PARIS — Troye Sivan has been appointed as Rabanne’s first global make-up brand ambassador.
The brand, owned by perfume and fashion giant Puig, entered the beauty sector a year ago with a make-up collection that had 90 stocks.
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Sivan is an icon of the LGBTQIA+ community and fashion, as well as a social media superstar with a fan base of 39 million.
The two-time Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and actress will appear at Rabanne’s Fresh Touch Foundation preview, which begins Monday.
Sivan is no stranger to Rabanne.
“My first interaction was wearing fashion and always really loving it and feeling so fun and excited about clothes, and then incorporating those into some special moments and music videos for me,” she said in an exclusive interview.
Sivan recently donned a metallic chainmail jumpsuit and matching bandana for his “Something to Give Each Other” tour. (Rabanne creative director Julien Dossena and the brand’s studio designed two special outfits for the tour.)
But Sivan’s connection with Rabanne goes back even further.
“I was wearing chainmail in the Rush video,” he recalled in an interview while driving through the Dutch countryside after completing the European leg of the tour. “I see a few cows. That’s the vibe.”
Coming back to the Rabanne fashion, Sivan said: “I loved the look I wore. [spring 2024] fashion show. An incredible boob piece that was also in the ‘Got Me Started’ video.”
Rabanne also used makeup in the show, and Sivan described his relationship with the brand as “really organic.”
“When it came to working together on beauty, it was a very easy decision for me,” she said.
The talent featured in Rabanne campaigns comes from a wide range of styles, ethnicities and interests.
Time magazine has called Sivan “the quintessential pop star.” His accolades include six Aria Awards, a Billboard Music Award, three MTV Europe Music Awards, and two GLAAD Media Awards.
Sivan’s collaboration with Jónsi for “Boy Erased”, “Revelation”, received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song – Motion Picture and was also nominated for an Oscar.
“We chose Troye because we’ve always had a strong connection with music,” said Rabanne vice president Jérôme Leloup. “He brings something very fluid in terms of gender – gender is not our nature [related]so it’s really important.”
Born in Johannesburg and raised in Perth, Australia, Sivan finds a strong resonance in many of Rabanne’s leading markets, particularly in the Anglo-Saxon countries.
Despite his genderless image, 29-year-old Sivan was introduced to makeup at a late age.
“As a kid, I definitely dreamed of playing with makeup, and I never allowed myself to do that,” she said. “I would watch my mom do makeup, or I would watch my sister or my friends do makeup. My favorite thing was getting ready for a party in five minutes and then running to my friend’s house and watching them get ready for two hours.
“It’s a ritual experience that I cherish,” Sivan said. “I love doing it alone. I love doing it with other people. Even now, on tour—we’ve been on tour for the last month—it’s become a really important part of our pre-show ritual—me and the six dancers sitting down, all of us doing our makeup and sharing products and tips.
“It really centers you, gets you in the zone, elevates you, and makes you feel your best,” she continued.
Sivan said he was also drawn to the Rabanne makeup ambassadorship because of the brand’s effortless, genuine cool and boldness. And of course, there’s the clothes.
“Then it felt like beauty was a natural extension of him,” Sivan said.
In the campaign shots shot by Louise Thornfeldt and Maria Thornfeldt, she felt at ease with her make-up created by Rabanne’s beauty creative director Diane Kendal.
“It’s this heightened version of yourself and the way I like to use makeup,” Sivan said. “Sometimes I want to do something really, really bold and transform, and that’s the point. But most days for me, it’s just about putting that extra energy in your step before you walk out the door, where you just feel like yourself and it’s not about hiding or covering up anything.
“The main thing is to celebrate what you have,” he said.
The first time Sivan wore makeup for the sake of art was in the music video for “Bloom.” James Kaliardos helped design a handful of looks that made Sivan feel different, and created this “unforgettable makeup moment.”
Sivan was scared, but that fear gave way to amusement.
“Afterwards, when I allowed myself to let go, I felt a surge of strength,” she said. “It was a big moment for me personally.”
Sivan’s next musical tour is his US “Sweat” tour with Charli XCX, which kicks off in mid-September.
Rabanne makeup was launched as the brand combined its image and story across fashion, fragrance and beauty under a strategy called One Rabanne.
Clean, vegan products have a high percentage of natural ingredients and are often featured in fashion-focused campaigns.
Makeup, Leloup explained, “was the one area that helped us bring together the story of the brand, the style and, of course, the femininity of Rabanne and Julien. Julien took a very active role in creating the makeup with us.”
“This category is really strategic for Rabanne,” agreed Vincent Thilloy, Rabanne and Jean Paul Gaultier brand chief. “Because we are super strong so far, we are among the top five fragrance companies worldwide. This category helps us really build the house, just as fashion builds the house.”
Thilloy said Rabanne strives to inspire younger generations to build a more inclusive and creative future.
“That’s why we acquired Troye, for example,” he explained. “We will have more collaborations like this.”
Inclusivity, connections to art and music are in Rabanne’s DNA.
“Paco Rabanne [had] “He’s been doing this since the ’60s,” Leloup said.
“This is something we are reviving right now,” Thilloy said.
“Inclusivity comes from people coming together through cultures, subcultures, arts, music, visual arts and dance,” Leloup continued.
Rabanne has three categories of makeup products: Eyephoria, which is the best-selling segment, especially with its mascaras and palettes; Rouge Rabanne, which has the most artistic products, and Arts Factory.
The largest markets for Rabanne make-up products, which are sold in 300 doors, are the USA, the UK, France and Italy.
The new fourth category, born on Monday, is Nudes. Its name refers to a book called “Neues”, on which Paco Rabanne and Jean Clemmer worked together in the 60s. The book also inspired Dossena’s spring 2024 ready-to-wear collection for Rabanne.
“Julien’s obsession has always been that metal on your skin is something very erotic and sensual. It’s very cold and very hot at the same time,” Leloup said. “It reveals your skin in a very subtle way.”
This inspired Fresh Touch Foundations, which are supposed to be like a high-definition metal mesh on the skin and provide a high-definition finish. The products, which come in metal tubes, are vegan, clean, 91% natural, and contain a multitude of skincare ingredients. They’re made to deliver a high level of sensuality in texture and give “gorgeous, glowing skin,” Leloup continued. “We don’t want people to notice you’re wearing makeup.”
The sheer foundation also took a cue from what Kendal designed for the brand’s runway shows. It’ll come in 30 buildable shades that are said to provide 24-hour radiance and moisture.
“We’re trying to make foundation fun, sexy and glamorous,” Leloup said.
The collection also includes Everywear Concealer in 15 different shades, five Mini Blushy Palettes with skin-tone blush for cheeks and lips, and four Mini Palettes with nude eyeshadows.
The nudes will be available on Rabanne’s direct-to-consumer platforms starting Monday, followed by Ulta Beauty in the US on August 5, Selfridges in the UK on August 12 and Sephora Europe on August 26.
Rabanne first partnered on a viral TikTok campaign last summer, which used Only Fire’s “Lick My Lips” lip-synching soundtrack and partnered with nearly 100 TikTok creators across six major markets to create content tied to its color cosmetics line.
Sivan will announce his collaboration with Rabanne on TikTok and Instagram on Monday.
The Nudes campaign, which will start with the slogan #NoFilterBeauty, is planned to be released in August.
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