PARIS — Troye Sivan has been named Rabanne’s first global makeup brand ambassador.
Puig’s brand, a powerhouse in perfume and fashion, launched a 90-piece makeup collection a year ago.
More from WWD
Sivan is an icon in the LGBTQIA+ community and the fashion world, and a social media superstar with a fan base of 39 million.
The two-time Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and actor will debut as the frontman of Rabanne’s Fresh Touch Foundation, which previews Monday.
Sivan is no stranger to Rabanne.
“My first interaction was when I wore the fashion and always really loved it and felt very playful and excited about the clothes, and then incorporated them into special moments for me and into music videos,” he said in an exclusive interview.
Sivan recently wore a metallic chainmail jumpsuit and matching bandana around his neck for his “Something to Give Each Other” tour. (Rabanne creative director Julien Dossena and the brand’s studio designed two custom outfits for the tour.)
But the bond between Sivan and Rabanne goes back even further.
“I was wearing a chain mail dress in the ‘Rush’ video,” he recalled during the interview, which he did while driving through the Dutch countryside after wrapping up the European leg of the tour. “I see some cows. That’s the vibe.”
Back to Rabanne’s fashion, Sivan said: “I loved the look I wore when [spring 2024] fashion show. It’s an incredible chest piece that was also in the ‘Got Me Started’ video.”
He also wore Rabanne makeup during the show. Sivan described his relationship with the brand as “very organic.”
“When we started working on the beauty together, it was a no-brainer for me,” he said.
The talent appearing in Rabanne campaigns represent a wide variety of styles, ethnicities and interests.
Time magazine called Sivan “the perfect pop star.” He has won six Aria Awards, a Billboard Music Award, three MTV Europe Music Awards and two GLAAD Media Award wins, among others.
Sivan’s “Revelation,” a collaboration with Jónsi on “Boy Erased,” was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song – Motion Picture and was shortlisted for an Oscar.
“We chose Troye because we have always had a strong connection with music,” said Rabanne vice president Jérôme Leloup. “He brings something very gender-fluid — our makeup is not gender- [related]so it’s really important.”
Born in Johannesburg and raised in Perth, Australia, Sivan has a strong reputation in most of Rabanne’s key markets, particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries.
Despite his gender-neutral image, 29-year-old Sivan only started using makeup later in life.
“I definitely fantasized about playing with makeup as a kid and I never really allowed myself to do it,” he said. “I would watch my mom do her makeup, or I would watch my sister or my friends. 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 that kind of ritualistic 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 past month — it’s become a really important part of our pre-show ritual — me and the six dancers sit down, all do our makeup, and share products and tips.
“It really centers you, gets you in the zone, can elevate you and make you feel your best,” he continued.
Sivan said he was also drawn to the Rabanne makeup ambassadorship because of what he describes as the brand’s effortless, genuine cool and edginess. And of course, there are the clothes.
“The beauty felt like a natural extension of that,” Sivan said.
Shooting the campaign, shot by Louise Thornfeldt and Maria Thornfeldt, and with makeup created by Diane Kendal, Rabanne’s beauty team’s creative director, he felt completely himself.
“It’s kind of an elevated version of yourself, and that’s how I like to use makeup,” Sivan said. “Sometimes I want to do something really, really bold and transform, and that’s what it’s about. But most days for me, it’s really about that extra bit of pep in your step before you walk out the door, so that you just feel like yourself, and it’s not about hiding or covering anything up.
“It’s really about celebrating what you have,” he said.
The first time Sivan got makeup done for art was for his “Bloom” music video. James Kaliardos helped come up with the handful of looks, each of which made Sivan feel different, to create that “memorable makeup moment.”
Sivan was a little intimidated, but that gave way to fun.
“That’s when I felt a wave of empowerment, when I let myself do that,” he said. “It was a big moment for me personally.”
Sivan’s next musical foray is the US “Sweat” tour with Charli XCX, kicking off in mid-September.
Rabanne Makeup was launched when the brand unified its image and storyline across fashion, fragrance and beauty under a strategy called One Rabanne.
The pure, vegan products have a high percentage of natural ingredients and are often featured in fashion campaigns.
Makeup, Leloup explains, “is the area of the brand that really helps us bridge the gap between the story, the style and of course the femininity of Rabanne and Julien, who has been closely involved in creating the makeup with us.”
“It’s really strategic, this category for Rabanne,” agreed Vincent Thilloy, Rabanne and Jean Paul Gaultier chief brands officer. “Because we’ve been super strong so far, among the top five global fragrance companies. This category helps us to really build the house, just like fashion builds the house.”
Rabanne wants to motivate young generations to create a more inclusive and creative future, Thilloy said.
“That’s why we have Troye, for example,” he explained. “We’re going to have more and more collaborations like this.”
Inclusivity and art and music related connections are in Rabanne’s DNA.
“Paco Rabanne [had] “I’ve been doing it myself since the 1960s,” says Leloup.
“That’s something we’re reviving now,” Thilloy said.
Leloup continues: “Inclusivity comes about when people come together through cultures, subcultures, art, music, visual arts and dance.”
Rabanne has three categories of make-up products: Eyephoria, the best-selling segment, with mainly mascaras and palettes; Rouge Rabanne and Arts Factory, with the most artistic products.
The main markets for Rabanne makeup, which is sold in 300 stores, are the US, UK, France and Italy.
The new fourth category, born on Monday, is Nudes. The name is a nod to a book, “Neues,” that Paco Rabanne and Jean Clemmer collaborated on in the 1960s. The book also helped inspire Dossena’s spring 2024 ready-to-wear collection for Rabanne.
“Julien’s obsession is always that metal on your skin is something very erotic and sensual. It’s very cold and warm at the same time,” Leloup said. “It reveals your skin in a very subtle way.”
This helped inspire the Fresh Touch Foundations, which are billed as a high-pixel metallic mesh on the skin, for a high-definition finish. The products, housed in metallic tubes, are vegan, clean, 91 percent natural and packed with skin-care ingredients. These are designed to have a high level of sensuality in the textures and give “beautiful, glowing skin,” Leloup continued. “We don’t want people to notice that you’re wearing makeup.”
The sheer foundation is also based on what Kendal dreams up for the brand’s runway shows. It comes in 30 buildable shades, said to deliver 24-hour radiance and hydration.
“We try to make foundation fun, sexy and glamorous,” says Leloup.
The line also includes Everywear Concealers in 15 shades; five Mini Blushy Palettes with a balm-like blush for cheeks and lips, and four Mini Palettes with nude eyeshadows.
The first nudes will be available to purchase via Rabanne’s direct-to-consumer platforms starting on Monday, followed by Ulta Beauty in the US on August 5, Selfridges in the UK on August 12, and Sephora Europe on August 26.
For the first time, Rabanne co-developed a TikTok campaign that went viral last summer. The brand used custom lip-dubbed music — called “Lick My Lips” by Only Fire — and partnered with nearly 100 TikTok creators across six key markets for content tied to drops of colored cosmetics.
Sivan will announce his collaboration with Rabanne via TikTok and Instagram on Monday.
The Nudes campaign, with the tagline #NoFilterBeauty, will launch in August.
The Best of WWD