PARIS — Deva Cassel is Dior’s new international ambassador for fashion and makeup.
“I have always had enormous respect for the house of Dior, and the feminine and refined image that they conveyed has always made me dream,” said the model and actor, who is the daughter of actors Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel.
Born in Rome in 2004, Deva Cassel also grew up in France and Brazil. As a result, she speaks five languages. She began modeling at age 16, appearing on magazine covers and walking catwalks during fashion weeks.
Cassel recalled a childhood memory of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand. “The first thing that comes to mind is a picture of a vintage Dior photo that particularly triggered my imagination when I was younger, which depicts a female silhouette with a large hat — elegance and mystery in a single image,” she said.
In her new role, Cassel explained she would like to be in sync with the house of Dior, “represented by the young women of today, but also the continuation of a tradition.”
Despite her lineage, she didn’t always know acting would be in her future. That career was launched last September.
“As a child, I obviously was fascinated by films, but I [refused] the idea of me ever becoming an actor,” Cassel said. “I wanted to do something different from what people were projecting on me, and quite honestly at that age had other things to think about.
“With time, though, I [became more familiar] with the artistic industry, thanks to my work and my own means, and I got to live unique experiences that convinced me to settle in this kind of life,” she continued. “When I read the script that Laura Luchetti sent me [of ‘La Bella Estate’], I immediately fell in love with the role.”
Cassel was referring to the character Amelia, a painter’s muse in the 1930s. “It is so interesting to live love through someone that is so internally complex,” she said.
“‘The Leopard’ was an important experience that taught me a lot, but was also challenging for several months,” continued Cassel, of the Italian Netflix series set to break in September. It is an adaptation of the classic novel of the same name written by Giuseppe Tomasi de Lampedusa and inspired by the Luchino Visconti film “The Leopard,” from 1963.
“Afterward, I felt that I needed some time to find myself, and concentrate on fashion for a while again,” Cassel said. “But I am having meetings and evaluating various proposals.”
Makeup and fragrance can help her immerse into an acting role. Cassel shared a real-life beauty tip, too. “One of my beauty secrets is that adding pink, red and orange tones near the eyes — like the Diorshow 5 Couleurs Palette, for example — balances out darker colors and ‘removes’ eye bags,” she said.
Cassel described her fashion style as “casual chic, but it can vary.”
“In my everyday life, I like to wear fairly oversize pieces and mix a masculine and feminine style,” she said. “But I also love trying out new things and [blending] clothes. So, you can imagine how grateful I am to Dior for the fact that I have occasions to dress up.”
Cassel will be the ambassador for fashion crafted by Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director for Dior’s women’s collections, and color cosmetics developed by Peter Philips, the house’s creative and image director of makeup. Cassel will first appear in a campaign for Dior beauty’s summer 2024 collection, starting April 1.
