PARIS — What happens when Guerlain and Pucci collaborate on a limited edition capsule of makeup products? An explosion of contrasting colors — and creativity.
The project from the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton houses, which will be released in August, emerged organically. It includes reformulated Rouge G lipsticks, Météorites and Terracotta products, dressed up with Pucci’s iconic Marmo print.
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Guerlain was the first to approach the Italian fashion brand.
“I immediately thought, there’s no doubt about it: this is for us,” said Camille Miceli, Pucci’s artistic director, who explained that it made perfect sense for the brand to create makeup shades, as colors are so important to the label, and would push boundaries.
Gabrielle Saint-Genis Rodriguez, CEO of Guerlain, said Miceli’s arrival at Pucci in 2021 brought a lot of energy, joy, audacity and sharpness to the brand. So the connection was very natural.
Miceli had never worked in color cosmetics before, but has worn Guerlain’s Terracotta for years. She has, however, designed packaging.
“I like to make things that look like an object and get a second life,” says Miceli.
“Violette immediately embraced the idea of going far in terms of unusual colors,” said Miceli, referring to Violette Serrat, Guerlain’s creative makeup director.
Saint-Genis Rodriguez described Guerlain as a Parisian with his own vision of fashion, elegance, modernity and tradition. Serrat embodies this vision and the make-up expresses it.
Guerlain previously collaborated with Pucci on color cosmetics, in 2012. These collaborations can help attract new, often younger, consumers. “It’s a way to talk about the brand from a different angle,” said Saint-Genis Rodriguez.
Serrat loves brand collaborations. “It’s a way to tell a different story,” she said. “It’s like a marriage. You step into someone else’s world, get your own perspective on it — and vice versa. So many interesting things can come out of it.”
“I also love working with another creative who is the designer of another brand,” she continued. “It’s almost like a tango, where at some point you let them lead and then you lead.”
But it’s not about power or ego, says Serrat. It’s more about discovering each other and working together freely.
“You get really inspired,” she added. “It’s one of my favorite things. It’s a great opportunity artistically, and also a great opportunity business-wise, because you get new clients or you take clients somewhere else. It’s really interesting to work on that.”
Serrat wanted to ensure that Miceli could express Pucci and her vision in beauty.
“Sometimes working with people who have nothing to do with beauty brings something modern to the table,” she continued.
The creative process was without restrictions.
“My goal was to make sure things were wearable,” said Serrat, who called Pucci iconic.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the way they can continue to tell the story with basically the same print, the Marmo print,” she said. “It’s like a mysterious recipe that just works.”
“For me, the Marmo print celebrates the psychedelic side of Pucci,” says Miceli.
For the capsule, there are two new Rouge G lipsticks, available in plum with a satin finish and matte red with a velvet finish, which can be used alone or together. They set the pace of the collection and will help introduce the recently reformulated Rouge G line, which is enriched with lip care actives, such as lily oleo extract.
It has “no nasties,” Saint-Genis Rodriguez said. “We’re obsessed with natural formulations.” That includes sustainable ingredient sourcing.
Miceli and Serrat simultaneously focused on product packaging.
“I got so excited when I saw the details everywhere on the Marmo,” said Serrat.
Miceli was impressed by Guerlain’s technical skills.
The Ombres G eyeshadow quad, called 045 Marmo Vibe, is developed with four new matte shades including orange, violet, black and white. The gold casing features the Marmo motif.
This also adorns the packaging of the Terracotta Marmo Sun bronzing powder, in three shades, with a fabric zip pouch. It is also decorated with two gold-colored fish pendants, which represent the Pucci logo.
Météorites’ bestseller, 02 Rosé, and the Marmo Swirl brush, featuring the Guerlain logo, have Marmo-patterned barrels.
“They become an object,” Miceli said.
The Parure Gold Cushion Marmo Glow foundation completes the collection. Prices range from 42 euros for a lipstick refill to 98 euros for the bronzing powder.
A maximum of 20,000 units of each reference will be available and the capsule will be available for three months.
Both Serrat and Miceli wanted the campaign, photographed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch, to feature Natalia Vodianova, Guerlain’s international ambassador. “She’s an icon for Guerlain. I love working with her,” Serrat said. “She’s such a professional.”
“I love her and think she’s a wonderful woman,” Miceli enthused.
“The whole campaign is a collaboration of three women having fun and being creative with their own craft,” Serrat continued.
The capsule will debut at a pop-up store in Isetan, Japan on August 15, with a global launch at select retailers including Guerlain boutiques and guerlain.com on August 26.
Guerlain’s main make-up market is currently Europe, particularly France, Italy and Spain.
“Météorites is a great success in Asia, especially in Japan and [South] Korea,” Saint-Genis Rodriguez said. Parure Gold is a bestseller in China and the rest of Asia, she added.
Guerlain recently launched Kisskiss Bee Glow Oil for lips, which sold out worldwide after a month.
The brand is no stranger to collaborations. Recent collaborations include the Antoine de Saint Exupéry Foundation, Maison Matisse and Lee Ufan Arles, for the Art & Environment prize.
“Art and a connection with artists are ways to question yourself, to think [broadly]and raise the level of your thoughts and creations,” said Saint-Genis Rodriguez, noting that Guerlain is almost 200 years old.
“Because we have a long history, we like to build bridges between generations, cultures and artists,” she said.
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