Nicola Formichetti’s Making Beauty Personal Again At M.A.C.

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M.A.C. is back—that is, if Nicola Formichetti has anything to say about it! The longtime creative director, designer, and stylist, who’s just been named global creative director at M.A.C., kicked off his new chapter with a diverse foundation campaign starring Kris Jenner, Doja Cat, and more boundary-breaking stars. After the campaign’s Fashion Week launch party, we caught up with Formichetti on his new gig, his adorable pup Oreo, and what he’s cooking up at M.A.C.—including the possible return of his viral NICOPAfNDA collab! 

How did you become M.A.C.’s global creative director?
I’ve always been in in in the world of M.A.C. throughout my career. I started working on the campaigns in my 20’s. It was one of my first projects as a stylist, and I was working with the creative director of M.A.C., James Gager. He gave me a lot of opportunities, and later worked with Gaga on Viva Glam. Later, I did my own NICOPANDA collection for M.A.C. I’ve always been in contact with M.A.C. We were chatting throughout the years, and I just felt that it was the right time to join forces, to bring M.A.C. to the future.

Nicola Formichetti (Getty Images)

How would you describe your aesthetic, and how you’ve brought it to M.A.C.? 
I grew up seeing what M.A.C. was doing back then, and I really felt that I was seeing what M.A.C. was producing visually. The way that M.A.C. was always an inclusive brand from day one. Being a little gay kid from abroad, I felt at home seeing M.A.C. and what it represented. That was always great. Also, the idea of being very bold—it wasn’t just about the makeup, it was about culture. I felt really at home, seeing the way M.A.C. was coming through in the world.

Nicola Formichetti (Matthew Brookes)

Your first campaign was major! What was your experience like shooting it?
For the first campaign, I wanted to do something…of course, it was about the Studio Fix foundation, but I wanted to go back to the roots of M.A.C. For me, it was about M.A.C. tagline, which is “All ages. All races. All genders. This diverse cross-generation that Kris represents, and Doja [Cat], but also with Kiko Mizuhara, the new icons, Cortisa [Star], and Bách Bouquet, and Gabbriette, and Kristen McMenamy, this incredible cast. It was really about them, and I wanted to showcase the fact that “I only wear M.A.C.” is just about loving yourself, and loving each other, and being together. With a song that we chose for the video, “Sweet Harmony”—in this crazy world, being together and loving yourself and each other is so important. I asked my one my favorite heroes, Inez and Vinoodh, to come on board and elevate visuals, photographing them and directing the videos. It was so special to me to be able to collaborate with them. It was a total elevation of M.A.C. today, so that was really sweet. M.A.C. never went away, but I want to show that the new M.A.C. is here.

What was it like working with Kris Jenner? Her photo’s been making a big impact!
She was the first one I wanted to include. She was the starting point. I was like, “Who represents M.A.C. today?” I also wanted to do something surprising and fresh, and I’m sure people were thinking I’m going to do something really bold and crazy and colorful, with the work that I used to do with Gaga. So, I surprised even myself. Working with Kris was that—she is such an icon. I just wanted to collaborate with her and see her through the lens of M.A.C. She was so gracious. She was on time, and so kind and funny. You know why all of her family is so successful? They’re just true professionals. To me, mixing her with other cast members next to each other was really important, to put Cotisa next to Kris. That, for me, is M.A.C. M.A.C. is for everybody.

Kris Jenner (Inez and Vinoodh/Courtesy of M.A.C.)

You launched a M.A.C. collaboration with your NICOPANDA brand in 2018! Has being back in the creative director chair felt full-circle?
Totally. That’s what I felt when I first came back. It felt full-circle and very special. The NICOPANDA collection was almost a decade ago! Reliving that time feels really special for me. I’m thinking a part two could be really fun. TBC!

What are some of your favorite M.A.C. products?
This one, here! It’s called the Lip Conditioner Hydratant Pour Les Lèvres. I don’t really go crazy on makeup myself, and I’m probably particularly not very good at makeup, either. But I’ve been surrounded with incredible makeup artists all my life. One of my best friends, Maki Ryoke, is an incredible Japanese makeup artist. She’s consulting with me. Throughout my career, in the early, early days of M.A.C. campaigns, I was working with Val Garland. I ended up working with her on all of the early Gaga stuff. Val did my Mugler shows, and Charlotte Tilbury was doing makeup for M.A.C. back then. Today, we have so many incredible M.A.C. makeup artists that we get to collaborate with. I’m learning new stuff everyday from them, I want to showcase more M.A.C. artists in the forefront. It’s really exciting.

M.A.C.’s created so many beauty trends over the years. What are some beauty looks you’re loving right now—or might bring back soon?
It’s already a trend, but definitely ’90s makeup, cool-tone lops. That ’90s look is definitely already here, and M.A.C. is all over it. We invented that in the ’90s, and someone like Gabbriette is really the poster child of that, bringing back the ’90s supermodel look with nude lips and cool-tone colors. I love that. It’s big, and it’s going to get bigger and bigger. My other thing is, I’m just not a “girl next door, no makeup” kind of creative. I get bored of that. I think M.A.C. is the same. We encourage, being creative, and expressing yourself through beauty. We have everything, we have incredible foundations and all of that. But I want crazy makeup to come back again. I think we’ve been in the “no-makeup makeup” trend for quite a while now, so I think it’s time to get back to business. I’ve already started seeing, with the cool kids and some of the pop culture figures and fashion houses, bringing back bolder makeup. It’s going to catch on.

Doja Cat (Courtesy of M.A.C.)

You’re entering M.A.C. with a lot of fashion experience. How do you think fashion and beauty overlap?
Sometimes, we’re going through on Tiktok, and Instagram, and it’s so many things happening—and it’s overwhelming. I get that information overload, and you just don’t know what you’re looking at anymore. You don’t even know who you are anymore. I think it’s super normal. But it’s good to switch off and and go on a detox, a little bit, from that world. I love listening to music and walking. I always do that. You always see me walking on the street with my headphones, listening to music. I really need that time to adjust myself and think of what’s really hitting me in my heart. I always say, trust your heart, and what really resonates in this crazy, divided, insane world. That’s my advice. Nature is nice, and just the idea of being physically present in the real world is important. In this crazy, AI world, I think more and more we should be with humans.

What can you tell us about your next M.A.C. projects or campaigns for the holidays?
I’m sure I’m not allowed to say anything! There’s a big announcement coming very, very soon. It’s going to be a gag! We’re now known to be the stunt queens, right? I only joined three months ago, so September was my starting point. We started with this incredible announcement with Doja Cat, and then her eating the the lipstick at the VMA’s was so fun. I was like, “Oh my god.” I got excited for M.A.C., because it was so insane. She’s such a perfect M.A.C. girl. We have a lot of fun stuff coming up, and I can’t wait to share it with everybody.

Doja Cat (Courtesy of Balmain)

We have to ask: how does your dog, Oreo, feel about you being at M.A.C.? Does he love the beauty world?
Oreo is busy! He’s at the spa at the moment. He’s great. We are posting all these campaigns the street, and I took a picture of Oreo and I posted it today. He’s so cute. I always recommend if you can rescue, you should. There’s so many dogs out there that need homes.

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