ROCK LEGEND LENNY KRAVITZ BECOMES THE INSPIRING NEW AMBASSADOR FOR YVES SAINT LAURENT Y FRAGRANCE

IN 2017, YVES SAINT LAURENT BEAUTÉ LAUNCHED
A NEW MASCULINE FRAGRANCE THAT TURNED THE FIRST LETTER
OF YVES SAINT LAURENT’S NAME INTO A QUESTION: Y.
WHY?
—
Because the Yves Saint Laurent man has always been a dreamer and
a risk-taker. An experimenter and a creator who never stops asking
himself: WHY NOT? Confident, independent and instinct-driven, he’s
always looking for new ideas and experiences, striving to shape the
world…
—
A cool-hot masculine scent matching crisp radiance and addictive
intensity, Y captures his spirit.
Because the guy with the “why” knows where he’s going, and he
knows what he wants.
Because he’s got the drive to go and get it. Always going further in
his journey to self-accomplishment.
—

IN 2020, Y GETS A NEW CAMPAIGN

MORE THAN A QUESTION, IT’S AN APPROACH TO LIFE.

A CHALLENGE TO YOURSELF. A RESPONSE TO SOMEONE’S JUDGMENT.

A DARE. TURNING A DREAM INTO REALITY

He’s cool. He’s hot. He’s an icon in the YSL style, whose mane of
dreadlocks and dark glasses are instantly recognizable the world
over. An authentic, inspiring showman who has penned epoch-making
hits like “Are you gonna go my way”, “It ain’t over til it’s over”,
“American woman”, “Again”, “Fly Away”…

—

In September 2020, the YSL Beauty family is thrilled to welcome
Lenny Kravitz as the new face fo Y.

—

Determined, brainy, bold, and charismatic, always pushing back
boundaries – as a singer, songwriter, producer, instrumentalist, actor,
fashion icon, photographer, designer… The multi-faceted creator
couldn’t be a better fit for Y.

—

Edgy luxury. Daring. Cool. Modernity. A forever-young spirit. And
above all, the constant drive for self-accomplishment. Lenny Kravitz
is the very embodiment of Y’s values. Because he’s always ready to
meet any challenge. Going higher. Keeping every path open. Asking
himself and the world: WHY NOT?
Since the arrival of Let Love Rule in 1989, Lenny Kravitz has patented
a unique fusion of rock’n’roll, funk, blues and soul. He has won four
consecutive GRAMMY® Awards, setting the record for “most wins
ever in the ‘Best Male Rock Vocal Performance’ category”, and sold
40 million albums world-wide, with 11 gold albums. An acclaimed
actor, Lenny Kravitz’s on-screen output includes “The Hunger Games”
franchise, “Precious”, and Lee Daniel’s “The Butler”. A fashion icon,
accomplished musician and born performer, he has turned his hand
at design and photography with equal success.

—

The legendary artist is also a loving father to the actress and musician
Zoë Kravitz, his daughter by the actress and director Lisa Bonet.
Today, he is especially proud to join Zoë, ambassador of Yves Saint
Laurent Beauty since 2017, as a new member of the YSL family.
“For once I get to follow in my daughter Zoe’s footsteps as a brand
ambassador. I love that”, the proud father says.
“MAN, MUSICIAN, CULTURAL ICON. THERE ARE NOT MANY PEOPLE

COOLER THAN LENNY KRAVITZ. HE’S A NATURAL SHOWMAN,

A FASHION ICON, A DESIGN GURU, AND A GENUINE ROCK STAR.

HE OOZES STYLE AND CHARISMA AND IS THE PERFECT CHOICE TO

BE THE NEW FACE OF Y.”

—

ANTON CORBIJN, DIRECTOR OF THE NEW Y CAMPAIGN
It’s the answer to a question asked long ago and every day since,
as the artist challenges himself to go further… Still passionate. Still
learning. Still in love.

