R&B star Rihanna has been unveiled as the spokesmodel for fashion house Gucci's new campaign for The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Rihanna will front the Italian designer's Tattoo Heart collection - a range of all white bags, embellished with an illustrated heart, which incorporates Gucci's signature symbols, the horse-bit and the web. The tattoo was chosen as a motif for symbolic relevance, serving as a reminder of the charity venture.

Gucci's creative director Frida Giannini explained the illustrative design, 'It's a permanent mark that you can wear with pride that stays with you. I think that represents very well what we are doing here.”  A quarter of all profits made from the line will be donated to the children's charity.

Gucci creative director Frida Giannini said: “When we decided to dedicate a full ad campaign, more than just creating products, to really come out and show our commitment to UNICEF, I felt a musician and a beautiful woman was the perfect icon for this campaign.”

On November 19th, Gucci will premiere a film short featuring Rihanna.

Gucci first collaborated with Unicef back in 2005, and has created an annual collection ever since. To date, the brand has raised a massive $5 million for the charity.