Chanel recruits Willow Smith for Tokyo-themed Gabrielle bag film

June 8, 2017

Chanel's latest Gabrielle film stars Willow Smith

French fashion house Chanel is continuing the marketing blitz around its Gabrielle bag with another short film starring a young starlet.

Chanel recruited actress/singer Willow Smith for a jaunt through Tokyo and its suburbs in a quiet effort that has a travelogue feel. The film follows Ms. Smith as she explores various environments in Tokyo accompanied by her ever-present Gabrielle bag, shown in a number of styles throughout the effort.

Exploring Tokyo
Chanel’s Gabrielle bag is a tribute to its founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.

In the past few months since the new handbag style was released, Chanel has released multiple videos in a variety of different styles featuring notable influencers toting the bag.

The most-recent addition to this project is a video titled “In Tokyo with Willow Smith.”

As the title suggests, the video follows Ms. Smith, the daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, as she explores the urban landscape of Tokyo.

Throughout the video, Ms. Smith is shown alone. While she does interact with Tokyo residents, she is not traveling with anyone and does not speak, giving the video a solitary atmosphere.

Chanel's Gabrielle bag is Ms. Smith's constant companion

In juxtaposition with the somber action, the video is scored by light, jaunty J-pop music.

Ms. Smith is shown walking through the various neighborhoods of Tokyo. She is seen browsing old books, taking the elevated train above the city, riding in a cab through a neon-crusted district and high-fiving locals.

But as the video ends, Ms. Smith leaves the loud, raucous environments of urban Tokyo and travels to the quieter suburbs. Here, she encounters a group of small schoolchildren, one of whom stops to give her a small paper heart.

She thanks the child and goes on her way, suggesting that after the hustle and bustle of the city, the quieter parts of Tokyo can be just as rewarding.

Ms. Smith is seen dressed in Chanel clothing throughout and carrying the Gabrielle bag.

Gabrielle bag
Tokyo is an appropriate location for this campaign, given Chanel’s recent interactions with the city.

Following its Métiers d’Art show in Paris last December, the house took the collection on the road with a second runway presentation in Tokyo at the end of May. Teasing its cross-continent trip, Chanel filmed leading lady Nana Komatsu at the Ritz Paris in its hometown (see story).

Suburban Tokyo; Image credit: Chanel

Aside from Kristen Stewart, Caroline de Maigret and the other female celebrities tapped to promote the Gabrielle bag, Chanel also took a more subversive route by using musician Pharrell for one campaign video.

Pharrell has worked with the brand before, but this is the first time Chanel has made him an ambassador for a handbag. In doing so, Chanel is expanding the notions of how luxury brands can market traditionally gendered products such as handbags to consumers outside the expected demographic (see story).

With its latest video, Chanel is going back to basics with a quiet, straightforward short film depicting Ms. Smith simply exploring a new environment with nothing but her Chanel bag as a companion.

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Chanel recruits Willow Smith for Tokyo-themed Gabrielle bag film

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