You Won’t Recognize Zoë Kravitz in Saint Laurent’s New Campaign

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During his tenure at the helm of Saint Laurent, creative director Anthony Vaccarello has set out to transform the French luxury house into a global tastemaker both on and off the runway. Case in point: Over the past few years, the brand has embarked on a diverse array of cultural projects, including opening a hand-curated bookstore, Babylone; delving into the luxury culinary world with the celeb-favorite restaurant, Sushi Park, for its first Parisian outpost; and entering a long-term partnership with Bang & Olufsen to reprise vintage sound systems that have piqued the interest of even the most discerning audiophiles.

Now, for Saint Laurent’s spring/summer 2025 campaign, Vaccarello has commissioned the iconic multidisciplinary artist Francesco Clemente to paint the runway collection onto models and friends of the house, including ELLE’s March cover star Zoë Kravitz.

isabella ferrari by francesco clemente commissioned by anthony vaccarello — Francesco Clemente / Courtesy of Saint Laurent

Often recognized for his ephemeral portraits, the Naples-born artist came to fame in the ’70s and ’80s as a part of a generation of creatives, along with German performance artist Rebecca Horn and photographer Cindy Sherman, that redefined contemporary sexual expression through their works. He even collaborated alongside Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in a series of paintings. Even if you’re not too familiar with his work, you still might recognize him from his cameo as a hypnotist in Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s “magnum bro-pus” Good Will Hunting.

The Saint Laurent campaign references both the artist and brand’s mid-’80s heyday. Back then, Yves Saint Laurent was defined by power suiting, bold contrasting colors, and painterly inspiration. As a long standing patron of the arts, the prolific founder even literally recreated famous artists like Van Gogh and Georges Braque in his spring/summer 1988 collection.

When combining art with fashion, Clemente understands perfectly how to translate (and sometimes abstract) sensuality from the collection to the canvas. Each work directly replicates a look from the spring/summer 2025 runway in his signature style, from stunning brocade jackets, to lace ruffled blouses, to sharp-shouldered suits. Alongside Kravitz, Clemente also painted Saint Laurent models Ajus Samuel, Penelope Ternes, and Italian actress Isabella Ferrari.