EXCLUSIVE: Chanel Names Lupita Nyong’o as Its New Brand Ambassador

Updated Oct. 1 at 2:09 p.m. EST NEW ROLE: Chanel has named Lupita Nyong’o its latest brand ambassador. The French fashion house shared the announcement exclusively with WWD after the star attended its spring 2025 ready-to-wear show at the Grand Palais on the final day of Paris Fashion Week. The Oscar-winning actress and producer has been a friend of the house for more than 10 years, regularly wearing Chanel designs on the red carpet. She attended its fall 2023 haute couture show in Paris and wore a Chanel haute couture gown to the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles last December. “They were one of my first supporters. I remember wearing them as early as 2013 right when my first film, ‘12 Years a Slave,’ came out. And over the years, they’ve often invited me to things and treated me with wonderful hands, and so when they approached me to be an ambassador, I felt very honored,” Nyong’o told WWD.

Lupita Nyong’o “Of course, this is an important brand, a legacy brand, a historical brand, and I’m happy and very proud to add to that legacy,” she added. Nyong’o won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her breakthrough role in “12 Years a Slave,” and went on to star in films including “Black Panther,” the “Star Wars” saga and “A Quiet Place: Day One.” Most recently, she voiced the lead character in DreamWorks Animation’s feature film “The Wild Robot,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Lupita Nyong’o Last month Nyong’o launched her weekly podcast, “Mind Your Own,” which dives into the stories of African people around the world seeking love, family and new beginnings. Next year she will return to the theater stage as Viola in Shakespeare in the Park‘s summer production of “Twelfth Night” alongside Peter Dinklage, Sandra Oh and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. She’s also an acclaimed author. Her children’s book, “Sulwe,” which explores the preferential treatment of those with lighter skin, reached number one on The New York Times Best Sellers list in the category of children’s picture books. Nyong’o joins Chanel ambassadors including Whitney Peak, Margot Robbie, Riley Keough, Charlotte Casiraghi and Kristen Stewart. — With contributions from Rhonda Richford

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