Shielding your eyes from UV rays has never looked better than the Chanel Spring/Summer 2023 Eyewear Collection campaign, wherein the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend Nile Rodgers stars alongside models Vivienne Rohner and HyunJi Shin. Lensed by fashion photographer Karim Sadli, this high-energy campaign celebrates the disco era with Polaroid-style portraiture.
Just when you thought the French Maison couldn’t get chicer, Chanel turned it up a notch with Sadli’s campaign images. Specifically, those of Rodgers donning a pair of bold frames embellished with Chanel’s signature logo. The interlocking Cs are unmistakably Chanel, but in this campaign, they briefly remind us of a new, yet familiar, phrase.
Behind Sadli’s Polaroid camera lens, the CC summons C’est Chic; a phrase baked into the catchy lyrics of Rodgers’s ’70s disco anthem “Le Freak.” This reading is in equal parts due to Rodgers’s cultural impact, Chanel’s brand status, and Sadli’s portrayal of nightclub nostalgia. If anything, it’s more proof that Chanel’s stylish range of round frames and tinted lenses are synonymous with chic style.
A longtime friend of the brand, Rodgers has performed at Chanel events, such as a brand afterparty in Monaco and alongside Pharrell Williams at the 2022 Cruise show in Miami (where they sang “Get Lucky,” a tune co-written by Rodgers). Not only is this Chanel muse a beacon for timeless style, but, throughout his decades-long career (producing dance numbers like Madonna‘s “Material Girl” and David Bowie‘s “Let’s Dance”), Rodgers has never been photographed without his sunglasses–making him the pitch-perfect partner for this eyewear campaign. It’s clear that, for this fashion house, the rule is the same as it ever was: icons only.
Shop the Spring/Summer 2023 Eyewear Collection at Chanel.com and read Chanel’s full interview with Niles Rodgers, conducted by Vivienne Rohner and HyunJi Shin down below.
interview with nile rodgers conducted by Vivienne Rohner and HyunJi Shin, courtesy of chanel official
Vivienne Rohner: “Nile, I’ve read that John Lee Hooker once told you to never get photographed without sunglasses, is that true, and have you always stuck to his advice?”
Nile Rodgers: “Yes, it’s true. I had a TV show on VH-1 and John Lee Hooker was a guest playing on it. After, he pulled me aside and said, “That’s the rule of cool, never get your photograph taken without sunglasses on!” I’ve worn them ever since.”
HyunJi Shin: “Do you wear your glasses in bed?”
Nile Rodgers: “Yes. I wear my sunglasses in bed because they’re prescription, but I take them off whilst sleeping.”
Vivienne Rohner: “We all know from your song that le freak is chic. Tell us some other unexpectedly chic things?”
Nile Rodgers: “My band, my friends, my goals, and most artists. All stylish people anywhere are chic to me. “Fashion becomes unfashionable. But style endures,” Coco Chanel once said!”
HyunJi Shin: “What are the first 3 songs that come to your mind when you are asked to talk about your own songs?”
Nile Rodgers: “‘Good Times,’ ‘I’m Coming Out,’ and ‘Le Freak.’ ‘Good Times’ was the musical template for the 1st commercial hip-hop song, ‘Rapper’s Delight.’ ‘I’m Coming Out’ was our way of paying tribute to the massive queer community who supported CHIC and Diana Ross. It was a positive double entendre as it is also the opening song of her live show and has been for more than forty years.”
Vivienne Rohner: “What’s the best party you’ve ever been to?”
Nile Rodgers: “President Obama’s last White House Party and The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at Buckingham Palace.”
HyunJi Shin: “How many hours of sleep do you get a night? And when you sleep, do you dream? If yes, what about?”
Nile Rodgers: “Typically, I sleep four hours a night. I dream about everything. I even dreamt a hit song. It was complete with lyrics, and full orchestration. It was called, ‘I Want Your Love’ by my group CHIC.”
Vivienne Rohner: “What makes a great song?”
Nile Rodgers: “It captures the listener’s heart, mind or soul… and soles, as in the soles of their dancing feet.”
HyunJi Shin: “Who are the musicians that particularly inspire you today?”
Nile Rodgers: “Beyoncé, Lil Nas X, The-Dream and Thundercat, as well as the musicians who’ve captured my heart, mind, and soul my entire life – from Coltrane, Nina, Dolphy and Miles to Prokofiev, Mozart and Mancini.”
Vivienne Rohner: “How did you connect with the House of CHANEL, and how does it feel to become the face of this campaign?”
Nile Rodgers: “I was playing a CHANEL party at La Vigie, Karl Lagerfeld’s residence in Monaco, and between soundcheck and the show, I started playing ‘dress-up.’ I’m only guessing that someone noticed how comfortably I could do my version of CHANEL style. Then I was asked to be the face of the next eyewear campaign. I had no words. I was honoured, humbled and frankly shocked.”
Vivienne Rohner: “Nile, I’m a big fan of David Bowie, and you, of course, worked together. Can you tell me about that?”
Nile Rodgers: “David caused a seismic shift in my life. It was fantastic. We walked together fearlessly over shaky artistic ground to the biggest album of his life and one of my most important works. And we did it in just 17 days. It was EPIC!”
HyunJi Shin: “It was so fun to listen to you perform at the CHANEL Cruise show in Miami, feet in the sand. How was this moment?”
Nile Rodgers: “I live in Miami, and I love working with everyone I work with at CHANEL. So… It was absolutely amazing. And I could walk to work.”
HyunJi Shin: “What does CHANEL mean to you?”
Nile Rodgers: “The highest and most prestigious luxury fashion house… but then we went to Dakar together in December [for the 2022/23 Métiers d’art show], and I saw another side of CHANEL. I saw a commitment to beauty, artistry and respect for all people’s ability to display their own style, comfort and beliefs through their garments and adornments.”
Vivienne Rohner: “How did you feel about being there in Dakar and being part of this experience?”
Nile Rodgers: “This was very emotional. Looking out my window at the Island of Gorée, The House of Slaves, and The Door of No Return, where millions of slaves were sold to create the world we now live in, was heartbreaking. But the trip was also uplifting because the locals that I met were loving and forward-looking, and thinking. I went to lunch and celebrated the future with them. I didn’t visit the island and lament the past.”
HyunJi Shin: “Congratulations on your Grammys win! Can you tell us about your upcoming projects? When will you release your next song?”
Nile Rodgers: “Thank you. Winning another three Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Grammy was historic. I have so many upcoming projects it’s not fair to name them because I couldn’t fit them all in here. As I write this I just had a song go #1 with Dutch Jazz artist Candy Dulfer and the Beyoncé song ‘CUFF IT’ is a worldwide phenomenon.”
