"We do have a fashion component, we're plugged into the color council that decides direction of fashion, and we are an indulgent food - almost a passionate experience. And, not unlike most fashion brands, we need to refresh our image every few years to remain relevant and current," says Dunkin.

Noting that even the ribbons used for Godiva gift boxes come from a French fashion source, Dunkin says, "This is not an alliance, it's a complete marriage of food and fashion."

The brand - inspired by Lady Godiva - is now playing up its name with a new tagline that includes: "Every woman is one part diva."

Certainly, divas have a close association with the fashion world.

"It was incredibly important for us to convey the right diva, not a difficult diva," says Jacquie Lenart, the company's vice president of marketing.

"What we learned (through market research) is that we're speaking to the inner voice of a woman. 'Diva' is the deservingness that women feel, not the Linda Evangelista kind of diva ... or in-your-face diva like Paris Hilton. For some people a diva moment is taking that five minutes in her day for herself; for others, it's buying that extra pair of Manolo Blahniks," Lenart says.

All the models had to have a stylish look that conveyed luxury, elegance and sophistication and "you might see them in the pages of Vogue and Vanity Fair," Lenart says.