Cannes Film Festival Lineup Sets the Stage for Chanel, Dior and Lots of Louis Vuitton

PARIS — The big brands are poised for some big-time star power on the Cannes red carpet, with the film lineup boasting several ambassadors of leading French fashion houses.

Get ready to see lots of Louis Vuitton on the Croisette.

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The brand will have a handful of ambassadors at the festival, first with Léa Seydoux on opening night. The longtime face of the house, and close friend of women’s creative director Nicholas Ghesquière, stars in the comedy “The Second Act” from French director Quentin Dupieux that will serve as the festival’s grand opening gala.

Political comedy “Rumors” starring Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander will mark another two notches on the Louis Vuitton belt. Their film will appear in the Un Certain Regard category and ensure a red carpet walk for those stars.

More Vuitton can be expected with longtime ambassador Emma Stone, fresh off of her best actress Oscar win, as she is paired again with director Yorgos Lanthimos for “Kinds of Kindness.”

Actress Maria Bakalova stars in Ali Abbasi’s highly anticipated take on the young Donald Trump with “The Apprentice.” The Bulgarian star has frequently worn Louis Vuitton on the red carpet for film premieres and her Oscar nomination in 2021, looks created with stylist Jessica Paster.

George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” will be showing out of competition but will bring Dior brand ambassador Anya Taylor-Joy to the Croisette. The film also stars Australian actress Charlee Fraser, who sat front row at Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week show in February.

Chanel ambassador Margaret Qualley will also be on hand for the Lanthimos film. She made her modeling debut opening the brand’s haute couture show in January, though she is more used to the red carpet as her runway.

Hunter Schafer is a brand ambassador for Mugler’s fragrance Angel, though she has worn Prada, Alexander McQueen and recently sat front row at Schiaparelli’s Paris Fashion Week show.

Jacques Audiard’s musical “Emilia Perez,” starring Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Edgar Ramirez, could be a wild-card red carpet but they are sure to have an open-closet policy with Saint Laurent: The house’s production arm backed the film.

Saint Laurent also backed David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” which will see Diane Kruger hit the red carpet. Former Chanel ambassador Kruger has parted ways with the brand, and has since been a free agent sitting front row at Schiaparelli, Jason Wu and Miu Miu in recent seasons.

Francis Ford Coppola will bring Aubrey Plaza to the Croisette with “Megalopolis,” alongside Adam Driver and Shia LaBeouf. Plaza, also styled by Paster, is known to take red carpet risks with quirky looks from Loewe, Stella McCartney and Michael Kors among her greatest hits.  She could bring some much-needed unpredictability to the famed Palais steps.

On the men’s side, Burberry’s newly announced brand ambassador Barry Keoghan will be in town for Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” while Hugo Boss ambassador Sebastian Stan will take his turn as the young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” alongside “Succession” star Jeremy Strong.

The Lanthimos film sees a star-studded supporting cast, including Jesse Plemons — aka Mr. Kirsten Dunst — who sat front row at the Dior show in January, and Joe Alwyn, who made a stealth appearance at last year’s festival only to attend a private dinner with Celine’s Hedi Slimane.

“Barbie” director Great Gerwig is heading up the jury. While she wore Gucci to the Oscars, her awards season was a wild ride from Erdem, through Prada, Balmain, Stella McCartney, Carven, Fendi and more. She works with stylist Karla Welch, and isn’t afraid to take risks.

This should give brands ample opportunity to dress the star, as she hits the red carpet daily for each screening, unless she signs with a house, as last year’s jury president Brie Larson did with Chanel just days before festival opener, with mixed results.

The Cannes Film Festival will run from May 14 to May 25.

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