Kendrick Lamar has officially joined Chanel as its newest ambassador, the French fashion house confirmed Monday, April 21.
The Compton-born rapper will lead its upcoming eyewear campaign, slated to launch Tuesday, April 22, marking a rare collaboration between the brand and a male figure. Lamar joins a short list of men to represent Chanel, standing alongside G-Dragon and Timothée Chalamet in that exclusive circle.
“Chanel has a timeless legacy, and that’s something I can stand behind,” Lamar told The Business of Fashion. “Since they don’t design menswear, I knew eyewear would be the lane.” That understated practicality speaks to his quiet confidence—he enters luxury not by force but by fit.
The campaign, reportedly shot by photographer Karim Sadli, expands Chanel’s push to spotlight eyewear as a statement, not an accessory. “We believe in the power of eyewear. It defines the Chanel silhouette. It’s an extension of our codes,” said Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion.
Lamar’s relationship with Chanel didn’t begin with this campaign. At the 2023 Met Gala, he skipped the red carpet but made an impression inside the museum, appearing in a Chanel leather bomber and an MLB cap for the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” exhibition. That same year, he sat front row at Chanel’s Fall-Winter 2023 Haute Couture show during Paris Fashion Week, flanked by Charlotte Casiraghi, Vanessa Paradis, and Lupita Nyong’o. His outfit that day—a white tweed jacket, logo-covered jeans, and a plain tee—balanced minimalism with intention.
Earlier this year, Lamar’s creative company pgLang, co-founded with longtime collaborator Dave Free, partnered with Chanel to produce a short black-and-white film, The Button. Featuring Naomi Campbell, Margaret Qualley, and Anna Mouglalis, the story explored themes of memory and legacy. Just days after the short premiered, Lamar attended Chanel’s Spring-Summer 2024 Haute Couture show wearing a tweed jacket, baggy jeans, and a jeweled cap—still unmistakably Chanel, but stripped of branding excess.
“Chanel is timeless,” Kendrick Lamar said during the event. “That’s something we value too—integrity, lasting impact, and creating with purpose for the next generation.”
A recent editorial shoot with Senegalese photographer Malick Bodian echoed those sentiments. Lamar wore a variation of his fashion week look, trading the jeweled hat for a beanie and swapping sneakers for loafers. The understated styling allowed his presence to speak louder than any logo.
Top Dawg Entertainment president Punch even chimed in with some light teasing after the photos dropped, poking fun at Lamar’s softened expression. “I think I’m cute on there, man. Couldn’t resist,” Lamar joked.
As Chanel steps into a new era of creative partnerships, Kendrick Lamar’s addition signals a fresh chapter—where art, identity, and legacy intersect without compromise.
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