THE BRAINS behind Chanel’s most revered campaigns, Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur, the House’s Head of Global Creative Resources for Chanel Fragrance, Beauty, Watches & Jewellery, has now brought on singer-songerwriter Gracie Abrams as the new face of Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu, as his latest stroke of genius.
It is a pairing rooted in a shared sensibility: the understated confidence, independence and modern femininity that have long defined Chanel now find a natural counterpart in one of Gen Z’s most compelling cultural figures. As Abrams brings a new energy to the fragrance’s enduring image, he speaks to GLASS about Chanel’s next step.
Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur and Gracie Abrams on set of the new Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu Campaign
Gracie Abrams is the new face of Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu. What inspired this choice?
Gracie naturally embodies the spirit of Chanel. Like Gabrielle Chanel once did, Gracie asserts herself without artifice, driven by a fierce sense of freedom and an instinct for elegance. She embodies the vitality and unbothered refinement that recalls Coco’s modern spirit. It is less a question of silhouette than of attitude: Gracie goes where she is not expected, always in motion, creating her own path. She is an economical artist wielding an acoustic guitar—nothing superfluous. Her work is precise and deliberate, but she never takes the easy way out. This intentional simplicity gives her a singular and vibrant presence.
There’s a clear connection between Gabrielle Chanel and Gracie Abrams. What do you think these women have in common?
Above all, it’s their boldness. Gabrielle revolutionises her time by breaking conventions and establishing a stripped-back, fluid style in tune with her era’s desire for freedom. Gracie, for her part, frees herself from predetermined paths, choosing the sincerity of creation over the ease of inheritance. Both forgo any calculated strategy, guided instead by a clear vision and unwavering instinct. Like Gabrielle before her, Gracie charts her own path, refusing to conform.
Behind the Scenes of Gracie Abrams on set of the new Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu Campaign
How would you describe the impact of this new face and this new fragrance on the world of Chanel?
Gracie brings a sense of freshness and spontaneity that recalls Coco in her early days—a woman who reinvented celebration, and breathed life into everything she touched. With Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu, we rediscover that unique blend of boldness and grace, that ability to bring people together and make elegance contagious. It’s a celebration of movement, the freedom to be oneself, and the joy of creating.
The launch of the fragrance is accompanied by a new film. Can you tell us more about the world you wanted to create?
This film is, first and foremost, the portrait of a free-spirited woman moving through Paris with boundless energy. She sheds artifice, breaks free from convention, and follows her instincts. Mademoiselle appears where she’s least expected, bringing with her that fresh breath of modernity and spontaneity that lies at the heart of our House. She follows no set plan. Instead, she improvises, she moves forward. And that is precisely what makes her so alive.
Behind the Scenes of Gracie Abrams on set of the new Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu Campaign
In the film, there’s a striking scene where Mademoiselle walks into a café and everything shifts. What does that moment represent?
It’s the moment when the magic happens. She enters an ordinary place and, through just her presence and the lightness of her spirit, transforms it. Her movements and her contagious joy spark a collective energy—people let go, and the celebration unfolds spontaneously. It’s the effect of a fragrance: an aura, a way of being that inspires people and brings them together.
How do you think this film will resonate with audiences?
I hope everyone finds in it an inspiration to live with greater spontaneity and grace. This film invites us to come together, to break free from convention, to embrace the unexpected, and to invent our own way of being in the world—all with a fiercely contagious enthusiasm. And that, I believe, is the most beautiful message Chanel can offer today.
by Imogen Clark