On May 10, Louis Vuitton announced that actress Deepika Padukone is now the first ever brand ambassador of Indian descent for the luxury brand. The 36 year-old Padukone adds this latest gig to her already impressive resume as a Bollywood actress, producer, philanthropist and entrepreneur. Her new role was announced during the brand’s new handbag campaign.
Padukone is often pictured sporting Louis Vuitton outfits and bags, and she had also modeled for them previously. She became the first Indian actor to feature in Louis Vuitton’s Pre-Fall 2020 when she posed for their look book cover alongside stars like Lea Seydoux and Sophie Turner.
On the professional front, Padukone has been featured in more the 30 films like “Padmavaat,” one of the highest grossing Indian movies ever, and according to Forbes India’s celebrity 100 list, Padukone eared around $6 million in 2019. 2022 is shaping up to be another great year, as the actress was recently announced as a part of 9-member jury at 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and Padukone recently starred in promotional campaigns for brands like Levi and Adidas.
In their press release, the French luxury brand said, “Following a strong collaborative relationship with the Maison… the award-winning actress begins an exciting new chapter of her journey with Louis Vuitton.”
Padukone’s partnership with Louis Vuitton marks her first ambassador role for the brand. The announcement came just after she was named as the Vogue India’s cover page star. In the same photo shoot, which will appear in May 2022 issue, the actress will be seen sporting various Louis Vuitton items. In the cover story, Padukone spoke about her previous campaign for brand and her relationship with the creative director.
“When you’re 18 and have just started earning, you don’t even bother looking into a Louis Vuitton store when you walk past it because you know you’re never going to be able to afford it. There are some things that are aspirational and then there are some things that are just completely out of your orbit. My association with Louis Vuitton is the latter. I’m a very practical, pragmatic person in reality, but I keep having to pinch myself because I can’t believe this is real, and it speaks to the kind of diversity I hope to see in the future.”
India has not been on the radar of traditional targets for luxury sector. However, with the growing middle class and brand influence, the 2019 edition of McKinsey & Company and Business of Fashion’s influential annual report said that India has become, “too important for the international brands to ignore.”
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