The unconventional world of Michel Gondry x Chanel x A$AP Rocky

Fashion brands are busy out-weirding each other in 2025, and Chanel has brought in surrealist polymath Michel Gondry to get in on the act.

Any ad that combines director Michel Gondry and rapper A$AP Rocky is bound to defy convention, and Chanel’s new short, announcing Rocky as its latest ambassador, is exactly that: an impeccably styled fever dream.

Shot in New York, the scenes open in a cramped Williamsburg apartment as Rocky and actress Margaret Qualley (who was awesome in The Substance by the way) wake up together, only for Qualley to disappear into a tiny bathroom and re-emerge in a red, white and blue Chanel houndstooth jacket and blue trousers, hair scraped into a chignon.

Her sudden shift from morning scruff to couture queen triggers a chain of quick-cut, dreamlike moments using Gondry’s trademark lo-fi magic.

The ad marks a welcome return for Gondry, whose advertising back catalogue includes Levi’s ‘twisted’ narratives as well as spots for Gap and Air France. His style, seen most famously in films like Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, blurs the line between DIY surrealism and emotional intimacy.

The Chanel ad marks his debut into luxury, and he’s clearly having a ball turning a small flat into a colourful portal into Chanel’s world.

Our take

A$AP Rocky has been synonymous with curated bling since the outset, with tracks like Fashion Killa still sounding fresh. Qualley, meanwhile, rocks threads with equal aplomb.

Gondry was the real reason I was hyped, however, and here, he brings a unique blend of golden era Hollywood slapstick, impeccable style and an oddly Gallic-feeling soundtrack.

Expecting any of his usual game-changing directorial flourishes might’ve raised the bar a little high, but still, the ad feels genuinely unique and warm, so it gets a hard thumbs up from us.