New York ? Chocolate and fashion have more in common than you might think, according to Gene Dunkin, president of Godiva North America, who has put models such as Sophie Dahl, Frankie Rayder and Anouck Lepere in the chocolatier’s most recent ad campaign.

“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 new tagline for the brand — inspired by Lady Godiva — plays up its name: “Every woman is at least 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,” adds 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 explains.

The fact that Dahl’s the granddaughter of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” author Roald Dahl was “icing on the cake,” she says.