PRESS | DC Superheroes Fashion Makeover by Ben Liu

My DC superheroes fashionable makeover in Dolce & Gabbana was loved by people worldwide, here are some interviews and presses form different countries and languages.

Swide - Italy

Interview by Marcus Kan

Why did you decide to dress Audrey Hepburn, Noah Mills, David Gandy and Monica Bellucci as super heroes in Dolce & Gabbana S/S 2013 collection? Which one is your favourite?

They've always been my favorite fashion figures. :P One day I fantasized about dressing them up and directing them in my own way, so why not? Lol. But mostly because they correspond with all the criteria (personalities, gestures, style, temperament) for the stereotype of superheros in my mind.
At the same time, using real people gives a human touch to such utopian icons.

My favorite would have to be Superman because I immediately had an image in my mind of who he should be when I got the proposal for this project.

Since your illustrations are about super heroes on vacation, in your opinion, what kind of activities do you think they will do during their free time?

In terms of superheroes, I'm always curious about their personal lives. Because I believe that no matter how invincible we are in our work, we still have a vulnerable human part "back- stage"; in order to express this thought, I put my superheroes into situations ordinary people face:

Once upon a time, all my superheroes took their summer vacations in Sicily.

- Superman (David Gandy) is an art agent; he has discovered a new artist named BENDA while reading a Sicilian newspaper during his morning toilet/newspaper/cigarette time. So he tries to reach Benda by phone, but BENDA was out for vacation too...

- Wonder woman (Monica Bellucci) has just finished her delicious polpo (octopus) lunch, and is now retouching her look with Dolce & Gabbana makeup. An admirer is stalking nearby...

- Green Lantern (Noah Mills) is a big Instagram fan. Also likes taking selfies. "Ah, here's a big mirror, Poupy. Look at the stylish doggy, Poupy! Et voilà!"

- Catwoman (Audrey Hepburn) is a part-time cabaret singer. She likes mixing fashion and music. "Le plus beau de tous les tangos du monde…"

If your illustrations could talk, how would each one answer the question 'Why did you choose this look?'

"Cos the stylist (illustrator) dressed me this way! " (kidding)

- Superman: This is one of my favourite coats of the Dolce & Gabbana collection - very Italian renaissance, but still goes well with my American style.

- Wonder Woman: Um, I feel like this dress can hold a bunch of flowers, good for a fashionable flare at brunch. Plus, it matches my hair color beautifully, no?

- Green Lantern: Too hot to have a shirt on in the afternoon, why not just put on these pop-art style shorts so I’ll pop out in my selfie?

- Catwoman: I like black, but only black is boring, so I added a pale yellow basket. Cute, huh?

If you could be one of the super heroes, who would you want to be? Why?

Good question… Actually I put a bit of myself in each of then when I drew them; I also felt strength coming from all of them equally.
But I'd really rather just be myself with all the courage and strength I’ve developed by myself, fair enough? :P

Repubblica - Italy

Superman e Wolverine in Dolce&Gabbana

Non è un remake firmato Marvel da guardare in 3 D al cinema, ma una serie di illustrazioni di due giovani artisti, Ben Liu e Peter McNierney, che hanno deciso di rendere omaggio alla collezione estiva di Dolce&Gabbana vestendo Superman (alias il modello David Gandy) , Wonder Woman (alias Monica Bellucci) e Wolverine con maglie a righe e costumi dalle fantasie siciliane, esattamente come visto sulle passerelle del duo italiano. I disegni sono stati creati per Swide, laboratorio virtuale sui generis, esperimento brillante che unisce la comunicazione del marchio italiano e una sorta di community di inviati in tutto il mondo che raccontano luoghi, storie, personaggi e realtà interessanti sparse per il Pianeta

Sábado - Portugal

Excite - UK

Ben Liu designs DC Comic characters wearing Dolce & Gabbana

04/08/2013 D&G

Ben Liu aka as Benda, is an illustrator and graphic designer who lives in Montreal and his art work has been showcased in galleries, magazines, boutique displays, fashion campaigns, newspapers, film festivals and theatrical productions.

This Chinese born artist, who was nominated Canada’s, 2009 Personality of the Year, decided to give DC comic superheroes, new and famous faces, but also a fashion makeover, dressing them with items from Dolce & Gabbana’s 2013 Spring and Summer collections.

Benda designed Superman featuring one of D&G’s favorite male models, David Gandy.

Gandy, who was featured in the fashion label's "David Gandy by Dolce & Gabbana", photographic coffee table book, is wearing a colorful jacket and he is ironically sitting on a toilet, reading a Sicilian newspaper, smoking and talking on his cell phone.

Another D&G icon and longtime muse for Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, was chosen to represent Wonder Woman, Italian actress/model, the gorgeous and sultry Monica Bellucci.

Bellucci is illustrated wearing the same sunglasses that Bianca Balti wore in the 2013 Eyewear compaign, and she is retouching her lipstick after a light lunch, and the lipstick is a nod to the limited edition, True Monica Collection, that the two designers launched this Spring.

Who could better represent the Green Lantern than American top model-turned-actor Noah Mills?

Mills has appeared in numerous Dolce & Gabbana ad campaigns, with his ripped abs always in the front line, so Liu dressed him only in flowered beach shorts carrying a dog. The pup is also wearing D&G sunglasses from the 2013 Flower line.

Super fashion and style icon, the late actress Audrey Hepburn is Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman, is wearing a little black dress with a golden corset over it, and she is wearing the Moor earrings that were part of the Sicilian Folk collection.

This isn’t the first illustrator to make over some comic heroes wearing Dolce and Gabbana’s 2013 S/S collections.

Peter McNierney was also called on to make over Marvel’s Wolverine, Captain America, Storm and Spiderman.

LUXESH - Netherlands

DC COMICS SUPERHELDEN MAKEOVER IN DOLCE & GABBANA SS13
Door Redactie, donderdag 1 augustus 2013

Gisteren zagen we hoe illustrator Peter McNierney vier iconische Marvel superhelden een make-over gaf in Dolce & Gabbana stijl. Nu is het tijd om een aantal van onze favoriete DC Comics personages in de D&G Spring/Summer collectie te zien.
Voor de taak van het aanpakken van de DC superhelden, richtte Dolce & Gabbana zich tot illustrator Ben Liu. Liu nam een aantal DC grootheden, waaronder Superman, Wonder Woman, de Green Lantern en Catwoman.

Ben Liu gaf echter een draai aan het project, door bekende acteurs en modellen te casten in de rollen van de superhelden. Monica Bellucci is Wonder Woman, terwijl Audrey Hepburn Catwoman is. David Gandy krijgt de rol van Superman, en Noah Mills speelt de Green Lantern.

DC PLANET - France

DC Fan Arts #68

Par Julien - 08/09/2013

On termine sur cette série de dessins réalisées par l’artiste Benda (Ben Liu). Dans le cadre d’un projet pour Dolce & Gabbana, l’artiste a cherché à trouver le côté humain de chaque personnage ci-dessous. On retrouve Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern et Catwoman.

+ DECO - Italy

Dolce & Gabbana illustrations

by Elena Giavarini - 30 August 2013

I saw these super cool illustrations by Ben Liu and Peter McNierney inspired by the SS13 Dolce & Gabbana collection. Ben Liu‘s drawings show superheroes in fabulous clothing: Wolverine (alias the super hot model of the super sexy D&G Light and Blue advertisements, David Gandy), Wonder Woman (alias one of the finest examples of the Italian species, Monica Bellucci), Green Lantern (alias Noah Mills, not sure who he is but he is super fine as well) and Cat Woman (alias Audrey Hepburn who doesn’t need a silly comment).
Superman on the loo smoking a fag while chatting on the phone is undoubtedly my favourite.

PURSUITIST

Ben Liu clads DC icons in the latest from Dolce & Gabbana
by Matthew Breen

Now it’s time to see some of our favorite DC Comics characters remade in the D&G Spring/Summer collection.

For the job of tackling the DC superheroes, Dolce & Gabbana turned to illustrator Ben Liu. Liu took on some of DC’s greats, including Superman, Wonder Woman, the Green Lantern and Catwoman. But Liu added a twist to the project, casting famous actors and models into the roles of the superheroes. Monica Bellucci is Wonder Woman, while Audrey Hepburn is Catwoman. David Gandy gets the role of Superman, and Noah Mills plays the Green Lantern.

The highlight? Superman on the phone while sitting on the toilet.

art direction + illustration ⎮ benliubenda.com