Back in 2010, Jada and Will Smith seemed hellbent on forcing their kids to act like adults and have adult-sized careers. Willow began a music career, and Jaden began an acting career. While Jaden has continued with his public life, Willow has spent much of the past five years or so taking a step back. Reportedly, she was the one to tell her dad that she just “wanted to be a kid” for a while rather than a celebrity/singer/model/whatever. Well, now at the tender age of 15, Willow is re-entering public life.
These photos are of Willow and Jada at the Chanel show during Paris Fashion Week this week. Willow and Jada were invited to sit front-row at the show because Willow is now the newest face of Chanel, as she has just been named the latest “brand ambassador” for 2016. Willow joins a long list of famous Chanel brand ambassadors, including at various times Blake Lively, Gig Hadid, Lily-Rose Depp, Kendal Jenner, Cara Delevingne, etc. I actually think it’s smart to start diversifying the ambassadors these days, so at least there’s that. The Chanel press release simply read: “Karl Lagerfeld has chosen Willow Smith as a new CHANEL ambassadress.”
Personally, I don’t hate it (but I don’t love it either). It’s not as offensive to me as Jaden Smith being hired to front a campaign for Louis Vuitton womenswear, mostly because I am unclear as to whether Willow will actually be doing print ads for Chanel. I think brand-ambassadors just have to wear Chanel to big events and go to like two runway shows a year. But if Willow’s growth spurt tells us anything, it’s that she might make modeling her newest career.
Incidentally, Willow is wearing a Chanel catsuit/wetsuit in these photos. She looks like a superhero! I absolutely loathe the shoes and the eye makeup though.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Will and Jada are desperate to push these 2 on us.
Willow is tall, got the height to model.
she’s like 5’5 or so, she just has long legs.
@Ayra, who wrote: “she’s like 5’5 or so, she just has long legs.”
Willow Smith is 5’7″ tall and she’s only 15-years-old (as of October 30, 2015) so she’s still growing as well. She’ll probably top off at 5’9″ or 5’10” tall.
Much more than Kendall Jenner, I think Willow is absolutely STUNNING. She has such a gorgeous, powerful face. I would love to see her in an ad campaign.
Ditto. I think she has the “it” factor, whereas Kendall is just a pretty face. I look her look here, except for the boots. And she has to what out for the resting bitch face that she has in that one picture with her and Jada. Ps. That hairdo drags Jada’s face down, showing her age.
Totally agree. Kendall is very pretty but so underwhelming when compared to a lot of the other models working today.
She’s so striking. Beautiful!
Agreed, plus she has a personality, a good amount of following and the looks to pull this off
Frankly, i love that these two are carefree kooky kids and also incidentally Her makeup is giving me a fever, I wonder if I can get away with that eyeliner this weekend
I actually really like this kid. I think she’s striking and I love her outfit, including the boots. Not sure how I feel about her being a model/ambassador for Chanel.
I disagree about Kendall Jenner. I think her Estee Lauder shots are actually quite superb.
Willow looks great too. I think she could do really well on runway and in editorials.
She is 5’7″. She may or may not grow any taller. I quit growing at 12. I think she’s a great choice for the Chanel campaign. She’s very pretty when made up and there’s something fascinating about her. I don’t know what it is but she’s got it. She’s not too young or being exploited for heaven’s sake. She’s an amazing choice and I’m sure she’s ignoring the haters who seem jealous of her success for some reason.
Yes, Willow is model material–she has that winning formula of 3/4 traditional beauty + 1/4 uniqueness + a lanky frame that can, among other things, pull off this superhero catsuit. Kendall is just a thin pretty girl with connections.
Willow is a stunner all right, but more than that she really connects with the camera – it’s a huge change from Kendall Jenner’s dead eyes.
She’s pretty unique looking too, the Jenner girl just looks like any tall basic brunette.
Seriously? “it” factor? She looks half asleep and bored in most photos. I feel like she’s just as vacant as most models these days. See no “it” factor whatsoever. I just don’t get it: if you’re going to be making money off the public liking you, wouldn’t you want to make at least the slightest of efforts to be likable in photos?
