
Confident, strong, sensual, energised, powerful—these are qualities that Gigi Hadid associates with the Rabanne woman. But the supermodel could just have easily been describing herself. In August, she was announced as the brand’s global ambassador and the face of its new Million Gold for Her fragrance.
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The ad campaign sees the leggy American model strutting down a gold brick road in a crystal-encrusted dress, snapping her fingers to Beyonce’s “Pure/Honey”. She points out, “Snapping fingers has been a classic piece of the Million campaigns, going back years. And snapping definitely came into this campaign in the sense that the moment you spray it on, you’re transformed. It snaps you into a gold, bedazzled, shiny world where everything is just kind of working in your favour.”
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GOLDEN GODDESS

There is arguably no better choice to embody the fragrance. Hadid, 29, is one of the most influential and highest-paid models of her generation. Since making her runway debut at New York Fashion Week in 2014, Hadid has fronted campaigns for top fashion labels, and branched out into hosting season two of Netflix’s Next In Fashion, and launching her own clothing line, Guest In Residence, establishing herself as a multi-hyphenate. She is also a doting mother to her four-year-old daughter, Khai, with singer Zayn Malik.
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Following in the footsteps of other Rabanne muses like Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Brigitte Bardot, and Françoise Hardy, Hadid says, “They’ve had so many iconic muses and been such an iconic part of fashion history. To be part of that, and to be able to work with such a great team, is amazing.” What Hadid shares with them is a sense of bold femininity that has always been championed by Paco Rabanne himself. “To me, femininity is this power that we’re born with. It’s inside us,” she says. “I love being a woman. I love how we get to express ourselves. I love that femininity can be strong and soft and powerful and kind, all at the same time.”
FRAGRANT AFFAIRS

When it comes to choosing a fragrance, she enjoys mixing things up. “It’s almost like emotional alchemy, like you’re trying to figure out how you want to feel that day and the scent that will help you feel that way,” she explains. “Different fragrances make me feel different things and make different sides of my personality come out. Scent tickles parts of your brain. It can be a great way to express yourself, and when people find ways to express themselves, life becomes so much more fun.”
To Hadid, Million Gold For Her feels “invigorating, sexy, and mystical”. The latest edition to Rabanne’s Million fragrance lineup, it is a sophisticated and seductive blend of sparkling flowers and sensual musk crafted by renowned perfumer Alienor Massenet. The scent opens with lavender, mandarin, creamy tonkalactone and a fresh pear accord. Rose, jasmine and ylang-ylang give it that feminine touch at the centre. Anchoring the fragrance are sweet vanilla bourbon absolute and ecomusk R, a synthetic ingredient with a powdery, musky ambrette note. Hadid shares her favourite way to wear fragrance: “I put it on my wrists, the front of my chest, my neck area, and then the back of my head, right where my hair meets my neck. I like the idea that when someone hugs me, they’re taking in that scent.”
GILDED DREAMS

Million Gold For Her is not her first brush with Rabanne’s suite of fragrances. She reminisces, “An ex from the past wore Rabanne for Men. That was 10, maybe 13 years ago. It reminds me of a young, fun part of my life… thinking about it does take me on kind of a time machine; little movie snippets of that time of my life.” What makes her feel like a million bucks comes down to three things. “When I feel good, when I’m wearing something I feel good in, and when my friends and loved ones can really ‘see’ me. I think other people see me more beautifully then, too.”

Million Gold For Her Eau de Parfum, $250 for 90ml, RABANNE.