He's dressed Rihanna in a chain-mail football jersey and
Starting with the fall 2014 collection showing at
It's a marriage that should bring a young, hip audience to the Moschino brand and some humor to the runways.
Scott's work revels in themes of celebrity and pop culture, starting with a collection in 2000 inspired by the 1980s nighttime soap opera
Other past collections have featured dresses designed to look like Coca-Cola bottles with the slogan "Enjoy God" and jagged-edged, saber-tooth-tiger-spotted tunics worn with bone-accessorized topknots inspired by "The Flintstones" cartoon.
Scott, who lives in the Hollywood Hills, has deep roots in the pop music scene, having collaborated on music videos and stage costumes for Madonna,
He also has a huge fan base in Asia. K-pop stars 2NE1 wore Jeremy Scott-designed dresses that made them look like they were trapped in the jaws of fluffy space monsters during their debut performance in L.A. last year.
Similarly irreverent and playful, Franco Moschino founded his label in 1983, gaining fame for making visual puns and anti-fashion fashion statements (a jacket embroidered at the waist with the words "waist of money" and a gown made of garbage bags, for example).
Since Moschino's death in 1994, his former assistant Rossella Jardini had designed the collection, which was always on-trend, though lacking the wit of Franco's originals. In his new role, Scott will oversee all the Moschino lines, including accessories, children's wear, the lower-priced Cheap and Chic collections, licensed eyewear and perfume.
"I have so much respect for the brand and affinity for it. ... That's ultimately why I agreed," says Scott, who has turned down similar offers from Pucci,
"The Moschino brand DNA is to be iconic and ironic, and Jeremy is the person who can do that with a contemporary touch," says Alessandro Varisco, managing director of Moschino, which is owned by Italian luxury gourp Aeffe. "Moschino has a lot of fans in the Middle East and in Europe, and we want to internationalize our brand even more. Asia is an important area ... and we know Jeremy is a star there. I just discovered he speaks Japanese fluently."
Moschino has 144 stores worldwide, and prices range from $400 to $10,000. The Jeremy Scott Collection, which the designer plans to continue, is in 50 stores, including Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles, and sells for $100 to $2,500.
So how will the Moschino customer be different from the one Scott designs for now?
"It's a more opulent woman, more decadent, but with the same elements. It's similar notes but a different spin," Scott says.
In addition to his namesake runway label, he also has the Jeremy Scott for Adidas Originals collection, which runs the gamut from high-top sneakers bedecked with plush teddy-bear heads or gilded angel wings to track suits with beaded matador jackets or pants adorned with dollar signs. Sold at Adidas stores and specialty boutiques, the line counts
Unlike many older designers at the helm of European luxury brands, the 39-year-old Scott is digitally savvy, with more than 300,000 followers on Instagram, where he routinely posts pictures of himself and pals that include
"Everything I do, when I work with performers or on a collection, one thing always brings something to the other," he says. "I thrive on all the vibrations and creativity."
