Actress Jia Ling, who shed 50kg for her role in "Yolo" is now Prada's brand ambassador

Chinese comedienne-actress-director Jia Ling has been named Prada’s latest brand ambassador.

Jia – who ​recently​ directed and starred in the​ sports drama Yolo (2024), about an overweight woman who takes up boxing and transforms her body and life – posted photos of the campaign on Weibo on June 2.

The pictures, taken by Chinese fashion photographer Wang Ziqian, depict a svelte and elegant Jia wearing various outfits and accessories, including a Prada trench coat paired with the Italian fashion brand’s new Galleria bag.

In her post, Jia, 42, commented that Prada has created “something extraordinary through colours, stories and silhouettes”.

The brand also posted on the Chinese social media platform, commenting that Jia “dares to break the rules”. It added that as one who went from an actor to a director, Jia “writes a new chapter with fresh vitality and creativity”.

In early 2024, she captured headlines for her dramatic physical transformation in Yolo. She gained 20kg to reach about 100kg to play protagonist Du Leying, then lost 50kg over a year of filming to play the slimmed-down version of her character, forever changed by her passion for boxing.

Yolo made over 5.4 billion yuan (S$1 billion), making Jia the highest-grossing Chinese female director in Chinese film history.

This article was originally published in The Straits Times.