- Brigitte Macron is scheduled to make an appearance in the upcoming season of "Emily in Paris."
The spouse of the French President Emmanuel Macron is stepping into unexplored territories: In an episode of the popular Netflix series "Emily in Paris", Brigitte Macron will briefly appear. The First Lady will be seen wearing her own clothes, as indicated by the magazine "Elle" on Tuesday. She did not receive any guidance regarding her attire.
The idea for the cameo appearance was proposed following a meeting between Darren Star and the main actress Lily Collins at the Élysée Palace in December 2022. "She's a big fan of the series and took her mention in Season 1 with a lot of humor," Collins shared with the magazine. Shooting with the French First Lady was "both an honor and a real pleasure," she added. Star, the creator of the series, expressed his admiration for Macron's performance in Season 4, stating, "She does it with talent!"
The U.S.-based hit series, set in the French capital, is produced by Netflix. The second half of the fourth season will be available on the streaming platform on Thursday.
"Emily in Paris", a Netflix promotional series
Promotional content has been a integral part of the Netflix series "Emily in Paris" from its inception. The fourth season takes product placement to new heights: Collaborations with brands influence the plot. Among the brands featured prominently in the new episodes are luxury labels Ami, Jacquemus, and LVMH, electronics giant Samsung, and discount store Lidl.
Netflix is also partnering with U.S. tech company Google on "Emily in Paris": Using the Google Lens app to scan the screen takes viewers to a website where the clothes and accessories worn by the actors are for sale. Search volume and Netflix's earnings have significantly increased as a result. "This type of collaboration has reached a new level," Netflix stated.
Emily Cooper, the series' protagonist, originates from the U.S. and relocates to Paris for her job. She works at the fictional luxury marketing agency "Savoir" and devises concepts for real brands. In France, such practices are prohibited in TV productions, but these regulations do not apply to streaming platforms.
"With a budget of between 500,000 to one million euros for a script placement, it's a good investment for brands, as they would have to spend much more for a multi-country campaign," says Jean Dominique Bourgeois, head of French agency Place to Be Media, which specializes in product placements. Bourgeois' agency facilitated partnerships between Emily and McDonald's in Season 3, as well as collaborations with three other brands in Season 4.
Costume designer: "The focus should be on attention-grabbing looks"
The luxury second-hand fashion platform Vestiaire Collective received a minute-long scene: When Mindy, Emily's best friend, is financially struggling, the details of her plan to sell her designer wardrobe on the platform are shown. The French company did not respond to requests for information regarding the payment for the placement. The objective of the collaboration is to increase its prominence, particularly on the U.S. market. According to Vestiaire Collective, the strategy is successful: New customers, both buyers and sellers, are increasing in number.
Emily's outfits, which grow more extravagant with each season, are also popular sellers: For instance, the pink Kangol hat from the first episodes, which had been outdated for decades, and Emily's eye-catching yellow ensembles from Season 2.
"The focus should be on eye-catching looks," says costume designer Marilyn Fitoussi, responsible for Emily's unique style. "I'm not paid by the brands, and I don't want to be," she emphasizes. Being budget-constrained, she dressed Emily exclusively in second-hand clothes in season one. However, now she is often contacted by fashion companies hoping to reach a younger audience, as she told the French business newspaper "Les Echos".
Designed for Consumption-Driven Series Fans
The success of "Emily in Paris" has inspired fashion magazines to discuss the series' looks as if they were new designer collections. It's often apparent which brands the characters wear: Louis Vuitton's logo, for example, is visible on a belt buckle, or the brand that manufactured Emily's athletic wear.
"Watching the series feels like exploring a large shopping mall," comments Adam Sanchez, journalist for the men's magazine "GQ". In the fourth season, product placement will be "amplified to exorbitant levels," he predicts. Sanchez believes that fans of the show are not bothered by this and, in fact, are even drawn to it: "They're more interested in what Emily consumes and wears than the minimal plot."
Emily Cooper's friendship with Mindy sees a financial twist in the new episodes, as Mindy resorts to selling her designer wardrobe on Vestiaire Collective, a move inspired by the series' product placement. Meanwhile, Brigitte Macron, the spouse of French President Emmanuel Macron, will make a brief appearance in Season 4 of "Emily in Paris."
