MILAN — “A perfect ambassador? No person. In case you have already got Ibra, you would like nobody else.”

Loyal to his popularity and famed self-confidence, A.C. Milan soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimović shooed away any suggestion for a possible ambassador to embody the capsule collection he developed with Dsquared2 beyond himself.

Teased in January, the “Black on Black” range was celebrated with an in-store event on Tuesday, which inevitably drew a crowd of soccer supporters and “Ibra” fans (the 2 don’t necessarily coincide since his fame transcends the game itself) outside the brand’s flagship here.

The gathering the 2 parties designed for fall 2022 and that officially launched this week is the second tie-up between the style label’s founders Dean and Dan Caten and the athlete, following last 12 months’s seminal project Icon Ibrahimović x Dsquared2. But the connection was forged way before that.

“I met Dean and Dan after I first arrived in Italy, on the time to play at Juventus in Turin,” said Ibrahimović about his first, two-year stint within the Italian soccer league Seria A in 2004.

“My agent Mino [Raiola] made the introductions and suggested they design the team’s uniform, so all the things began from there,” continued the striker, recalling how the Canadian duo created the club’s off-field attire in 2006.

It took greater than a decade to bring the tie-up to the subsequent level, with Ibrahimović stating that “I had first to level up and prove myself” before developing a set that may very well be dubbed “Icon,” as the primary one was.

“I used to be very proud, first because this was not my world, it was Dean and Dan’s and I used to be in good hands. After which I used to be completely happy because [the collection] actually performed well,” said the striker.

For the sophomore effort, the parties got here up with a full range including daywear, sportswear, eveningwear and accessories, all rendered in black.

“Black is simple. It’s a staple,” said Dean Caten, explaining the stylistic alternative. “When doubtful, all the time go black.”

Within the case of a soccer star with 55.3 million followers on Instagram, a shimmering touch is welcome, too. Cue the denim pants punctuated by rhinestones Ibrahimović pulled from the “Black on Black” collection and worn on the event, styled with a black blazer and glossy, pointy shoes.

“I like fashion but I’m not an authority, my wife Helena [Seger] is,” said the player, pointing to his partner, who was also sporting a complete black look from the brand. “At first my style was very sporty, I wore a lot of hoodies. Then after I met her, she told me, ‘We want to alter your wardrobe just a little bit,’ so I sent her to buy [clothes] for me,” he said with fun.

Yet the player still favors basic staples outside the soccer field, equivalent to T-shirts and Dsquared2 jeans, “which fit me thoroughly,” he said. “I like clothes once they are comfortable. After they make me feel comfortable, they work. And that’s what happened first with ‘Icon’ and now with ‘Black on Black.’ I actually feel myself wearing these,” said Ibrahimović.

For the Catens, the capsule collection intends to draw a distinct sort of customer, “sporty, mature, who desires to be fashion but not an excessive amount of,” said Dean Caten.

Ibrahimović teased one among the head-to-toe black looks already while attending the Dsquared2 men’s fall 2022 fashion show in Milan, which marked a primary for him and a “beautiful and intense” experience, as he defined it.

Asked if he sees himself in fashion sooner or later, the player’s bullish attitude left room for a more cautious approach. “I’m curious about fashion, although this remains to be all recent. While you work with experts, you possibly can only learn and grow. So I still keep on with soccer but approach this world with curiosity. I’m also in town of fashion, in order that’s a great start of course,” said Ibrahimović.

While each designers and soccer star stayed mum a couple of possible third chapter of the collaboration, the “Black on Black” range hits the shelves of Dsquared2 stores and e-commerce, in addition to a number of retailers worldwide, this week.

Given the colour uniformity, the gathering plays with textures — from leather to satin — and details, including printed logos of the brand’s name, the soccer player’s nickname “Ibra” or embroideries along with his initials. Custom denim labels and hangtags also appear on the products.

Style-wise, on a regular basis options include a double-breasted felted wool coat, biker pants and wool knits, in addition to bomber jackets featuring the nickname of the soccer star printed on the reverse, and washed denim jackets. Fleeced hoodies and joggers make for the sportier a part of the gathering, which also includes beach wear like swim trunks, a bathrobe and sandals.

Eveningwear ranges from a classic black tuxedo to sporty separates, equivalent to hoodies and shorts, covered in black crystals for a touch of shimmering eccentricity à la “Ibra.”