Ananya Panday’s Chanel debut signals a shift toward younger, globally aspirational Indian icons

So, it’s great to hear that Indian actor Ananya Panday has donned Chanel’s brand ambassador’s hat now. She is young, with quite a few successes to her credit as an actor and, of course, millions of fans across India looking up to her for her personal style statements.

India has been a source for global luxury brands to find brand ambassadors for a long time. There have been many chosen by these brands to represent them in the past. Actor Aishwarya Rai was the chosen one for L’Oreal Paris and Longines. Shah Rukh Khan was the face for Tag Heuer, Hritik Roshan for Rado, Priyanka Chopra for Tiffany and Bvlgari and Ranveer Singh for Frank Mueller, to mention a few. Of late, Alia Bhatt bagged the prestigious global brand ambassador’s role for the Italian luxury brand Gucci while Deepika Padukone went towards the iconic French brand Louis Vuitton.

Looking at the profiles of these actors, one could see the depth and experience along with the influence that these stars wield in the world of luxury. Brand ambassadors create a certain additional aura for these brands either for the local market, or if they are globally known (and liked), then the market across the world. Whether they officially endorse these brands or brand placements in hit films -- for instance Rayban RB 3025 golden Aviator becoming a rage after Tom Cruise wore the same in Top Gun or Persol 714 becoming iconic when Steve McQueen wore it in the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair – these brands and their products become a much sought-after category. Such is the power of stars – movies or sports -- it is meant to influence the minds of aspirational buyers, or at least some part of the luxury consumer base, which would eventually result in the products flying off the shelves.

As brand ambassadors, they are often seen in the brand’s campaigns, appear at special functions or shows of the brands they represent, and often one would also see them endorsing these brands subtly by wearing their products on and off screens or appearing on the front rows of the brand’s fashion shows (wearing of course the best from the brand they represent). Remember, the legendary Giorgio Armani always made sure that Aishwarya Rai wore his outfits at prestigious functions across the world and is seen at his shows and most recently Ananya Panday appearing at Chanel’s resort 25/26 show at Lake Como, Italy. It’s a win-win for both the brand and the celebrity.

All these actors have one thing in common – they all are seasoned and successful, and more importantly, globally known. Over the years the Chanel’s ambassadors included such famous names as Hollywood actor Johnny Depp and Vanesa Paradise’s daughter Lila-Rose Depp, Will Smith’s singer daughter Willow, Academy award winning actor Lupita Nyong’o, the legendary Elvis Presley’s filmmaker grand-daughter Riley Keough, three-times Academy award nominee and four Golden Globe awards winner Margot Robbie, super star singer Pharell Williams, Nicole Kidman and Diane Kruger. It is interesting to note that the brand this time opted to choose a relatively young actor to represent it.

Well, Ananya has all the reasons to smile!