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French luxury brand Chanel has doubled down on its love for Australians by casting Margot Robbie in its latest advertising campaign, which playfully pays tribute to Kylie Minogue.
In a 2023 interview, Minogue made it clear that she would like fellow Neighbours alumna and Barbie star Robbie to play her in a movie. Robbie poured cold water on the idea during a BBC radio interview last year, but that didn’t stop her from standing in for Minogue to promote the Chanel 25 handbag.
Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry revisited the concept of his groundbreaking 2001 music video for Minogue’s hit Come Into My World, for the Chanel advertisement, featuring multiple Robbies carrying different versions of the handbag.
While Robbie parades along a Parisian street, recreated in a Los Angeles studio, Minogue makes a cameo from an open window.
“I rocked up on set and Margot had already been doing some filming,” Minogue told Elle Australia. “To see a recreation, a miniature version of the Parisian set, was already like walking into a candy store, and then to see Margot multiplying … it was a full-circle moment.”
The campaign was equally meaningful for Robbie. The first concert Robbie attended was Minogue’s 2002 tour for her Fever album, which features Come Into My World.
“My best friend, her mum, and I drove to Sydney for it – I don’t even know if I’d been to Sydney before,” Robbie told Vogue. “The vibe was insane. Afterwards, I got a blue T-shirt with ‘Kylie’ written in pink, with her silhouette – like on the Fever album cover – in pink as well. Ugh, I wish I still had that T-shirt. I remember everything about it. It was my first concert, and it was incredible.”
The Chanel campaign was also a way for Robbie to play a version of Minogue without having to reveal her questionable singing skills.
“It’s actually perfect, because I can’t sing,” Robbie told Vogue. “So I’m doing Kylie without having to sing and ruin it for everyone.”
In the Vogue interview, Robbie also reveals that should she ever have to sing alongside Minogue at karaoke, she would tackle “the unofficial Australian anthem” The Horses by Daryl Braithwaite.
The campaign is another example of Chanel creative director Matthieu Blazy’s love for Australians. Both Robbie and Minogue were in the front row at the label’s recent show at Paris Fashion Week, alongside Chanel ambassador Nicole Kidman.
Blazy’s critically acclaimed debut show for Chanel last year, having moved from Italian label Bottega Veneta, featured First Nations models Tatyana Perry and Latahlia Hickling.
Since taking over from Karl Lagerfeld’s successor Virginie Viard, Blazy has been credited with reinvigorating the label. Critics have hailed the ease that he has brought to Chanel designs and the introduction of relatable pieces, such as the jeans Robbie wears in the advertisement.
The advertisement should help drive sales of the already popular Chanel 25 flap style handbag, which has already been seen on the shoulder of singer Harry Styles.
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