Chloe Francois is very aware of her overtly French appearance, and immensely proud of it. Of course she should be but in an era where models and actresses are more often chosen due to their universal aesthetics, Ms. Francois has leaned into the manner in which she represents the iconic sense of female beauty in her homeland. A number of the most famous brands in France have sought Chloe out for this trait and found her abilities to be far deeper and more influential than they’d ever imagined.
A trained actress and a timeless beauty, Chloe Francois has bridged the eras of French beauty of the past century and the present. From Bourjois to Nuxe and others, the elite of French companies have reaped the rewards of a beauty like Chloe who has earned her place alongside Hollywood’s iconic charmers like Scarlett Johansson, Cindy Crawford, and others (as seen in Vincent Peter’s The Light Between Us). The French idea of female beauty extends much further than the surface, communicating a sense of confidence and grace; aspects that are overwhelmingly present in Ms. Francois.
Chloe was featured in the pages of the most important fashion magazines of Europe in the early 2010’s. Cosmopolitan (France), L’officiel (France), Grazia (Italy), and the like fell in love with the natural beauty and short hair style which communicated her sense of playfulness and daring. The Clarins Group pegged her as the global egerie for the launch of their new perfume Mademoiselle Azzaro. Training as a model, dancer, and actress provided a wide skill set to establish Chloe as the ideal young French woman and face of Mademoiselle Azzaro.
Equally substantial is the aura which emanates from Ms. Francois who relates, “My personality and what I give off is only the reflection of the cult of natural beauty that I carry in my genes of young French and Parisian women. The city of Paris is bustling and has an energy that goes a thousand miles an hour. Parisians are always in a hurry and have a hectic life! We find this atmosphere in film.
Even the music is dynamic. We feel this tempo in the personality of my character: she does not shy away from anything, she bites life to the fullest and make its daily obligations with energy and cheerfulness. I had been living myself in this rhythm of life for ten years. I was in a good position to reflect physically on-screen what it represents in all Parisian women.”
Ms. Francois made good use of her acting background (she was trained at the renowned Cours Florent drama school in Paris) during her tenure with the historic French makeup brand Bourjois. In contrast to the desires of Mademoiselle Azzaro, Bourjois sought to appeal and create an image in which all women could find their own individuality. In a variety of commercial campaigns, Chloe can be seen proving that malleability and charisma are equally important in connecting with consumer audiences.
The adventurous side of Ms. Francois was thrilled by opportunities like the “Mary Poppins” moment in the “Rouge Edition” campaign as she tells, “The most memorable moment for me was the Mary Poppins inspired flight. It was a whole new experience for me and I was very excited to perform a stunt to make this flight seem magical!I was equipped with a harness and attached to cables. We shot on a green background. Blanca Li led me remarkably well and within a few tries I was ready to perform.
Luckily I am not afraid of heights, and with twelve years of artistic gymnastics practice, I am used to doing acrobatics. For this shoot, I had to show my synchronization: to take off and then to put myself in the flight posture while holding an umbrella, all this very naturally while smiling! The whole team was very impressed by my courage and observed me in a religious silence. I will never forget this moment of sharing. I touched the core of what makes me love my job above all: the power of collaboration of the different creatives of the team made the end result beautiful.”
One of Chloe’s favorite collaborators has been with photographer and director Vincent Peters (German born famed photographer known for his iconic black and white photography as well as his work for Vogue and brands such as L’oreal, Tanqueray, Guess, Boss, Cartier, Dior, and numerous others) whom she worked with on a Nuxe global campaign. Mr. Peters was so taken with Chloe’s ability to communicate through the camera that he insisted on including her in his book The Light Between Us alongside the likes of Monica Bellucci, Charlize Theron, Emma Watson, and John Malkovich.
The intersection of modeling and acting has been a place of recurring visitation for Chloe Francois. She confirms, “I’ve worked a lot to be very spontaneous in my acting technics. Improvisation gives me great freedom and is particularly appreciated by the directors I’ve worked with. A lot of it is observation and mimetism. The French woman is a fashion myth but French brands always need a model to embody their ideal French woman. Usually she is an energetic Parisian with a natural beauty. But the key of the natural beauty for me is behind the scenes.”
Writer : Coleman Haan