Rita Ora hosted a dinner at the Ivy Chelsea Garden in London to celebrate her 15th and final collection for Adidas, marking the end of the three-year partnership with the brand. That doesn’t mean, however, that her career as a designer is over. Far from it: She plans to launch her own standalone brand.
“I’ve done so much for this brand, and we’ve done so much together, that we couldn’t just leave it like that,” said Ora, who spent the summer filming as the new host of “America’s Next Top Model.” “It’s the end of my designing journey with Adidas as a brand, but it’s the beginning of something else, the beginning of our new relationship. I’ve been working with Adidas for three years, and I have learned a lot about them and about branding, and the collaboration has led me to great ventures coming in the new year.”
Ora said she plans to launch her own label in 2017, in all likelihood working in some capacity with Adidas. “This collaboration has expanded my personal brand. It’s stretched my name out into countries I never even knew I could be in so, you know, so I’m forever grateful for that,” she said. “We’ve already been working on my new line, doing bits over the last few years, but it takes a few months to build it up properly, probably about another year.”
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Until then, Ora, who will appear in the next “Fifty Shades of Grey” film, is filming “Wonderwell” in Italy. “This is my first proper lead role, and I play alongside Carrie Fisher, who is incredible,” she said. “I play a bad witch, and Carrie is the good witch. It’s fantasy meets greed. I run a town, she runs a forest; I’m all about the power. I want lots of power – and everything that comes into this city in Italy – but I’m not getting it, because of these kids that have a lot of control.”
Among Ora’s guests at the dinner were stylist Kyle De’Volle, Henry Holland, Noel Gallagher, Caroline Flack, Mabel McVey and British R&B singer Raye, who has penned tracks for Ora in the past and co-wrote the lyrics for Charlie XCX’s latest single, “After the Afterparty.”
