The Louis Vuitton & Cartier Ambassador Shares Philosophy Behind Her Brand Associations

Deepika Padukone believes her style sensibility – an understated one with ‘just the right amount of drama’ is what resonates with that of French luxury brand Louis Vuitton. Padukone was announced as their global ambassador for Louis Vuitton in May and she also became the ambassador for Cartier in October 2022. She is the first Indian to be appointed as the brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton.

These are not the only brands that rely on her stardom and brand value for global impact. Apart from the French luxury brands, she is also the global ambassador for Levi’s and Adidas. In this interview, the Indian star talks about her brand associations and how she sees them.

Ahead of the announcement regarding her association with Louis Vuitton, Padukone was seen flaunting dresses from the brand at the Cannes Film Festival. As per the data analytics and marketing agency Launchmetrics, she accounted for more than 25 percent of the media impact value (MIV) generated for the brand during the entire festival.

She says she identifies with the journey and style sensibility of Louis Vuitton. “Both our journeys (the actor’s and the brand’s) appear to have been similar. Even our style sensibilities (as well). (The way it is) understated, with just right amount of amplifying. Perhaps drama, the right amount of drama, trying out new things, collaborating and experimenting…that is what I see in LV – diverse and those who stand for quality.”

Asked to talk about her USP, Padukone says, “I don’t know. I cannot define my own USP, but I can definitely say is that it is years and years of hard work, sacrifice, patience, consistency and dedication. All of these things have made me what I am today. I (always) try to stay as authentic as possible (in everything that I do). It is (perhaps) a culmination of all these.”

She adds, “I believe I endorse brands that feel as a natural extension of the person I am. It feels like that. I am grateful for the sort of visibility they (the brands) have given me over past months, the way they understood diversity. I feel grateful that they see me fit as part of that narrative and I think the fact that today every Asian person feels ownership and pride, I feel proud of being at the space globally.”

Having made her acting debut with Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om in 2007. She received wide criticism for the Shah Rukh Khan-Arjun Rampal-starrer. She featured in many films, including Bachna Ae Haseeno, Housefull, Lafangey Parindey, Cocktail and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. She even made a significant Hollywood debut with DJ Caruso’s XXX: Return of Xander Cage which featured her as Serena Unger, alongside Vin Diesel.

She has also featured in three movies by filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali (of Devdas and Black fame). Padukone, along with her actor-husband Ranveer Singh, featured in Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ramleela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat.

Talking about her professional journey, Padukone says, “For one, it is extremely gratifying. When I look back, I did it all, and I did it on my own. For a 16-17 year-old girl to leave her family behind and move to new city, start new life in a profession that I had no sort of connect. Having to start from scratch, having to learn and live on my own – it has been a unique journey in that sense. It has come with my share of sacrifices and dedication, discipline, patience and hard work. Whatever I learnt today has been on the job. I have not had any kind of professional training. I am grateful for that because I got to make mistakes and evolve from the experiences.”

Asked if the success has affected her as a person, the actor says, “Whether or not (the success) has affected me, it has been subconscious. I realized soon that it (the success) is just a by product of my work. Of course, I am grateful for the love, support and appreciation that I have received. I am even grateful for all the criticism I have had. It helped me improve my craft and the person I am.”

She adds about her dreams, “Having experienced mental illness, my first and foremost dream for myself and anyone is to have good mental and physical health. Whether it is my battle with mental illness, or people losing lives in the pandemic, we need to realize the value of our life and those of people around us. Self care is my number one priority, and should be everyone’s too before anything else.”

The actor spoke about having been diagnosed with depression in 2015 and also revealed that she sought clinical help for the same. She founded the mental health foundation Live Love Laugh that mainly works towards spreading awareness around mental illnesses.

Padukone will be soon seen in Shah Rukh Khan’s much-awaited film, Pathan. She is also working on Project K with filmmaker Nag Ashwin and actors Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan. She is likely to start working on Sidharth Anand’s Fighter soon alongside Hrithik Roshan.

(The conversation has edited and condensed for clarity.)