Cameron Diaz Taking on New Role with Pour La Victoire

By: Jennifer Diamond Jul. 22, 2013

Cameron Diaz can now add artistic director to her resume. The actress has taken a stake in Pour La Victoire where she will serve as artistic director of the contemporary accessories and footwear brand.

"I don't do endorsements really. This is completely different," Diaz told WWD in an exclusive interview. "Being influential in a brand and in its [advertising] campaigns interests me. I love fashion. It's a large part of my life. What I wear is looked at. It influences what other people wear because that's just the world we live in."

Diaz jumped at the chance to join = the New York-based label when a PLV board member and friend, Dave Baram, invited her to the company's showroom last year. Initially, Diaz's visit was meant as a meet-and-greet, but according to the actress, she soon realized there was an opportunity for her.

It will be difficult for Diaz to sidestep the "celebrity-turned-designer" cliché that in the past has not been successful. While Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and Victoria Beckham are strong exceptions, it's hard to forget Sarah Jessica Parker's underwhelming stint at Halston or the disastrous run Lindsay Lohan had as Ungaro's artistic director. "I can't speak about anyone else's work ethic," Diaz said in response to the Lohan reference. "I know how I work and I know when something is important to me. I'll try my best and hope for the best. Not everyone succeeds or fails all the time. All I can do is engage with it."

"Pour La Victoire gives me the opportunity to create something timeless," Diaz said, while admitting some trepidation. "There's a lot I have to learn about the business. I'm interested in learning how collections are created. The word 'fun,' I want to say that it's going to be fun, but it's deeper than that."

As artistic director, Diaz will have a hand in the brand's handbag and shoe collections, as well as merchandising, marketing and advertising.

Diaz's first collection will not come out until the spring, but PLV release a big fall and holiday campaign called "Cameron's Picks." It will essentially be items picked by Diaz from PLV's current collection, and it will be featured on the company's Web site, Twitter and Facebook pages and the e-commerce sites of its retail partners.

Diaz is most looking forward to developing a "functional," yet fashionable and "quality" shoe collection.

"I live in heels 10 hours of the day," she said with a chuckle. "I know comfort in shoes. There are some shoes you would die to wear but they are painful. When I was younger, it was a fight to the death with my shoes and who was going to win. I want to have really great, functional shoes that are staples of the line."

Diaz is hoping to also create functional yet fashionable bags by making them "sensible" by adding more pockets, for example, but also weaving in luxurious touches.

"If you're spending $500 on a bag, it should be your partner in life," she said. "That's what a bag is for women. It holds everything important in your life as long as you're carrying it."

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