screen. Revealed? Folders with labels that read "Versace prints" and "Versace outlines". A dead giveaway – one that she confirmed during the talk – that she was due to collaborate with the brand.
While it's unclear what this collaboration will involve, it's an alliance that makes total sense. MIA, aka Maya Arulpragasam, has often been seen wearing vintage Versace prints and she attended the label's couture show wearing one of the brand's gold twirly-print trouser suits in July. Recent rumours that Lana Del Rey was to be the face of the brand were quashed this week (perhaps an association with Mulberry and stint as campaign girl for H&M put the label off), but MIA seems a likelier fit. The rapper's eclectic style mixes street and fashion prowess (not to mention interesting maternity wear), and ability to hit the headlines regularly. Versace is a brand that has always celebrated women unafraid to make their opinion heard. In the past, Madonna and Courtney Love have appeared in campaigns, and the label is also close to Lady Gaga.
MIA has always had a special place in fashion hearts. The west London native of Sri Lankan heritage has striking looks, was a flatmate of designer and journalist Luella Bartley when she was at Central Saint Martins, and starred in ads for Marc Jacobs in 2008. Then there was her shortlived fashion label Okley Run – all bodysuits, bomber jackets and cropped tees in vibrant prints – which launched at New York fashion week. Whatever this leaked project adds up to, you can be sure fashion will be right behind it. She might have courted controversy at the Super Bowl but, style-wise, she's rarely put a foot wrong.
