PARIS — What happens when Guerlain and Pucci collaborate on a limited-edition cosmetics capsule? Full of contrasting colors and creativity.
Due to be launched in August, the project by the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-affiliated brand was born spontaneously and will see the relaunch of Rouge G lipstick, Meteorites and terracotta products adorned with Pucci’s iconic Marmot print.
Guerlain first approached the Italian fashion house.
“We knew right away, there was no question or doubt, this was for us,” Pucci artistic director Camille Micheli said, explaining that color is so important to the brand that it made perfect sense for them to create a makeup palette and push the boundaries.
Guerlain CEO Gabriel Saint-Genis Rodriguez said Miceli’s joining Pucci in 2021 injected so much energy, joy, boldness and edginess into the brand that the connection was natural.
Miceli had never worked with color cosmetics before — she’s been a fan of Guerlain’s Terracotta for years — but she has designed packaging.
A collaboration between Guerlain and Pucci.
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“I love making things that look like objects but have a secondary use,” Micheli said.
“Violette immediately embraced the idea of incorporating quite a bit of unusual color,” Miceli said, referring to Guerlain’s creative makeup director, Violette Serrato.
Saint-Genis Rodriguez said Guerlain is Parisian, with a vision for fashion, elegance, modernity and tradition, which Serrat embodies and whose makeup expresses.
Guerlain previously partnered with Pucci on color cosmetics in 2012. Such partnerships help it reach new, often younger, consumers. “It’s a way to tell the brand a different story,” Sangenis Rodriguez said.
Serratt loves collaborations between brands. “It’s a way to tell a different story,” she says. “It’s like a marriage. You can enter someone else’s world and have your own vision, and vice versa. There’s a lot of interesting stuff that comes from that.”
“I also love working with creative people who are designers for other brands,” she continued. “It’s like tango, first I let them lead, and then I lead.”
But it’s not about power or ego, Serratt explained, but rather about discovering each other and working freely.
“It’s really inspiring,” she added. “It’s one of my favorite things to do. It’s a great opportunity on an artistic level and a business level because you get to gain new clients and take them somewhere else. It’s really interesting to work on.”
Serratto wanted to enable Micheli to represent Pucci and her vision of beauty.
“Sometimes, working with people who have nothing to do with beauty can create something contemporary,” she continued.
There were no constraints on the creative process.
“My goal was to create something that could actually be worn,” said Serratto, calling Pucci iconic.
“I’ve always been fascinated by how you can continue to tell a story with essentially the same print, the marmo print,” she said. “It’s like a mysterious recipe that just works.”
“For me the Marmot print is a celebration of the psychedelic side of Pucci,” Micheli said.
The capsule contains two new Rouge G lipsticks – a plum with a satin finish and a matte red with a velvet finish – which can be worn alone or in combination. They set the tempo for the collection and help introduce the recently revamped Rouge G line, enriched with lip care active ingredients such as lily oil extract.
The Guerlain x Pucci capsule makeup collection is scheduled to launch in Fall 2024.
“We don’t use any harmful substances. We’re committed to using natural ingredients,” says Sangenis Rodrigues, who also emphasizes sustainable sourcing.
At the same time, Miceli and Serrat also focused on the product’s packaging.
“It was so exciting to see all the marmo details everywhere,” Serratto said.
Miceli was impressed with Guerlain’s technical capabilities.
Called 045 Marmot Vibe, the Ombre G Eyeshadow Quad has been developed in four new matte shades: orange, violet, black and white. The gold case is adorned with a Marmot motif.
The three-tone terracotta Marmo Sun Bronzing Powder packaging, which comes with a fabric zip pouch, also features two golden fish pendants, the iconic Pucci logo.
Meteorites bestseller, 02 Rosé, and the Marmot Swirl Brush, featuring the Guerlain logo, come with a Marmot patterned holder.
“They become objects,” Miceli says.
Completing the collection is the Parure Gold Cushion Marmo Glow Foundation, with prices starting from €42 for the lipstick refill to €98 for the bronzing powder.
Each reference will contain up to 20,000 pieces and the capsules will be available for three months.
Serratt and Miceli wanted to cast Guerlain international ambassador Natalia Vodianova for the campaign, which was photographed by Oliver Hadley-Parch. “She’s a Guerlain icon, and we’re so excited to work with her,” Serratt says. “She’s such a professional.”
Camille Miceli, Natalia Vodianova, Violette Serrato.
Photo credit
“I love her and I think she’s a wonderful woman,” Micheli enthused.
“The campaign is a collaboration between three women having fun and being creative with their craft,” Serrat continued.
The capsule will be available for the first time as a pop-up store at Isetan in Japan on August 15, before launching globally in select stores, including Guerlain boutiques and on guerlain.com, on August 26.
Currently, Guerlain’s main cosmetics markets are Europe, particularly France, Italy and Spain.
“Meteorites have been a big hit in Asia, especially Japan and Korea,” Sangenis Rodriguez said. Parure Gold has been a best-seller in China and other parts of Asia, she added.
Guerlain recently launched KissKiss Be Glow Oil for lips, which sold out worldwide after one month.
The brand is no stranger to collaborations, most recently partnering with the Fondation Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Maison Matisse and Lee Ufan in Arles for the Art and Environment Prize.
“The connection with art and artists is a way to question yourself, to think (broadly) and to raise the level of your own thinking and creation,” said Saint-Genis Rodriguez, noting that Guerlain has a history that dates back almost 200 years.
“We have a long history together, so I want to build bridges between generations, cultures and artists,” she said.