Mad about Madonna?
“Love her or hate her, Madonna has been a pop-culture force that has not let up for more than two decades” – the Montr?al Gazette writes today.
“Her chameleon persona – pop tart, blond bombshell, wonderwoman, wife, children’s author, mother, horsewoman and always the power player – is never-ending.
Now, the Material Girl is going the cheap and chic route – to a point. Madonna has just signed a deal with the Swedish mass retailer H&M. Off stage on her World Confessions Tour – she plays Montreal next week – Madonna and dancing troupe will be wearing trendy togs from H&M.
On stage, however, it’s French designer
H&M, with 1,200 stores in 22 countries, will come out with a Madonna track suit in August, while the pop superstar will star in an ad campaign for the retailer.
It’s not the first time Madonna has put her name to a brand: she appeared in ads with Missy Elliott for Gap in 2003. And it’s not the first time H&M has enlisted a famous name for its brand-building. Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel and Stella McCartney made fashion for the masses through the chain; now a Dutch avant-garde duo, Viktor & Rolf, will create a collection for next fall.
Clearly, the 47-year-old still has the stuff that sells. She is the current cover girl for W magazine, with the headline Madonna Rides Again. Inside, there’s a 58-page spread of the horsewoman in leather hot pants and fishnets (with a fair measure of riding crops and leather bits) – photographed in misty landscapes with rearing stallions.
Madonna plays Montreal’s Bell Centre next Wednesday and Thursday. The Montr?al Gazette would like to know what their readers think of Madge, her music and her personal styles. “How has she influenced you?” – they ask – contact them here if you want to tell ’em your story.
From an article by Eva Friede, The Gazette.