Exclusive: Meet The Director of Chanel’s Brilliant Ad Campaign

“The whole feeling that I wanted to kind of express was liberation,” he says

Last week, the promotional ad for Chanel‘s fragrance Gabrielle starred Kristen Stewart dancing to Beyoncé and it was nothing short of amazing.

So, who was behind the empowering campaign? Two words: Ringan Ledwidge. In an exclusive video interview, Ledwidge, who directed the Gabrielle campaign, opens up about the narrative he wanted to get across and more. 

“The whole feeling that I wanted to kind of express was liberation. It’s in some ways a bit of a message for Coco Chanel’s life, Gabrielle, a very strong woman, and kind of a maverick for her time,” he shares.

He also reveals what it was like to work with the Twilight star.

“When I heard that Kristen was involved as well, I thought: ‘Hey, there’s a chance to do something really special.’ And to get something that feels very today. When she comes on, on set, she’s completely focused. She’s pushed it even further than I had imagined, you know, which is fantastic, you know,” he says.

“As a filmmaker, that’s when it becomes very exciting and you forget everything and you’re just in the moment. Her and I, we’ve had time to rehearse and we talked a lot about the character and the journey.”

Watch the full interview clip below: