What does Shakira look forward to most at this time of year? “Slowing down. Eating too much. Celebrating life,” she tells Vogue. This Christmas, the global superstar can add settling back to watch her debut appearance in a major fashion campaign to that list. The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer is the star of Burberry’s 2022 festive campaign, including a short film called The Night Before that finds Shakira wearing a sheer gown that echoes Lila Moss’s Met Gala look, and striding along a dining table clad in the British brand’s iconic house check.

“I’m honestly so thrilled about it – it’s the first time I’ve done a fashion campaign like this and Burberry is such an iconic brand,” Shakira says of her role in the campaign, which also stars Nigerian mega-star Burna Boy. “To me Burberry is elegance personified, and timeless – fashion is such an ever changing world, always evolving,” she goes on. “Burberry manages to evolve with the time but always keeps its distinctive, classy style.”

Shakira models the distinctive aesthetic she describes with panache in the campaign, switching effortlessly between that naked dress (accessorised with diamonds) and a pair of over-the-knee boots styled with a classic Burberry trench. “I loved the blouse I’m wearing so much I asked to keep it,” says the singer. “And the evening gown, it goes without saying, was truly a work of art.”

Wearing Burberry’s distinctive house check.Courtesy of Burberry
The musical element of the campaign, which was directed by fashion favourite Torso and sees violins floating in the air as if by magic, no doubt appealed to Shakira, a multi-platinum artist who describes how Christmases in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia, were “always filled with dancing and partying”. “Since it’s warm there’s still a lot of life in the streets,” she says. “It has a real magical quality to it that I still associate with Christmas to this day.”

Shimmering in a Burberry gown embellished with the house’s Equestrian Knight motif.Courtesy of Burberry
Her Burberry debut feels like the perfect way to wrap up the year for Shakira, who is also looking forward to a busy 2023. “I’m preparing to put out a new album, which I can’t wait to share,” she says. “I’ve been working on it for a while now, and I thought the inspiration would run dry, but I still feel so happy to get into the studio. I feel so ready for 2023 and all it has in store.”