Kendall Kardasian is gorgeous, so is Willow. Why do you have to put Kendall down? She is tall, beautiful and perfectly proportioned. Why do you think all the major modeling agencies want her.
@Mitsy – first off, Kendall Jenner isn’t a Kardashian, she and the younger Jenner only want to cash in on the ~exotic~ image the older girls have thanks to their Armenian blood.
And as for why the modelling agencies want her, it’s for her social media followers, not any modelling talent. And she only has the followers in the first place thanks to that trash reality show.
I see the embalming fluid has finally reached Karl’s head. I’ve got no other explanation for this decision. Coco would be mortified to see what her label has become.
+1.
It’s a child with a child’s soul in a child’s body.
Exploitative.
No elegance in that.
That was my reaction, too. For God’s sake, she’s 15 years old! I have nothing against her, but why don’t we just take toddlers and put them in heels and makeup for the runway? It’s gross.
That’s what I thought, too. It’s exploitative. It’s also weird – even disturbing – for many reasons that brand ambassadors for women’s clothing have gotten progressively younger and younger.
Yes.
@NILO have you been asleep for the past 20 years? 14, 13 , and even 12 year olds have been ‘exploited’ in fashion. You are ridiculous for singling out this fashion house. I may hate chanel, but I’m not completely naive about the industry.
Glad you took this opportunity to ‘shame’ Chanel. A girl whose parents are wealthy and present will totally get exploited…
I also think it’s a colossal mistake. I’d much prefer if Jada were the brand ambassador. Why not, Jada’s a beautiful woman, emphasis on woman. Willow and Johnny Depp’s daughter are children. It’s ridiculous. I don’t need a child selling me Chanel, I thought this was supposed to be elegant haut couture. Who wants to dress like a teenager? What happened to Catherine Denueve, Audrey Tautou, Keira Knightley?
+1,000,000
“I see the embalming fluid has finally reached Karl’s head” I Rofld so hard, thank you!
It’s what the whole industry has become, centered around tall skinny teenagers. This one happens to be famous (by proxy).
Because they want to sell their products (perfume, makeup, whatever sells more and it is within reach) to the masses of millenials.
They are going after the wannabes, after the “models” IG and twitter followers.
If they do not have such social media, the still get off of the recognition their predigree gives.
Ther eare striking young girls that can model, but they are going the nepotism way because these kids are visible, they are photographed by paps or by themselves, and if they happen to wear some brand, it is easy, casual advertising.
Jada could not look more like Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I guess that’s her fierce look.
Lmao!!! Yes she does!!!
Thank you for my morning laugh, Mayamae!
You win!
ha ha ha ha ha ha amazing
Snorts with laughter. Good one. But Depp had, as I recall, better trousers. Oh, and the hairstyle suited him better.
Too funny! LOL!
I laughed at this comment and then I thought deeper about the many similarities between Jada and Johnny (Peter Pan Syndrome, side “bands,” teen model daughters, ability to take a noble cause and ruin it with all the wrong commentary) and am now convinced they are the same person.
Willow and Jaden look so much alike to me that it kind of weirds me out.
Yes, I thought the same.
Me, too. I thought that was Jaden.
Wow, despite reading the article I thought it was Jaden who was the ambassador until I read your post. They really do look alike.
Willow also looks much older to me than her age. If sombeody had told me she’s 25 I would have believed it without a doubt.
Kids these days!! LMAO. Yeah, true. Goop’s what, 13 year old daughter, looks to be 26.
Aren’t they brother and sister 🤔
Amazing choice!!!! She’s so stylish!!!!!’
I came into this post thinking that I would be the only our one of two who like them. I think Willow is a great choice.
Know what’s weird? Willow and Jaden are brother and sister and people are “surprised” or “creeped out” at how much they resemble.
Yeah. They’re siblings. It happens that way, sometimes.
I think Willow is VERY striking too. I can imagine Karl wanting to bring her into the Chanel fold, because she has a very fresh and original look + a good figure for wearing fashion. Her personality is another matter, but then again, she has got ‘room to grow’.
