'I wanted the campaign to feel a bit more timeless,' company's creative director explains.
By Jocelyn Vena
Lady Gaga for MAC Viva Glam
Photo: Nick Knight
Lady Gaga's new short film for her work with MAC's Viva Glam line is an ethereal, ghostly affair that blends well with the pop star's current color scheme. The Nick Knight-directed clip features Gaga in shades of blush, nude and champagne almost floating alongside romantic images of martinis, flowers and perfume bottles. Airy house music plays as Gaga's flowing dress is blown about and she seduces the camera in various states of undress.
For photos of Gaga's Viva Gam line, click here.
This year's Viva Glam shades, which raise money for the MAC AIDS Fund, will be available for purchase next month. James Gager, SVP, Creative Director of MAC said that hooking up with Gaga for a second year (she teamed up with Cyndi Lauper last year) seemed like the most natural fit.
"She's an amazing fit for us in so many ways. I think the most important quality is that she is real and she speaks her mind. When MAC originally started, it was truly a place for all the misfits of the world, where they could feel comfortable and know that they wouldn't be criticized. We've always been all about welcoming everyone into our universe. Gaga is bringing that same spirit to the world. She spreads this message of 'Don't be afraid to be who you are, don't let people put you down,' and radiates this sense of empowerment. Look at how courageously she's been speaking out lately," he said. "She's so passionate, focused and articulate, and I think we are, too. Especially with Viva Glam, we really put ourselves out there and every cent goes to the cause."
As for the sexy video, Gager explained that it was a joint effort, like so many of her projects. "Working with Gaga is very much a partnership: It's a team effort and collaboration," he said. "The photographer Nick Knight, Gaga's stylist Nicola Formichetti and I wanted the campaign to feel a bit more timeless, but still very much her. Last year was all about a fun, feminine kind of sensibility, so I think if you compare that with what we've created this year, it's refreshing to see her in a way you wouldn't expect. We thought: 'Let's go with the idea of nude and the stripping away of what she's famous for and make her a little more elusive and evasive.' The tone is undeniably glamorous as well."
Not only were the visuals for the campaign inspired by Gaga's aesthetic, but it seems this year's shades were also modified to fit Gaga's current look. "Jennifer Balbier [the company's SVP of product development] and I felt that after last year's shades — Gaga's fun pink and Cyndi's coral red — it was time to move in a new direction," he explained. "I think Gaga herself has moved into nude tones, and we didn't want to shoot something that was out of place. So she was actually part of the inspiration."
Last week, when Gaga appeared on "Good Morning America" to talk about Viva Glam, she said her outfit was condom-inspired, in honor of the lipstick's AIDS-awareness mission.
"I want to get people started at home at a younger age with their children talking about HIV, talking about AIDS, talking about safe sex," Gaga explained.
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