—

Why not? More than a question. It’s an approach to life. A dare. A
journey.
Why not? is the theme of the new, spectacular Y television campaign
starring Lenny Kravitz.

—

With the new Y film, the acclaimed director Anton Corbijn captures
both the thrill and intimacy of one of the most iconic moments in
a rock star’s life. His solitary walk to the stage, reflecting his life’s
journey – everything that brought him to this moment. The ultimate
self-accomplishment: an electrifying performance for an adoring
crowd.

—

“For this film, the walk to the stage is much more than just a walk”,
the director Anton Corbijn explains. “It is a metaphor for life. The
walk represents a greater journey; the journey that began with a
dream and leads to a life of success and achievement. This is Lenny’s
journey, but it mirrors the definition of Y.”
In the first image of the film, we get an instant thrill, a rush of recognition
as the upbeat, thrilling chords of “Are you gonna go my way”
set the pace… A song still as fresh today as it was in ’93 when it
came out. The hit that turn the cult performer into a global superstar.

—

Cut to clasped hands. Silver rings. Dressed in a sharp YSL black
python jacket in the backseat of his car, wearing his dark glasses,
Lenny Kravitz looks every inch the rock star. We feel his intense concentration
in the quiet before the storm.

—

Stepping out of the car, he walks into the building. People part to let
him through. Alone, focused, a master of cool, Lenny Kravitz pauses
in front of the mirror and removes his sunglasses. As he confronts
his reflection, he sees the moment that led to where he is now…

—

We discover Lenny, aged 15 (model Jordan Bradley) playing his guitar,
alone in his room. His journey in music has already started, the
day his father surprised him, when he was six or seven years old,
by taking to Madison Square Garden to see his favorite group, the
Jackson Five.

—

“After that concert, I saw it, I felt it, I heard it: the whole presentation, the
energy of being in the audience. That was it. From that day forward
I was obsessed with making a life in music”, Lenny Kravitz confides.

—

Soon, he will be leaving home to make it, whatever it costs. In young
Lenny’s eyes, we feel music is his passion. We read his hopes and
dreams. We sense the moment when he first asked himself the question…

—

WHY NOT?

As we hear the question, we see the star today, still gazing at the
mirror. The time has come for one last ritual. He reaches for a bottle.
He would never go onstage without a spray of Y Eau de Parfum.
That ultimate touch he needs to get into the moment. More than a
scent. An aura. Breathing in Y, eyes closed, the man turns into the
rock legend.

—

Leaping onstage, he launches into “Are you gonna go my way”. His
performance is sexy, exhilarating, larger than life. The crowd goes
wild. Flashback to young Lenny playing the drums in his room. He
raises his arms in a gesture of striving and triumph, as he challenges
the world with the question: WHY NOT?

—

Cut again to Lenny onstage. He lifts his arms into the air, creating a
Y with his body. He is the man he dreamed of being. It is a moment
of complete surrender to his music and to his adoring public. Of
perfect self-accomplishment.

—

He slowly falls into the huge crowd converging towards him and is
carried by a sea of outstretched hands, his body forming a perfect Y,
in an almost surreal vision… Cut to the Y bottle as we hear him say
the words:Y. L’Eau de parfum. Yves Saint Laurent.