LMAO, love your comment.
I totally agree. I’m surprised by all the negatives about this, considering the fact that Willow’s parents have essentially left the two of them to their own devices since they were, what, about ten? So with all that freedom and little or no parental oversight, Willow could have gotten preggers, or even turned to drugs, as many kids of film stars have done. Or she could have pressured her parents to use their connections to get her some choice movie roles. But instead she seems to have carved out a career path of her own as a model. She certainly has the look, so why not? Would it be better if she had finished school first? H@ll yeah, but her patents apparently don’t make formal education a priority. I say she deserves some credit for using her absurd degree of freedom to begin working as a model.
Yay Willow! Love this kid.
Ok so that entire list consists of nepotism. When will brands realize the majority of us don’t care about socialites as models? I know Kendall and Gigi have millions of followers, but I’m convinced half of them are fake. I’d love to see the sales for companies like este Lauder, who hired Kendall. It can’t be growth?
And I’m sorry but 15 is way too young for this type of business. But she doesn’t go to school so I’m sure she has nothing better to do.
There is growth. I don’t particularly care one way or another but I think I read something about how Estée Lauder’s sales went up an impressive percentage after hiring Kendall and putting her in their beauty ads. These people make money for the brands, it’s pretty much the only reason celebrity endorsements exist.
Brands want money, celebs want money, they team up.
Not to defend a Kardashian, but the Estée Lauder ads were very pretty.
15 is the right age.
Exactly. Nepotism strikes again. I think she is attractive and interesting looking, but I don’t see a model (perhaps because she is 15). If she’s just wearing Chanel to events, then so be it–I just never associated the elegance and class of Chanel with high school age people. At least we’re seeing some diversity in the nepotism hires, so there is that.
I actually love that eye liner. I couldn’t wear it, but I love it on her.
Colour me surprised!
I didn’t think Willow would be so tall!
No, she’s not. Her mom is at MOST 5′ (that’s what iher reported height is… My guess is that she’s shorter). Take a look at those heels both she and Willow are wearing. At best, Willow is MAYBE 5’5″.
No, she’s not. Her mom is at MOST 5′ (that’s what iher reported height is… My guess is that she’s shorter). Take a look at those heels both she and Willow are wearing. At best, Willow is MAYBE 5’5″.
I can’t get past the nose ring
All the people you have listed continue to wear Channel…to almost all their events. Blake Lively even wore Channel when she was with Gucci. It’s like these brand ambassadors are tied down with Channel for life.
Wearing a brand’s clothing at some public appearances =/= being a brand ambassador, just saying.
Chanel terminated the Lively campaigns after what, one season? There were rumblings that the employees had strong views about her being a bad fit for the brand. If she’s a Gucci ambassador, there is no way she’s allowed to endorse Chanel at the same time.
Blake Lively has been wearing more Chanel recently. I don’t see her style as being a great fit with Michele’s Gucci, which is more boho, granny chic than Frida’s more sophisticated sex appeal. Gucci wouldn’t be the only brand where there’s a disconnect between the fragrance/beauty and clothing lines. Look at Saint Laurent/YSL – I believe that the beauty/fragrance lines are separate from the clothing line.
Most celebrity Chanel brand ambassadors only do one season or ad campaign and make appearances in Chanel afterwards. Kristen Stewart and Tilda Swinton both did a pre-fall campaign and in Stewart’s case a handbag campaign plus the pre-fall one. They still wear Chanel in appearances and are front row regulars. Keira Knightley, Vanessa Paradis, and Diane Kruger all have long term beauty contracts.
During the Cannes festival in 2014, Blake Lively wore a channel dress while still in contract with Gucci. That’s why I was referring to the fact that I feel like once you become a brand ambassador for Channel you wear their brand for life. And as someone has pointed out Lively has been wearing a lot more Channel lately.
@Kelly – yes, Lively was brought on as a Gucci perfume girl at the tail end of the Gianini years thanks to Anna Wintour calling in a favour, her look and image is completely out of step with Alessandro Michele’s reinvention of the brand because it really isn’t about showing off boobs and legs any more. I don’t see Gucci renewing her contract, and I haven’t seen her perfume ads in a while – maybe they’re already done.
And as I said, wearing clothes to an event isn’t really a sign of being a brand ambassador, those things are earmarked as officially endorsed. Like Alicia Vikander for LV, or Charlize for Dior – Charlize is also a perfume endorser but gets Dior as well as other brands’ clothes on the rc. It doesn’t mean she’s a brand ambassador for those other brands though.
I love the shoes. I want them.
Willow is becoming a beautiful young woman, but I have no particular feelings about becoming a Chanel face. Choupette is my favourite thing about Chanel.
+1000 about those shoes! I could care less about the superhero bodysuit, but the shoes are everything! 🙂
I actually think that Jaden Smith is a good actor. Willow Smith should go into modeling. Both are beautiful children.
LOVE the makeup and the outfit. Gorgeous!
Since Jada is such an itty bitty woman I always thought her children would favor her a little but looking at Willow it’s clear she’s going to be tall.
So far I’m not hating this, we’ll see where it goes but I love: the choice, everything she’s wearing and her natural hair so score one for Chanel.
I really don’t like the blue eye shadow – never had.
Great choice. I thought she’s got modeling potential when she was younger. She has great personal style, like a young Riri.
Sure yeah modelling, why not? It does seem to be the refuge of that not-all-that-talented celebrity kid. That or “DJ”.
Kids like these at a certain point must know we all believe they wouldn’t be anything without mommy and daddy pulling strings. Why not take a few years to train and educate themselves and surprise us all? Instead most are content to be mediocre.
Most of them don’t go to college, there’s no way mommy & daddy can pull strings to get good grades there. All of them take an easy road, lately it’s been the modeling gig. Not saying modeling is easy but anyone with a family connection & tall can make it now. Gigi, Kendall, Cara, Lily-Rose, Lottie, & now Willow.
Willow is talented. She just put out a quite good album.
Hahahahahaha! Stop, I’m going to strain something.
It was work Mommy and Daddy should have proudly stuck to the refrigerator, not inflicted on the public.
There might be some talent there, but she’ll never train and it will all just be handed to her. It’s all but assured she’ll never really have a chance to be great.
Well I liked it, think she is great and will continue to be 🙂
I have to laugh at this as well. She has no talent and neither does her brother. For people to call their critics ‘haters’ and racist is going too far. If someone doesn’t have the talent, then they have no talent!
At least she’s interesting looking
Karl is losing the plot. I am quite unclear how a 15 year home schooled kid with no education and very limited communication skills is supposed to be a good match for a brand associated with class, elegance and high fashion.
If you take away her name that is all she is. I won’t debate the looks of a child, I think it is wrong whether you are praising or criticizing when the person involved is only 15. And I would not be surprised if she ends up modelling, it seems all these kids are able to become, since it requires zero qualifications other than a last name.
But I find it terribly sad that a powerhouse like Chanel is now essentially trolling for Instagram followers.
This exactly. Why would a grown woman of means want to wear the same clothes as an uneducated 15 year old (whoever’s child she may be)?
Because it’s CHANEL. It’s a little late to start bitching about ignorant 15 year olds selling high fashion.
Using children to push luxury brands Is relatively new in the scheme of things. And I’m not complaining, just asking a question. Who peed in your Cheerios this morning?
Did you see what her mother is wearing in these pictures. She is a woman of means and still tries to dress like she is her daughter’s friend. Does she really need the ripped jeans look?
She’s got a great look and is a cute kid, but I can’t understand using a teenager to push a brand for grown women.
This makes me really irritated. Soon they’ll have babies pushing skincare and make-up for the perfect skin.
It’s not just a brand for grown women. Chanel, like all the major fashion houses, makes most of it’s money these days from its accessories, it’s beauty line etc. Young women may not have the money for couture or a wardrobe full of RTW Chanel, but they have plenty of disposable income for sunglasses, lipstick, the odd bag here and there. For every grown woman buying Chanel clothing on the regular, there’s a few thousand younger women buying cheaper products, and that adds up.
