Tiffany & Co. on Friday named Natalie Portman its newest global brand ambassador.
“Natalie’s sophistication, authenticity and intelligence resonate deeply with Tiffany & Co.’s values,” Anthony Ledru, president and chief executive officer of Tiffany & Co., said in a statement shared exclusively with WWD.
He continued that Portman — who joins brand ambassadors Anya Taylor-Joy, Greta Lee, Mikey Madison, Chase Sui Wonders, Rosé and more — embodies the modern Tiffany woman through her elegance and courageousness. “We are honored to welcome her to the Tiffany & Co. family as we continue to shape the future of luxury through powerful storytelling.”
Within her role as global brand ambassador, Portman will explore narratives rooted in authenticity, connection and joy, which have been the core of the jeweler’s DNA for nearly two centuries.
During an exclusive interview with WWD, the Academy Award-winning actress, director and producer recalled her favorite memories of working with Tiffany & Co.
“I think it was the only jewelry that I had a connection to as a young teenager, from seeing ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s,’ of course, and also at bat mitzvah age, where you’d always give the Tiffany Heart necklace as a classic gift. I was very aware of it and loved it as a young girl,” Portman said.
Natalie Portman is Tiffany & Co.’s latest global house ambassador.
Courtesy of Tiffany & Co./Gordon von Steiner
“Then, I was lucky enough to wear Tiffany & Co. earrings at the Oscars when I was there for ‘Black Swan.’ They were the Paloma Picasso rubellite tassel earrings and Jean Schlumberger flame earrings that I used in my hair, which was really fab,” the actress recalled of the 2011 Academy Awards, where she won Best Actress.
In addition, the actress wore the jeweler’s diamond Wave necklace, platinum earrings with diamonds and 18-karat white gold ring with diamonds to last May’s Cannes Film Festival. “I’ve really felt lucky to get to collaborate with them throughout my life,” she said.
Her appointment marks a new chapter for the luxury American jeweler, which is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, as seen through its latest print campaign featuring Portman, and “ushers in a new era of storytelling that reflects the house’s legacy of celebrating the world’s greatest love stories since 1837,” the company said. It also reflects Portman and the jeweler’s shared values of timelessness, strength and sophistication combined with her well-known intellect, grace, emotional strength and view of multifaceted womanhood.
Photographed by Gordon von Steiner at the house’s Fifth Avenue flagship The Landmark, the campaign features the actress donning the iconic HardWear by Tiffany, Sixteen Stone by Tiffany and Knot by Tiffany collections.
Portman added that beyond the campaign shoot and red carpets, she looks forward to wearing Tiffany & Co. pieces for the everyday.
Natalie Portman is Tiffany & Co.’s latest global house ambassador.
Courtesy of Tiffany & Co./Gordon von Steiner
“The HardWare is so extraordinary. It really feels New York and very inspired by Manhattan architecture and skyline in the way all the pieces fit together. And it really feels like it can go day to night — you could wear it to work, but then you could also wear it on the red carpet. It’s so elegant, but it’s also understated in that way,” she said, pointing out the pair of Tiffany & Co. earrings she was wearing. “It’s such a fun way to be extremely elegant and luxurious — you can wear a black sweater and jeans and throw on some diamond earrings, and you’ve upped your game. It’s very lucky to get to be associated with this iconic brand.”
In addition to the print campaign, Portman will also appear in an upcoming Tiffany & Co. campaign film that will debut Sunday as a television spot during the Oscars broadcast.
“I really appreciated that [Tiffany & Co.] wanted, first of all, incredible artists like Mona [Fastvold] and Brady [Corbet] to direct it, and Hoyte van Hoytema to film it,” Portman said of the shared values she felt between herself and Tiffany & Co. while working on the campaign, which was directed by the Oscar-nominated Fastvold and Corbet of Magna Studios and shot by acclaimed cinematographer van Hoytema.
“It was working with the greatest artists, and then also to tell a story about the many roles a woman plays in her life, from her work to her self-love to her relationship with her kids. It’s rare to get to be able to portray that, especially with regard to jewelry. I feel like it explores the different kinds of love,” she said of the campaign film’s exploration of five different facets of love that celebrate Tiffany & Co. design and the different dimensions of Portman’s personality and roles, spanning from producer and film director to actress and mother.
She added these special roles and moments, spanning getting in the hotel elevator at the end of a long day to talking with your children, displays what it means to have many different types of love in life.
Natalie Portman is Tiffany & Co.’s latest global house ambassador.
Courtesy of Tiffany & Co./Gordon von Steiner
“Love and passion for what you do professionally; love and passion for your family; love and passion for yourself and your own well-being,” she said. Furthermore, the campaign film’s depiction of showing a woman in power, directing within the commercial, will be “extraordinary to see, especially at the Oscars where hopefully we’ll be celebrating many incredible female directors. Mona Fastfold made one of my favorite films this year, ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ so I know I’ll be celebrating her,” she said.
“I want it to be a celebration of women’s resilience, strength and joy. The joy of discovering your own particular journey and this generational legacy that you leave in terms of what you do with your life, and also the beauty that you bring into your life,” Portman said of the reaction and emotions she hopes her peers and the global Oscars audience experience after watching the campaign film.
