Cruz sisters design for Mango

Actress Penélope Cruz and her soap actress sister Monica are going to design a collection for Spanish fast fashion chain Mango. The news comes hot on the heels of the release of Madonna's collection for Swedish rival H&M and on the eve of Kate Moss's big reveal for Topshop, proving that the celebrity-fashion mix is a hot one.

The Cruz sisters will design a 25-piece collection, which will include accessories. They will also star in the brand's fall-winter 2007 advertising campaign, which will be shot by Spanish photographer Nico Bustos some time next month. Spokeswoman Maria Coll said the collection will include jeans, casual wear and jersey pieces. The collection will be bigger than the one fashion label Jovovich-Hawk – founded by model-actress Milla Jovovich, like Cruz a model for L'Oréal – designed for the chain for spring-summer. Coll added that the collection will be available in 80 percent of all Mango stores, including the UK.

Designing a fashion collection will be a first for Cruz, although she and Monica already design a line of handbags and jewellery for Japanese chain Samantha Thavasa. The handbag line is even sold at Cruz's store Amarcord, in the Salamanca district of Madrid.

Meanwhile, Mango is forging ahead with its business. The Barcelona-based company saw revenues increase 9.8 percent to €1.6 billion last year and operates 995 stores in 89 countries. Another 160 stores are set to open by the end of this year.