Ugh, nepotism…nepotism…nepotism. These hollyweird kids dont have to work or earn anything…as long as they have their name, they have a way through these doors deserving of it or not
They get a free pass because a famous name sells. If Estee Lauder’s revenues went through the floor after the Kendall Jenner ads, they wouldn’t be using her, period. You get the pop culture you deserve.
She has a very pretty smile and should use it more often. She looks terrible with her mouth open.
I think the hate for this family is quite silly.
They are an example of a very successful black family who made it against the odds. To me the kids are like kids, they behave like kids. Go to any high school and see for yourself.
You are in the business and your kids want to be a part of it, they as parents can open doors. We do the same in our own lives, we use whatever we are able to use in order for our kids to succeed.
I hope this family continues to do well. And the snark goes down a few levels.
Side Note: the Chris Rock Jab at Jada was unecessary. What she said was the truth it’s just a lot of people here didn’t like hearing from her.
+1000
I seriously wish your comment was in bold or all caps.
@Sarah01 They are a successful black family that see no value in an education. Jaden and Willow don’t go to school. Willow shouldn’t be a brand ambassador she should she in school. Kris and Caitlyn Jenner were skewered for doing the exact same thing as Will and Jada Smith. That’s why Will and Jada get hate they’ve proven they’re no different than the Kardashians.
I still agree with Sarah that the hate is over the top. The Smiths are not the only family where the children benefit from nepotism and have careers basically handed to them. They just get more hate because people really dislike them. I do find it sad that they don’t value education as they should, but I still feel that this happens often when it comes to children with super rich or famous parents. The Smiths are not the first.
I find it so sad that any family that has been blessed with wealth and influence would not insist that their children got an excellent education first and foremost. Education is power and that power will travel with them for life allowing them to make good, well thought out decisions. Education teaches people how to think and opens doors that their parents influence cannot reach. They get to built their own lives and don’t have to go through life knowing full well that their parents gave them everything. No, education builds character which is something these kids of celebs have yet to show any. And I’m not just talking about black celeb families I’m talking about all of them.
There’s helping your kids, calling in a few favours, getting them in front of directors etc., and then there’s building whole movies around them and demanding other people write them parts if they want to work with you.
Most people just give their kids a really good shot at something, they don’t jump in and do it all for them (and when they do, they’re rightly derided). My son wants to do the same job as me. I’ve helped him network, I’ve made a few calls, I’ve given advice. He’s got a leg up, but he still has to prove himself worthy to other people. I can get him an interview, but he has to get the job. I’m not handing him a fully-formed career, just some of the tools he’ll need. The rest is up to him.
Will and Jada started on this path before their kids were old enough to have any concept of what they’d want to do when they were older. Jada used to talk about how she hoped they’d be entertainers when they were still tiny. It hasn’t been an organic process, they wanted their kids to be actors/singers and they’ve spent a fortune making it happen. If they had any faith that their children had the talent and the desire to do this, they’d have just pulled a few strings and gotten the kids meetings and auditions.
it’s funny because yesterday i was watching girlfriends for the first time and one character said that black women should stay away from blue eyeshadow!
At least she has some style and her image isn’t as downmarket as some of Karl’s previous picks for Chanel print ads *coughblakelivelycough*
And while I would much rather the job went to a lesser known black model, at least Karl is being somewhat inclusive with his new pack of nepotism baby brand ambassadors. I mean, if Lily-Rose Depp can do print campaigns, why can’t Willow?
I get the nepotism comments but she actually does look like a model. Very striking looks!
Wow she seems really tall, she could really be a model! Anyway that look is fine on a 15 years old, she gets a pass for it.
Maybe im a bit of a “hater” if thats what its called but, these kids are literally spoon-fed everything. They will be the Gwyneth Paltrow in 20 years stating silly things like “i worked for everything” “i did all kinds of work w no help from my parents” its delusional & distorted & unrealistic to their actual life. Idk. Im just tired of seeing these kids go down the same path as their parents simply bc they can. Show me those who accomplish SOMETHING going a path that seperates them from their parents influence like, becoming doctors, lawyers, political figures w some depth. THEN i’ll be impressed….right now, its just utter hogwash….imo
Amen
It’s the life they were born to and they seem to be happy and well adjusted. Why are you so jealous of their success? Willow is a great choice for this campaign and she will look gorgeous in the photos….guaranteed!
