Lauro De Marinis, also known as Achille Lauro, a well-known Italian singer and artist, will be the new creative director of Dondup, the Italian premium jeanswear and fashion brand born in 1999.
The artist has chosen this new career path and will lead the Italian brand’s design team, defining its creative vision for the women’s, men’s, and accessories collections.
His first capsule collection will debut during a concert event at San Siro Stadium in Milan with a fashion show on June 15.
The musician has chosen to sign this new project with his real name, rather than his stage name, to underscore his intention to create a completely new project by expressing his creativity not only as a brand ambassador but also as a creator.
“I chose my real name because it marks a new path. It is a completely different project from music. And who knows if this might evolve?” he said.
“Not as a face but as a creator. Not a gesture, but a project. Elegance is not an accessory; it is an attitude, and fashion must know how to convey it,” declared the new creative director.
He was born in Verona and raised in Rome, where he began his career in music. This multifaceted artist is involved in various projects in the fields of cinema, literature, and fashion. Lauro arrives at Dondup with the clear conviction that fashion is a language. He wants to speak it from within and use his creative sensibility for a long-term project.
His first women’s capsule collection, Erotica, will be on sale from June 16 through July 30 in the brand’s flagship stores.
“I’m really happy that Lauro is joining our team as Dondup’s creative director for a long-term collaboration,” said Mauro Grange, CEO, Dondup.
“Thanks to his deep artistic sensibility and appreciation for our brand’s heritage, I’m confident he will lead the creative team with a distinctive vision by helping write the next chapter of Dondup, capitalizing on his heritage and bringing great value to the brand. From the very first moments there was a beautiful harmony between the two of us and we look forward to carrying out great projects together,” he added.
The brand, which was born in 1999 in Fossombrone, a Central area of Italy known as the Denim Valley, registers around €60 million yearly revenues. For the occasion it has also opened a showroom and creative hub at Via Morimondo 30 in Milan.
Since 2021, Dondup has been part of the portfolio of Made in Italy Fund, a private equity fund promoted and managed by Quadrivio & Pambianco, an Italian holding dedicated to promoting Italian excellence in the fashion, design, beauty, and food sectors. The holding company owns 15 fashion brands, including GCDS, Twinset, De Laurentiis, and Dondup, with a combined value of over €700 million and a network of 300 company-owned stores.