French fashion house Chanel is delving into the dominant properties of red as it launches its first cosmetic collection designed by global creative makeup and color designer Lucia Pica. A favorite hue of brand founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, red served as the muse for Pica’s Le Rouge Collection N°1, giving lipstick, nailpolish and eyeshadow added depth and intensity. This collection reflects a modernization of a house code, enabling Pica to leave her mark while keeping within the boundaries Chanel consumers are familiar with. Pica also created an abstract film showcasing the dynamic power of red. The film opens with an out-of-focus shot of flowers wet with dew spread on a surface, and then captures the shape of hands moving behind a backlit piece of red fabric. It continues with shots of everything from wavy red hair to the glistening seeds of a pomegranate. Both the intrinsically beautiful and the seemingly mundane served as inspiration, as the film shows a tire laden with red dust sending clouds into the air as it rolls, or a red plastic bag’s flight. That’s quite some creative inspiration.
