Zahia Dehar: bad girl gone good

Zahia Dehar, the underage escort girl at the centre of the French football scandal, will unveil her couture lingerie line in Paris today - and guess who's shot the lookbook...

BY Belinda White | 25 January 2012

Photo: V Magazine/ Sebastian Faena Photo: V Magazine/ Sebastian Faena

When it was revealed in 2010 that three French footballers had paid thousands of pounds for sex with a 16-year-old underage prostitute, the girl at the centre of the scandal, Zahia Dehar's life looked to be over before it had even started.

Read: Franck Ribery football scandal prostitute breaks her silence

But in an amazing turn of events, while the allegations continue to haunt the players and overshadow their careers (much to the annoyance of Zahia who never wanted charges brought against any of the men who she claims she "loved"), Zahia has made the best of a scandalous situation and turned her fortunes around.

This afternoon in France, Dehar will present a collection of couture lingerie during the elite Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week.

And what's even more surprising is that the lookbook cataloging her latest designs, has been shot by none other than fashion's number one multi-tasker, Karl Lagerfeld.

The Chanel designer, who points out that he had "nothing to do with her collection" has, according to the Daily Mail, photographed the now 19-year-old sexbomb in the style of Vargas pinups, and believes Zahia should be celebrated in the manner of traditional French escorts: "She is very French courtesan, like Liane de Pougy or the Belle Otéro", he explains.

Lagerfeld is not the first fashionable figure to pick-up on Dehar either. She has already featured in Vanity Fair (who shot the provocative video below to accompany their story), and V Magazine, and been immortalised by Pierre & Gilles.

The unrepentant Dehar set up her lingerie label in the wake of the scandal and today marks the official launch. Lagerfeld's pictures of Dehar modelling the line will be distributed at the show later today.