Givenchy picks soul singer to front new campaign

Erykah Badu. Photo / Bode Helm

R&B star Erykah Badu has been named the new face of fashion house Givenchy.

The singer will front the luxury label's upcoming 2014 spring campaign.

The company's creative director, Riccardo Tisci, has praised Badu for her unique style, insisting she was an obvious choice for the new collection, which boasts a combination of African and Japanese influences.

Tisci tells Style.com, "Erykah, she's an icon - come on! What I want to do with my advertising campaign is spread the love. Already now it's been three seasons that I've been using people that express something - they are great artists, or beautiful women, or stylish women, or models that I really believe in. It's kind of a family portfolio."

He adds, "She's (Badu) one of the most stylish women I've met in my life."

Tisci's decision to hire Badu comes hot on the heels of criticism that the fashion world's top designers are not employing as many models of colour for runway shows and ad campaigns.

Tisci insists Givenchy's latest spokesmodel will hopefully make it clear that his company prides itself in working with women of all ethnicities.

He explains, "At the end of the day, why are not so many black girls or Latin girls in shows when you have an American president who is black? When I see this happening, it's quite sad, I think. People can be so avant-garde, so advanced, but actually not, because people are still making differences between skin colour."

- WENN