Nars appeal: 30 years of innovation

Thirty years have passed since François Nars , with his credibility among industry insiders and his expertise built on Steven Meisel's sets and backstage at the coolest catwalks, from Marc Jacobs to Versace, showed up at Barneys (the edgiest department store in New York at the time) with twelve lipsticks of his own creation , born from the frustration of not finding cosmetics on the market that met his needs. In the instant classic black matte packs by Fabien Baron, those first lipsticks won him a fanbase that would continue to expand with subsequent launches, The Multiple stick in 1996, a creamy and foolproof texture that could be used on eyelids, cheekbones and lips, inspired by a shoot with Demarchelier where he had done Carolyn Murphy's make-up using only an orange lipstick as an all-over. Three years later Nars calls Orgasm a shade of peachy pink blush with an imperceptible shimmer: a product that becomes a reference for consumers as well as for the industry, and for which the use of the overused adjective iconic is for once fully justified. In 2013 Radiant Creamy Concealer is released, which probably remains “the” reference product in the concealer category. Collections co-signed with great photographers follow, Sarah Moon, Steven Klein, the pioneering use, ten years ago, of Charlotte Rampling, then close to 70, as the protagonist of a campaign.

L'OFFICIEL: In '94 there were few makeup brands, and you were among the very first, perhaps the first, makeup artist to launch your own line. How do you experience today's ultra-saturated market?

FRANÇOIS NARS : I go to department stores and shops and I see all these new brands, but I'm not particularly interested, so many people are trying, and so many are, to put it mildly, "influenced" by Nars, but I think the difference remains clear: behind Nars there is a precise point of view on beauty and the desire to create something that will last over time. I have never been interested in creating a brand that, as Warhol would say, would live its 15 minutes of fame. There is a continuous and constant investment in what the market is looking for and in what innovative products should be, a continuous work of improvement on image, products, formulas.

LO: Which products do you consider to be the most identifying for the brand today?

FN: There are so many products that scream Nars and the latest products that come out are the most Nars of all, the indicators of the current direction of the brand. So today I would say the Explicit Lipsticks, with an extraordinary texture, super comfortable, long lasting and smudge-proof.

LO: How did you choose the name?

FN: From day one I wanted the products to have a very specific name that would give them identity and charisma, an evocative place, the title of a film, a feeling. At the end of the day, a lipstick is a lipstick, a foundation is a foundation, and when you give them an unconventional name, even better if daring, it is easier for them to stick in people's heads.

LO: Your favorite lipstick colour?

FN: Red. It's magical, exciting, it looks like sumptuous velvet.