Marc Jacobs Joins Charlotte Rampling In Front Of The Camera

Marc Jacobs has established himself as one of fashion’s biggest fans. Between his all-embracing wardrobe and his frequent Instagram shout-outs, the designer has proven to be as much a supporter of fellow brands as he is the creative force behind his own. The designer has a penchant for Celine tiger-prints, Gucci florals and Balenciaga outerwear, and recently paired his favourite Rick Owens boots with a fresh-from-the-catwalk Prada coat.

Further evidence of his role as the industry’s ultimate team player comes in the shape of the new Givenchy campaign, in which he joins actor Charlotte Rampling to make up the “iconic Givenchy couple”. Jacobs will front the spring/summer 2020 campaign, which Givenchy first teased in a series of Instagram videos.

Jacobs and Rampling face off in the tongue-in-cheek clip, in which the actor dramatically slaps the designer across the cheek as he repeats, “You’re Charlotte Rampling.” Not that he minded being on the receiving end of a cuff from an arthouse icon. Jacobs said on Instagram he was honoured to have been chosen by Givenchy’s artistic director Clare Waight Keller, and added that he would “get slapped by [Rampling] anytime”.

Waight Keller was equally effusive in her praise for her campaign stars, whom she described as “true icons”. “How can I describe my feelings about seeing these extraordinary legendary figures in the Givenchy campaign, both of whom I admire so very much,” the British designer wrote on Instagram. “Firstly for their undoubted originality and talent in fashion and film, amazing passion in everything they do, a fantastic sense of humour and intelligence... I am honoured and thrilled they have become part of my journey at this beautiful Maison”.

This is the first professional collaboration for Jacobs and Waight Keller, but it’s likely their paths crossed in the ’90s, when Waight Keller was working at Calvin Klein in New York as Jacobs established his eponymous brand. Perhaps it was then that what Waight Keller describes as their #FashionFriendshipForever was established.

Givenchy and Jacobs’s namesake brand also share a parent company in French conglomerate LVMH, and this isn’t the first time that a designer has lent their face to a “rival” house. In 2015, Donatella Versace pivoted to front a Givenchy campaign during Riccardo Tisci’s tenure.