Zara Larsson’s vivid, dopamine-fuelled tour wardrobe has made it feel as though summer never quite left us, even through the depths of winter. As the Swedish pop star wraps up her latest run of shows, we discover that many of her standout on-stage looks were created by Copenhagen Fashion Week favourite Paolina Russo. Larsson’s stylist of the past year, Caterina Ospina, reveals how the collaboration came to life, the realities of dressing for the stage, and just how much influence that now-infamous dolphin meme really had
As the US leg of Zara Larsson's Midnight Sun tour comes to a close, it's her on-stage wardrobe that lingers. Bold, bright and unapologetically high-impact, the singer's looks have come to define this moment in her career. Amidst the technicolour wardrobe, a series of custom pieces from a Copenhagen Fashion Week schedule regular, Paolina Russo.
The collaboration came via Larsson’s stylist, Caterina Ospina, who has worked with the artist for a little over a year. “I love Paolina Russo,” she notes. “It's a brand I've followed since university. I've always liked what they do, and always had in my mind that in the future, I would look for the possibility to work with them.”
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At first glance, the pairing might seem unexpected. Outside of its most recent AW26 collection, Paolina Russo has typically used colour sparingly, more as a structural device than a dominant feature, making its partnership with Larsson’s acid-hued stage aesthetic an intriguing shift. “I felt like there was something there. If they allow us into their world and they come into ours, we can merge them and do something very cool,” Ospina explains.
Photo: @zaralarsson
Photo: @zaralarsson