Earlier this year, American-French actor Timothée Chalamet was appointed the face of BLEU DE CHANEL fragrance. In true form, Timothée chose the likes of luxury house CHANEL fragrance for his first foray into beauty.
The appointment, in June, was met with the release of new BLEU DE CHANEL imagery, starring Timothée Chalamet, and shot by photographer Mario Sorrenti. Striking and magnetic, the images are symbolic of a new chapter for the house’s iconic BLEU DE CHANEL fragrance, which is slightly edgier in spirit than previous campaigns.
Helmed by Timothée, the new era centres on breaking boundaries and the fragrances driving ethos ‘someone who does not limit themselves to the ordinary boundaries of life’ as a source of inspiration.
At the time of release, the legacy brand had also teased a campaign film to follow suit later this year…
Fast forward to now, where CHANEL have confirmed a release date of October 16th for the highly anticipated video. It again features Timothée as the leading actor and is directed by none other than renowned filmmaker, Martin Scorsese.
Quite serendipitous given Scorsese directed the first BLEU DE CHANEL campaign in 2010. 13 years on, Scorsese is once again using his creative genius to portray the many facets of a man who is forging his own path, the BLEU DE CHANEL mantra.
In a behind-the scenes teaser, shared exclusively with marie claire Australia (seen above), Scorsese explains “The conflict between celebrity and staying true to being an artist; it can confuse the two.”
“The world has changed. There’s another aspect to celebrity in a way. Which is even more extreme than 10 or 15 years ago.” says Scorsese.
It’s a trope Timothée likely knows well. Empathising with the struggle, he echoes a similar sentiment “When I look in the mirror, I want to see an artist”.
The timing and message behind the campaign is particularly pertinent, given his recent domination of the news cycle with reference to both his professional (Timothée Chalamet stars in the upcoming Wonka film) and personal life.
In a statement from CHANEL, the house elaborated, “In a world where the bright lights of fame tend to blind us to reality, Timothée Chalamet portrays a man who sets off on a quest to find himself, following only his own instinct, in a deeply candid role written just for him.”
“The film explores the delicate ambivalence between the overexposure that comes with fame, which causes the actor to live a scripted version of his life, and his profound desire to seek authenticity in his craft.”
The film is shot in black and white (to depict the duality between the character’s celebrity persona and his dark side) and uses flashes of blue in conjunction with the motif “Find your blue, find yourself” to symbolize hope and provide glimmers of optimism.
A personification of the timeless BLEU DE CHANEL fragrance, and a pivotal message core to both Timothée Chalamet and CHANEL’s DNA.
The BLEU DE CHANEL campaign film will be released October 16th. Shop the BLEU DE CHANEL fragrance at Chanel.com.au.