by LINDA SHARKEY
Antonio Banderas is the latest celebrity to pursue a fashion career, as he’s moved to London to study at Central Saint Martins, the design school whose alumni include Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and John Galliano.
Following his split from former wife Melanie Griffin last summer, the 54-year-old Spanish actor revealed his new life plans on ITV’s Loose Women show. “It’s something that has been on my mind for a long time and probably one of the best schools in the world is here…and so I am going to start studying with them,” he said.
“It makes me feel actually very young to put the elbows on the table again and try to understand another reality,” he added. But The Mask of Zorro actor won’t leave his career on the side. “Of course I won’t stop my professional life, I’ll continue acting, directing, but this is a new thing,” he said.
Celebrities playing fashion designers are not a new concept, but the Puss in Boots actor’s aspirations come as a surprise – he doesn’t have quite the fashion kudos as some of his actor-turned-designer counterparts. Penelope Cruz and Pedro Almodova and Antonio Banderas celebrate winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for ‘All About My Mother’. 2000: Penelope Cruz, Pedro Almodovar and Antonio Banderas celebrate winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for All About My Mother
Banderas follows the steps of many celebrities-turned-designers, including Victoria Beckham, who now runs a successful label; Jessica Simpson, whose clothing line is worth $1bn; David Beckham, who has his own underwear line for H&M, has done numerous collaborations with brands and is set to launch a his own menswear label; Halle Berry, who also launched her own lingerie line called Scandale Paris; and Kanye West who’s been long in the fashion scene debuting his collection for Adidas during Paris Fashion Week. Beckham’s shop was previously a hunting and fishing goods store Victoria Beckham at her shop
Banderas is a Hollywood star with an impressive list of films under his belt, but after his student life perhaps he might start his own clothing line or take up a new job at an established fashion house.