Hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar has been announced as Chanel’s latest brand ambassador, a groundbreaking fusion of rap royalty and high fashion. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper will serve as the face of Chanel’s new eyewear campaign, bringing his creativity to the French luxury house’s line of sunglasses and optical wear. This partnership marks Lamar’s biggest move yet in the fashion world — after prior creative forays with Nike and even a stint collaborating with Louis Vuitton — and it puts him in elite company. He joins a select roster of male Chanel ambassadors that includes actor Timothée Chalamet and K-pop star G-Dragon, signaling the brand’s push to broaden its appeal across genres and generations.
Lamar’s cultural influence and distinctive style make him a natural fit for Chanel. In a statement about the ambassadorship, he praised Chanel’s “timeless legacy” and quipped that since the label “doesn’t make clothes for men, I knew it would have to be glasses” that he represents. Chanel executives, for their part, have emphasized that eyewear is a core element of the house’s look — more than just an accessory, it’s an extension of the Chanel allure seen on runways and in everyday style. While the full campaign has yet to be unveiled, early previews shot by renowned photographer Karim Sadli reportedly show Lamar in sleek, monochromatic portraits, donning the brand’s signature frames with his trademark cool.
This high-profile partnership caps a growing relationship between Lamar and Chanel. The rapper turned heads at the 2023 Met Gala in a custom Chanel outfit, and he teamed up with the brand’s creative team last year to produce a short film (“The Button”) for Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2024 show — even contributing an unreleased song to the project. Now, as an official ambassador, Kendrick Lamar embodies a new chapter of synergy between hip-hop and haute couture. Both the music and fashion worlds are buzzing to see how this visionary artist will infuse Chanel’s storied legacy with his own fresh perspective.