Right
So jealous? Chelly’s just telling the truth.
Umm, they’re parents (Will) make/made bank. If the kids can even do half of what he does, then that’s successful. America runs on tax revenue and while it would great to see Kendall become a doctor or Willow become a rocket science, we as a nation benefit more from them not. Let their tax revenue assist the education of someone who isn’t anywhere close to being a celebrity or someone from a struggling family.
Yes, They’re spoon-fed opportunity, but they do have to work for their success. Gwyneth has created a brand that is fairly popular. That’s work. It may not be hard labor, but it is something that takes a lot of savvy and can’t be specifically handed to you. I’d give her that and I’m the biggest GooP hater that I know.
They’ve been handed far more than Paltrow. She was certainly helped, but she still spent 4-5 years doing small roles in some really crappy projects before her career took off. Spielberg gave her a small role in Hook, which of course helped her, but it was still a few years before she broke out with Se7en.
Having your parents fund major films with the caveat that you star…that’s an entirely different level of privilege. Gwyneth, Jake and Maggie, Kate Hudson etc. were all born with amazing connections and of course their parents helped them, but they still had to audition for things. Their parents got them in the room, they didn’t buy them the part.
She is very odd looking.
Am I the only one who has a problem with the misuse/overuse of the word “ambassador” or “ambasadress” here? It seems ludicrously inconsistent with.. what?… being paid to shove some clothes on and show up.
Yeah I actually have no clue what a brand ambassador does. I just think she looks amazing here.
Pick a grown woman or man for a change. I’m tired of looking at children modeling adult fashion.
I so agree!!!!
Willow is way more interesting looking than a Hadid to me. She could be haute couture material. I am very curious to see how she will be styled for these ads.
Totally agree.
Agree. She’s more compelling to me.
I like the outfit AND the blue eye-shadow.
Only time will tell how she’ll do as a model.
Ah Yes…. The Smith Family doing all they can to help unknown minroty kids break into the modeling/entertainment business.
They are hypocrites. I think Chris Rock was right to call Jada for her tantrums over Will not getting nominated. Her kids have no talent and yet they are in movies, fashion music. They are getting chosen over kids who truly have the talent . Which is a disgrace.
It might be nice if Chanel would diversify from nepotism.
In the future, all models will be the spawn of celebrities. Oh dear, how dreadful.
So Kristen Stewart didn’t work out, is the rather punky Willow really the person to represent a high end brand like Chanel, is she really their demographic and isn’t there an age limit for the Paris catwalk…16. Karl is beginning to look a funky grey haired granny.
They’re still using Kristen whenever possible, she’s the face of their latest make-up collection now too.
I like her smile and uniqueness. Bravo!!!
Actually she stepped back in last year. She did some stuff for Marc Jacobs and she released an album. I don’t know if the album was any good but she actually wrote and produced most of it herself which is fantastic.
From Wikipedia:
Ardipithecus (stylized as ARDIPITHECUS) is the debut studio album by American singer Willow. It was released on December 11, 2015 through Roc Nation. Willow is credited as sole songwriter on 14 tracks, and sole producer on 10 of them.
I have thought for a while that this girl is STUNNING and should do some modelling. She’s interesting and unique but also classically beautiful too. I like her quirky style, it suits her. I think she totally pulls off the winged blue eyeliner and it looks fab.
Kendall is not a brand ambassador. Gigi Hadid? She is not a brand ambassador!
Eh, it’s nepotism, sure, but how long has it been since Chanel had a black, female face repping the brand? I’m not going to complain too much about this one. Though, I will state that it is vaguely disturbing to me that the women representing high end brands are getting younger and younger.
It must feel so great to know you would never be there if it weren’t for your parents.
Nepotism aside, she certainly has the looks and build for modelling. She’s a very striking young woman.