Spike Jonze creates film to mark new Kenzo perfume

Kenzo creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim will release their first perfume for the Paris house, created in collaboration with legendary perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, next year. To mark the occasion Kenzo has teamed up with director Spike Jonze to create a film reflecting the "irreverent and lively" fragrance.

Margaret Qualley in Kenzo World film

In the film actress and dancer Margaret Qualley performs "an unforgettable choreography" imagined by Ryan Heffington on an exclusive track by Sam Spiegel & Ape Drums featuring Assassin.

Jonze said Leon and Lim had given him a free rein to create the slightly madcap film that blends performance and dance. "The way Humberto, Carol, and I make stuff together is very loose. They gave me so much room. The way we work is incredibly casual for being such a big company," Jonze said.

A dance scene

Qualley said the film was the opposite of what was normally expected of a perfume campaign. "When we think about perfume campaigns, we think about a pretty girl with a bottle. This clip is exactly the opposite," she said. "It’s very multi-faceted and different; it takes the spectator by surprise."

The Kenzo World fragrance will be released next year and will come in a flacon combining a mix of black rubber, pink gold and opaline.

Behind the scenes