Florence Pugh has a new role … with Valentino! The actress is the face of the luxury label.
Pugh, 27, solidified the partnership by starring in the fashion house’s latest campaign promoting its Rockstud handbag. The Midsommar actress gushed about the gig via Instagram on Wednesday, April 26, while sharing shots from the ad.
“As you can see … I’m pretty ecstatic to announce that my @MaisonValentino campaign is here,” Pugh began in her caption. “Truly an honor to continue creating art with my family at Valentino. Working with talented people is one thing, but to work with talented people who are great friends feeds the soul — and this campaign truly did feed the soul. Thank you for letting me be me.”
She concluded her message by praising Valentino’s creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli. “Cheers and love and so much thanks to the past, the current and the future. I’m f—king proud of this one,” the U.K. native added.
Prior to the big announcement, Pugh has dazzled Us with a number of bold Valentino fashion statements. In July 2022, the Little Women star attended the brand’s Haute Couture fashion show in a hot pink halter dress by the Italian company. Though the British actress stunned in the whimsical tulle number, she was criticized because her nipples were visible through the sheer fabric.
Pugh, however, didn’t let the trolls get her down. “Listen, I knew when I wore that incredible Valentino dress that there was no way there wouldn’t be a commentary on it. Whether it be negative or positive, we all knew what we were doing,” the Hawkeye actress wrote via Instagram while sharing red carpet pics from the presentation. “I was excited to wear it, not a wink of me was nervous. I wasn’t before, during or even now after.”
She continued in her post: “What’s been interesting to watch and witness is just how easy it is for men to totally destroy a woman’s body, publicly, proudly, for everyone to see. … It isn’t the first time and certainly won’t be the last time a woman will hear what’s wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers, what’s worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be.”
The BAFTA winner doubled down on her stance in her September 2022 Harper’s Bazaar cover story, telling the publication: “I was comfortable with my small breasts … And showing them like that — it aggravated [people] that I was comfortable.”
In the months that followed, Pugh continued to show skin in Valentino. At the Don’t Worry Darling premiere at the 79th Venice Film Festival in September 2022, she turned heads in a black tulle number that was equipped with tiny shorts. Three months later, she was a radiant sight in a red design at the British Fashion Awards in London.
Most recently, she attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 12, wearing a black bralette and high-waisted trousers teamed with a baby pink cape.
Pugh opened up further about working with Valentino in an interview with The New York Times published on Wednesday. She explained that she FaceTimed with Piccioli after the backlash she faced for her nipple-baring moment. “I wanted to talk to her after that,” Piccioli told the newspaper. “The statement was the perfect one to embody the idea I was talking about months ago, about not having canons of beauty — but being unique and different and diverse, showing yourself in a fierce way. Florence was just asking for respect about a choice, which is exactly what I’m saying when I do my collection.”
The Lady Macbeth star echoed similar sentiments, telling the outlet, “So, we had this FaceTime, and at the end, we both said it feels like we’ve been mates for decades. Now, we send each other pictures of each other on Instagram a lot. He’s become best friends with my dad. We’re completely in each other’s lives.”
Pugh also confirmed to the publication that she will be attending the 2023 Met Gala next month in a Valentino creation. “It’s big, but we like big, don’t we?” she said of her Met outfit.
