After 76 times of organization, the Cannes Film Festival (FF) has developed from a simple premiere event, honoring cinematic works and filmmakers, to a system of many factors, from the luxury, noise of the red carpet, to side events, luxury parties...
In particular, for many years, Cannes has become a "playground" for high-end fashion and jewelry companies to increase the communication value of the brand.
Why luxury brands choose the Cannes Film Festival
The "big guys" in the fashion industry are increasingly investing in Cannes because of the potential that this film festival brings.
According to statistics from Launchmetrics, the 2022 Cannes Film Festival generated $724.4 million in media impact value (MIV), more than the Oscar Awards - 658.6 million USD and the Venice Film Festival - 154.1 million USD.
In 2021, as soon as supermodel Bella Hadid stepped onto the red carpet in a black dress with a deep chest and a lung collar by Schiaparelli, the search frequency on Google related to the Cannes Film Festival as well as for the Italian fashion brand increased by more than 1,900% compared to 3 weeks before the event.
It is no coincidence that Chopard - a main partner of the Cannes Film Festival for more than 20 years - introduced the luxury jewelry collection, as well as the company's first high-end fashion collection right on the occasion of Cannes 2023.
Because French Riviera - where the Cannes Film Festival takes place every year - is a resort dedicated to the aristocracy and upper class. They are the target customers of high-end jewelry brands.
However, fashion only achieves maximum attention when the star is in high demand, and it also has beauty and influence. That is the reason why there are more and more handsome guys, beautiful girls who are supermodels, singers, hot girls online... who are not related to cinema still present in Cannes.
The role of beauties like Rose, Jennie in Cannes
Luxury brands increase their presence by investing in costumes and accessories for ambassadors, beauties, and famous stars on the red carpet.
Many models such as Naomi Campbell, Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss, Irina Shayk, Alessandra Ambrosio attended to advertise the brand's products. Even famous actors such as Uma Thurman, Emmanuelle Beart, Thang Duy attended the film festival as guests of the brand.
In particular, Asia is a potential market targeted by high-end companies. While the Chinese star is gradually losing his position in Cannes, many brands have chosen to accompany the Korean star, as the influence of Kpop idol and Korean actor is growing.
This year, female idol Rose (Blackpink) came to the red carpet of Cannes for the first time as the global ambassador of Saint Laurent (YSL). Meanwhile, aespa is the first K-pop group to attend the Cannes Film Festival as global ambassador for the Chopard jewelry brand.
Many Korean actors such as Jeon Yeo Been, Song Joong Ki, Krystal, Lim Soo Jung wore dresses and jewelry from luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier, Chopard.
Although Jennie (Blackpink) strode on the red carpet of the film festival with the film crew of "The Idol", the outfits and accessories she wore from head to toe were perfect for Chanel - the brand Jennie is the ambassador for.
Previously, at major fashion weeks around the world (Paris, Milan...), Rose and Jennie were always the stars who brought the most media value to the brand. And at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the two top Kpop idols continued to show impressive influence.
According to Twitter Fashion, besides Cannes's official hashtag, #JENNIEatCANNES (900 thousand views) and #RoseatCANNES (545 thousand views) are the two most mentioned hashtags on social network Twitter, making Chanel and YSL the most mentioned brands.
Fashion in Cannes should not be underestimated
Many opinions say that the Cannes Film Festival has "transformed" too much with messy things, away from cinema. Typically, there are a series of non-actors walking on the red carpet of Cannes just to show off fashion, or as jokes to attract attention.
However, the Indian Express believes that fashion in Cannes should not be underestimated. Cannes is the world's biggest film festival, but it itself is always full of paradoxes. The films that won the Golden branch are not easy to watch and are often considered to be out of the public.
On the contrary, the Cannes red carpet - considered the most crowded - is an important factor that has helped the Cannes Film Festival become one of the "icons" of France.
Many people admit that fashion in Cannes is more accessible than in movies. Therefore, Cannes needs to balance the professional factors of cinema and entertainment. Without the red carpet, without beauties dressing up in luxurious dresses and jewelry, Cannes would have become an old film festival.
