CHANEL has just unveiled a passion-filled campaign that takes us on a journey through love and desire. Inspired by Claude Lelouch’s Academy Award-winning film “A Man and A Woman” (1966), the campaign, starring Penélope Cruz and Brad Pitt, brings to life the essence of timeless romance.

Following CHANEL’s Creative Director Virginie Viard’s passion for cinema, the latest campaign serves as the ultimate tribute to Claude Lelouch’s masterpiece. Released in 1966, the film went on to win the Palme d’Or at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. The bag we see in Lelouch’s film was actor Anouk Aimée’s favorite one, which she wore on and off screen.

The campaign, directed by Inez & Vinoodh amongst the beachy shores of Deauville, and the commune’s famous seaside resort where Mademoiselle Chanel opened a hat boutique and debuted her first-ever Haute Couture pieces, centers around the fashion house’s most iconic handbag. From its luxurious quilted leather to its unmistakable rectangular silhouette—a symbol of elegance—the chain handbag is a reminder of Chanel’s heritage and legacy, inviting us to witness not just a love story between a man and woman, but a woman and her trusted purse. 

As we see the couple anticipating a passionate, lust-filled moment, Penélope Cruz’s grip tightening around the CHANEL handbag triggers a familiar emotion, reminding us of our own moments of vulnerability and yearning.