—

If there was one man who could express both the legend and intimacy
of a rock icon, it is the German director, whose career encompasses
photography, music videos, feature films and commercials.
Perhaps best known for immortalizing some of the greatest figures
of rock’n’roll, from Joy Division to U2 and the Rolling Stones. Moving
seamlessly from photography to video, he has since made over 80
promos for artists like Nirvana, Nick Cave or Coldplay. Anton Corbijn’s
first feature film, “Control”, about the life and death of Joy Division
singer Ian Curtis, has won 20 awards including the Camera d’Or at
the Cannes Film Festival. Since then, he has directed “The American”
(2010) starring George Clooney, “A Most Wanted Man” (2014) and
“Life” (2015), about James Dean and photographer Dennis Stock.
In YSL Beauty’s new print campaign for Y, it is the iconic portrait of
a rock star: Lenny Kravitz looking boldly, straight into the camera,
elegantly holding his guitar, sharply dressed in his YSL suit… His charisma
is captured by David Sims, an acclaimed fashion photographer
whose impeccably cool credentials include i-D, where he debuted
his career in 1985, “The Face”, “Dazed and Confused”, the US and
French “Vogue”, “W” magazine, and “Harper’s Bazaar”. The Sheffieldborn
David Sims began his editorial career in 1985 shooting for i-D.
Named Photographer of the Year in 1996 at the International Festival
of Photography, David Sim’s work has been exhibited across the
globe, with solo and group shows at the Museum of Contemporary
Art Tokyo, the Fotomuseum Winterthur in Switzerland and the
Institute of Contemporary Art in London, among others.

Y EAU DE PARFUM
TURNS A CLASSIC GENRE INTO A ROCK’N’ROLL CLASSIC

As cool and hot as its new ambassador Lenny Kravitz, “Y Eau de Parfum”
is a striking new take on the most iconic masculine fragrance
family, the fougère, composed by a true rock star among noses, Master
Perfumer Dominique Ropion.
Just as the most exciting new songs resonate with “now” while sounding
so right you feel they’ve been part of your soul forever, Ropion’s
composition blends a classic accord with a contemporary vibe. His
instruments are noble, powerful natural ingredients, fine-tuned to
bring out their most expressive facets.

—

EDGY. The scent opens with a chill splash of crunchy green apple and

sparkling bergamot, with a bracing bite of gin-cool juniper berries.

—

YCONIC. In the heart notes, the basic riff of “Y Eau de Parfum”
takes over, blending the quintessential fougère ingredients – an
accord that goes back to over a century, like the blues… With facets
of mint, litchi and lemongrass, geranium is the tougher brother of
roses -- a man’s flower ever since the first fougère was launched in
the 1880s. As for lavender, it has been the scent of clean for millennia
-- a note no dapper gent should go without. Ambery clary sage
and almond-scented coumarin balance out the aromatic accord
with their warmer, sexier tones.
To shake up this Yconic core, Dominique Ropion introduces the
rock’n’roll vibe of high contrast “black & white” accords – the olfactive
equivalent of black jeans and a white tee-shirt.

—

WHITE. In a bold move for a masculine composition, Dominique
Ropion boosts the cool lavender-geranium combo with the crisp,
fresh-ironed shirt scent of aldehydes, illuminated by a cool-hot flash
of lemony ginger.

—

BLACK. Introduced in the top notes by elemi – a resin with pine,
lemon and incense facets --, the mysterious, mineral accents of olibanum
add their dark signature to Y Eau de Parfum. Underscored by
the deep bass thrum of smoky vetiver, a sensuous woody ambery
base amps up the scent’s powerful radiance.
As thrilling as the crashing chords of an electric guitar. As clear-cut
as a sharp black suit. Addictive and intense. Sexy and sophisticated.
Clean and fresh, yet warm and powerful. A contemporary classic, for
a long-lasting trail infused with confidence and adrenaline.
A feel-cool fragrance. The scent of accomplishment. Because it’s Y.

BY DOMINIQUE
ROPION

The bottle’s striking design reflects the fragrance’s edgy masculinity
and contrast of darkness and light. Honed to perfection in its minutest
detail, like a perfect song, it conveys an image of contemporary
luxury and power.
Conceived by Suzanne Dalton, the minimal and sharp glass monolith
has been created, in Dalton’s words, as “an expression of purity”. Sliced
through by a notch that reveals the shape of a bright metallic Y, the
bottle is strong, heavy and elegant. Its sharp edges are defined by an
intense dark black fade-out which gradually gives way to clear glass.
A totem and a tribute to modernity and creativity, it’s a powerful
object, that gives you the power.
So, take on the challenge.
WHY NOT?