Isabella Rossellini, the world-famous actress and model, is in the
midst of an eight-country tour involving more than 200 interviews to
promote Manifesto, her new make-up range - and this week it was
Campaign’s turn on the publicity treadmill.
The Manifesto range, backed by the German conglomerate, Lancaster, is
Rossellini’s brainchild. Its launch comes nearly seven years after the
star of Wild atHeart and Blue Velvet was unceremoniously dumped by
Lancome, the rival cosmetics house, for the grave offence of being over
40. Now, at the age of 47, she is literally back in business, and next
year will also see the launch of Rossellini’s perfume and skin care
ranges.
Last week Leagas Delaney launched its press campaign for the Manifesto
brand, which is sold on versatility, and Rossellini claims to have been
closely involved in the creation of the advertising. ’I spent months
discussing the work with Leagas Delaney,’ she says. ’I chose the
photographer and did the casting and I was a around for the shooting and
designing of the layouts.
’I insisted on using models of different weights and races,’ she adds,
’and I had more resistance from Leagas Delaney than anyone else on that.
They thought that the non-traditional was not necessarily commercial but
it is something I feel very strongly about.’
The problem seems to have centred on the use of Kate Dillan, who,
Rossellini tells me, had a problem with anorexia earlier in her
modelling career.
’She is cured now,’ she says, ’but her weight is that of a ’normal’
person rather than that of a model.’
Other executions feature black, Asian and older models as well as a
younger girl smiling through her dental brace.
The work, which was written by Mark Goodwin and art directed by Tiger
Savage and Darryl McDonald, is running in style magazines in countries
where the range is available - the US, France, the UK and Spain.
Rossellini says: ’I knew we couldn’t just put another line out. All the
products have been reduced to miniatures and the colours can be applied
anywhere on the face and with your hands.’
The range includes scaled-down versions of eye, lip and cheek colour -
designed so that they can be carried in a pocket. Rossellini’s favourite
product is ’the pill’ - a sealed blob containing enough foundation for a
single application - designed to do away with having to carry a whole
bottle around with you.
Rossellini asks me if I would like to have a look at the range and I
immediately picture myself strolling back into the office with a sackful
of freebies, dodging the envious glances of my colleagues. Yes please,
then, Isabella. ’They are all on sale on Harvey Nichols’ first floor,’
she offers. Damn.
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