Louis Vuitton has unveiled Zendaya as its newest brand ambassador, and to celebrate the major fashion moment, the French fashion house has dropped a “stunning” new campaign starring the Euphoria actor. Now, fans everywhere have suggested Zendaya make a career switch from actor to model.
On 20 April, Louis Vuitton debuted Zendaya as its latest House Ambassador with a jaw-dropping oceanside photoshoot, in which she was pictured modelling the brand’s iconic Capucines bag in a series of black and white looks. Photographed by duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, the campaign also gave styling credit to Zendaya’s longtime friend and semi-retired stylist, Law Roach.
The glamorous photoshoot was shot at the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin house, designed by architect Eileen Gray, in the Cote d’Azur region of France. With a vibrant blue sky and clear ocean as her background, Zendaya was seen posing with several iterations of the Capucines bag, including the miniature Capucines BB which also made its debut alongside Zendaya.
In one of the images, the Disney Channel alum is dressed in a one-shoulder, black dress with a gold zipper on the side and matching gold buckle on the strap, as she held the baby blue Capucines BB in her hands. Another photo showed Zendaya in a black power jumpsuit with a matching black version of the Capucines BB handbag. The brand also released a short film as part of the campaign, which saw Zendaya in a mini black strapless dress with gold zippers as she danced through the modernist home in the south of France.
After photos and videos of the new campaign were shared on social media, thousands of fashion-lovers and Zendaya fans alike praised the actor for her expert modelling skills. The Spider-Man star drew comparisons to femme fatales like Bond girls and Charlie’s Angels, while others suggested she make a full-time career change to modelling altogether.
“Being a great model is having the ability to make the most of a campaign with little to no imagination or creative direction. Zendaya ate this,” said one Twitter user, adding in a separate tweet: “Oh Zendaya is giving Bond Girl here. The brows! And the smize! Charlie’s angels c’mon.”
“I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again…a lot of ppl should be lucky zendaya isn’t a professional model,” another fan wrote, while someone else tweeted: “Fire all models, hire Zendaya instead.”
Others were simply taken aback by Zendaya’s “gorgeous” appearance in the Louis Vuitton campaign, like one person who commented on Instagram: “She’s stunning”
“She can do no wrong,” one person tweeted.
“This girl is perfect in everything she’s doing,” tweeted another.
The Capucines bag, which launched in 2013, is named after Rue Neuve-des-Capucines, the street in Paris where Louis Vuitton opened its first store in 1854. Since then, the Capucines bag – which comes in hand, shoulder, and messenger styles – has become one of Louis Vuitton’s most recognisable accessories, largely due to its “LV” logo emblazoned on the front.
Following the launch of Zendaya’s new partnership with Louis Vuitton, the actor explained to Vogue how becoming House Ambassador for the French luxury label felt almost like a full-circle moment.
“I remember growing up around LV campaigns,” she said in an interview with Vogue on Thursday. “There was this one that I loved from the early 2000s of Naomi Campbell, and she’s like sprawled out over a trunk. I can still see it. I can see the image in my head and I remember seeing it in magazines as a kid.”
“Everyone had the LV-print on their Myspace page,” Zendaya recalled. “At least I had that! Let me not try to put that on nobody else. That was definitely me.”
At just 26 years old, Zendaya has already become a fashion icon. The Dune star has turned heads over the years with her memorable red carpet looks, wearing everything from Valentino to Bulgari. Her chic yet daring style is largely in part due to her stylist and frequent collaborator, Law Roach.
The 44-year-old celebrity stylist shocked the fashion world when he announced in March that he was retiring from fashion. Roach shared the news in an Instagram post, which featured a graphic of a red sign with the word, “Retired”. In the caption, Roach thanked his peers and clients for their support over the years, but made a subtle reference to what encouraged him to leave the fashion industry.
“My Cup is empty,” he wrote. “Thank you to everyone who’ve supported me and my career over the years. Every person that trusted me with their image, I’m so grateful for you all.”
He continued: “If this business was just about the clothes I would do it for the rest of my life but unfortunately it’s not! The politics, the lies and false narratives finally got me! You win … I’m out.”
The retirement announcement came just days after a video surfaced of Roach appearing to be “snubbed” by Zendaya at Louis Vuitton’s Paris Fashion Week show. The now-viral clip showed the two arriving at the fashion show and Zendaya taking her seat in the front row. As Roach searched for his seat, Zendaya appeared to gesture for him to sit in the second row behind her.
While many fans were worried that the awkward interaction led to Roach’s retirement, he assured fans that the two are on good terms.
“So y’all really think I’m breaking up with Z…..we are forever!” he tweeted. “She’s my little sister and it’s real love, not the fake industry love.”
