Karen Wazen Goes Global
For the first time in its history, Roberto Cavalli has turned to a regional beauty to be the international face of its fragrances
“She’s amazing, brilliant, so beautiful and fresh,” enthused Fausto Puglisi, the creative director of Roberto Cavalli, when talking exclusively with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia about Karen Wazen, the new global spokesperson for the Italian label. “She represents a modern woman today. I love so much her middle eastern roots and she represents a positive optimistic beauty, that is never silly, always smart, and with a rare self-confidence.”
Already a household name in the GCC Karen, who was born in Lebanon but calls Dubai home, has made a name for herself in the digital space as an influencer and overall content entrepreneur who has cleverly leveraged the social media space to the tune of over 7 million followers on Instagram alone. But when the brand initially approached her, Karen didn’t realize at first the magnitude of what the brand was proposing.
“This is the first time I do something on this sort of scale, and with such a brand and I’m still having to process that,” admitted Karen. But for her, this partnership means so much more than just an opportunity to elevate her own profile.
“It’s not just a win, for me on a personal level, to see my face blasted next to one of the most iconic brands. I think it’s also a big step into the world as an Arab woman to be the face of an iconic Italian brand. It is such a beautiful step. It’s a way of feeling represented for all of us Arab women around the world. In fact, growing up, I had very few trailblazers or women that I looked up to and that I could relate to. I feel that thanks to brands like Roberto Cavalli, things are changing in the world. It’s amazing and it’s amazing for me to be a part of this change, I’m very grateful.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Roberto Cavalli brand and to celebrate the occasion the company has gone big with its perfume rollout. It created limited edition version’s of its tentpole scents, the Signature and Uomo fragrances. And in the campaign that Karen is featured in the Paradiso perfume also gets pride of place. The region is the brand’s fragrance division’s highest performer so there is a real focus from the house to cater to the Khaleej and have the olfactory sensibility of the Middle East lead the way as the company develops future offerings.
The scents, from the rich floral-ambery focus of the Signature fragrance to Uomo’s woody base, are specifically designed to draw attention. They are scent scene stealers with a mission to express with an aroma a feeling of sensuality, and confidence, which is something that Karen finds very appealing.
“They’re very powerful sense, which I think is really what embodies the Roberto Cavalli women,” she said, adding “which is why it’s so flattering that they picked me because what I would like is for people to view me as someone who’s powerful in a right way.”
For more information, visit robertocavalli.com