Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar has been announced as Chanel‘s newest ambassador. The 37-year-old artist from Compton, California, fronts the French house’s new eyewear Spring/Summer 2025 campaign, which is photographed by Karim Sadli.
“Chanel has a timeless legacy and that is always something I can get behind. Since they don’t make clothes for men, I knew it would have to be glasses,” Lamar said of his involvement with Chanel.
The collaboration comes on the heels of a growing relationship between Lamar and Chanel, which started with Lamar wearing a custom quilted leather bomber designed by then-Creative director Virginie Viard at the 2023 Met Gala for the Karl Lagerfeld retrospective. His connection with the brand deepened when Chanel invited Lamar and his creative partner Dave Free to design the set for its Spring/Summer 2024 Haute Couture show in January 2024, which featured a huge, striking illuminated Chanel medallion. The duo also directed “The Button,” a short film that accompanied the presentation.
While Chanel is primarily known for its womenswear, it strategically includes male celebrities among its ambassadors to expand its reach and highlight products aimed at men or with unisex appeal. Lamar joins other notable male figures representing the brand, including Korean singer G-Dragon (a Chanel ambassador since 2016), actor Timothée Chalamet (face of “Bleu de Chanel” fragrances), and previous eyewear campaign stars Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams.
Lamar will bring significant cultural influence to the role. Since his breakthrough 2012 album “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” he has won 22 Grammy Awards and made history as the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.” His creative studio, PGlang, which he co-founded with Dave Free, has also won six Cannes Lions awards, further demonstrating his vision. His latest track, “Not Like Us,” is a chart-topping sensation that culminated in a performance at the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2024.
In Chanel‘s latest eyewear Spring/Summer 2025 campaign, Lamar appears alongside several other star ambassadors including Nana Komatsu, Lupita Nyong’o and Margaret Qualley.
