Ever a step ahead of trends, Karl Lagerfeld understood the power of celebrity early on, creating a universe of stars that wore Chanel on the red carpet and sat front row at his shows during his 36-year tenure as creative director.
The late designer pulled in new faces that inspired him, and veterans that embodied the timelessness of the house. He would also look to the what was bubbling under in pop culture, naming young stars such as Willow Smith when she was just 15, Kristen Stewart when she was fresh off the “Twilight” film trilogy, or personally selecting Blackpink’s Jennie to join his coterie well before K-pop stars were front row regulars.
The celebrity campaigns and strategy of ambassadorships continued under Virginie Viard, with ambassadors sometimes walking the runway, such as Margaret Qualley’s opening of the spring 2024 couture show.
As Matthieu Blazy steps up as creative director of the French fashion house, WWD looks back at some of the famous faces tapped by the late Karl Lagerfeld and his successor Virginie Viard as official ambassadors for the house over the years.
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Lupita N’yongo – 2024
Image Credit: Roger Kisby/WWD The Oscar-winning actress and producer has been a friend of the house for more than 10 years, regularly wearing Chanel designs on the red carpet and attending its shows.
“They were one of my first supporters. I remember wearing them as early as 2013 right when my first film, ‘12 Years a Slave,’ came out. And over the years, they’ve often invited me to things and treated me with wonderful hands, and so when they approached me to be an ambassador, I felt very honored,” Nyong’o told WWD.
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Riley Keough – 2024
Image Credit: Inez and Vinoodh The actress and filmmaker, who is the daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley and granddaughter of Elvis Presley, fronted Chanel’s spring 2024 ready-to-wear campaign alongside model Rianne Van Rompaey.
“I have loved Chanel since I was a little girl,” Keough said in a statement. “The allure of Chanel was very present in my household growing up. To me, the Chanel woman represents so many things — sophistication, elegance, artistry, bold integrity.”
She was photographed by Inez and Vinoodh at Villa Noailles in Hyères, France.
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Margaret Qualley – 2020
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Charlotte Casiraghi – 2020
Image Credit: BOBY Charlotte Casiraghi, who has been close to Chanel since her teen years, made her debut as an ambassador for the French house with a fashion campaign photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin in her hometown of Monaco.
The daughter of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist, Charlotte Casiraghi is 11th in line to the throne of Monaco.
Casiraghi has also spearheaded Les Rendezvous Littéraires Rue Cambon (literary gatherings at Rue Cambon, in English), the house’s events series during which she leads discussions with women writers.
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Jennie Kim, Blackpink – 2019
Image Credit: GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images The K-pop star was named a face of Chanel Beauté in 2017 and became an official global ambassador in 2019.
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Margot Robbie – 2018
Image Credit: ANDREW COOPER for CHANEL An ambassador for Chanel since March 2018, the Australian actress has entered a new era with the French house in 2024: she’s the face of Chanel No.5.
“I’ve just always known about Chanel No.5,” Robbie said of her history with the fragrance, which comes in five interpretations. There’s the original Parfum created in 1921; Eau de Toilette, out in 1924; Eau de Parfum in 1986; Eau Premiere in 2008, and L’Eau in 2016, composed by Chanel in-house perfumer Olivier Polge.
Robbie joins spokesmodels for Chanel No.5 that have included Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman and Chanel herself, who appeared in its first advertisement. And of course, there’s Marilyn Monroe, who’s closely connected with the scent after famously naming it in a 1952 Time cover story.
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Willow Smith – 2016
Image Credit: Stéphane Feugère The daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith was selected as an ambassador by Karl Lagerfeld.
“Thank you Karl Lagerfeld and the entire team at Chanel for expanding the perceptions of ‘beauty’ by picking me to be the new Chanel ambassador. I am honored. #BLACKGIRLMAGIC,” she posted on Instagram at the time.
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Lily-Rose Depp – 2015
Image Credit: Karl Lagerfeld Lily-Rose Depp followed in the footsteps of her mother Vanessa Paradis when she was appointed as an official ambassador at just 15.
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Pharrell Williams – 2014
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Diane Kruger – 2013
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Kristen Stewart – 2013
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Nicole Kidman – 2012
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Caroline De Maigret – 2012
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Blake Lively – 2011
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Audrey Tautou – 2008
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Kiera Knightley – 2007
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Zhou Xun – 2006
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Vanessa Paradis – 1991
Image Credit: Stéphane Feugère At 18, French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis starred in a fragrance campaign in which she was covered in feathers and swinging in a bird cage. The year was 1991, and she was named an official ambassador, a relationship that carries on to this day.
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Inès de la Fressange – 1993
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Tilda Swinton
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Sofia Coppola
Image Credit: Steve Eichner/WWD
