Chanel Iman is back at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, but this time with her athlete husband Davon Godchaux
The model tells PEOPLE how she prepped for this year’s circuit of events — from squeezing in a weeks-long worth of look in three suitcases to curating looks that reflect her “maturing” style
“I’m finally owning my sense of style,” she says
Chanel Iman is happy to be back in Cannes.
The supermodel has long been a fixture at the city’s famous film festival, which kicked off on May 13 and will conclude on May 24. This year though is an extra special occasion, not only because it’s her first time back since welcoming her first child, a daughter named Capri Summer, with her husband Davon Godchaux, 30, in August 2023. It’s also the married pair’s first time attending the event together.
“I just love the French Riviera. It’s just an energy that’s just very different and unique and special,” Iman tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview. Plus, “the fashion that the Cannes Film Festival brings makes it such an elegant, luxurious place to be around this time of year.”
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Chanel Iman and Davon Godchaux
Fashion is something that Iman, who is also an ambassador for French cognac brand Rémy Martin, takes very seriously when she preps for Cannes.
Over the course of two fittings, Iman collaborated with her stylist, Monica Rose, who she says understands her aesthetic better than anyone. “She knows my body, she knows what I like. She’s great with merging fashion and storytelling and pulling the most incredible pieces.” Typically from there, they sort out the details on Iman’s hair and makeup.
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Chanel Iman at the Chopard Universe Dinner during the Cannes Film Festival
The duo’s intuitive collaboration comes from years of Rose watching Iman’s style evolve from who she was in her early 20s to who she is now — a working woman in her 30s and a mom of four (Chanel also has two daughters, Cassie, 6, and Cali,5, with her ex-husband Sterling Shepard and is a stepmom to Godchaux’s son, Deuce, 9).
“I just feel like I’m maturing as I get older, so the things that I select are a little bit classier than what I would’ve picked in my early 20s. I’m finally owning my sense of style,” she says. Now, she floats towards pieces that “cover up a little bit more” but have a timeless essence to them.
On May 20, Iman looked glam and gorgeous in a romantic sky blue Pamella Rolland gown with Chopard jewelry at the premiere of A Private Life. This week, she’s also been making the rounds at various events on the grounds. A nautical two-piece and plunging evening gown with a vintage flair are some of the other looks she’s worn.
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As she reflects on her love story with Cannes, Iman adds that she’s been going to the star-studded celebration of cinema for what feels like her “whole career.” This time is different though because she gets to see everything through her significant other’s eyes. She thinks of it as one grand date.
“Fashion is really something that connected us,” she says of her bond with Godchaux, who plays for the New Orleans Saints. The pair tied the knot in a civil ceremony in New York on Jan. 10 before eloping on a yacht in the Caribbean on Feb. 24, per Vogue. “On our first date, we pretty much talked all about fashion, our favorite designers, pieces that we love. He just knew my world so much, it was so easy to connect with him on that level.”
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Chanel Iman and Davon Godchaux in Cannes
“I’m able to show him all of these cool fashion places that have been on his bucket list and I’m able to bring him into my world. He’s always wanted to do this,” she adds.
Having Godchaux by her side also provides stability when things get overwhelming. “He gives me the security and the protection that I’ve always prayed for. So it’s like, we balance each other out. Things that he prayed for, I am able to bless him with, and things that I pray for, he’s able to bless me with.”
This time their experiences were all down to Rémy Martin, who Iman partnered with through her love for hosting and cognac. “They really give you the ultimate experience, wherever you are. So it’s been nothing but love and we just really appreciate just being here with them.”
Read the original article on People
