Unless you’ve been living under a rock for most of 2019, it’s likely you’re fully aware that TikTok has taken off in a big way. Whether they’re strapping watermelons, bricks, or cars(!) to their feet as part of the Louboutin challenge, or using it as a medium to talk politics, young people around the world are eschewing Instagram’s curated grid and the shitshow that is Facebook in favour of the platform, where subsequently a whole new gen of social media stars are rising up.
Among those making a name for themselves on the app is Noen Eubanks, whose lo-fi DIY videos and anime-inspired, e-boy-esque aesthetic have bagged him over four million followers and place front and centre of the latest Celine campaign. “Hedi (Slimane) saw my photos and I guess he liked my look,” explains Eubanks of how the shoot came about. “I take a lot of inspiration from silhouettes. I like anime silhouettes. I just find cool things and I wear them.”
In signature Slimane style, the stripped-back photos are shot in black and white, with the TikTok star seen wearing pieces from the SS20 Celine collection: a black leather jacket, a striped t-shirt, and black jeans. “It was the most interesting shoot I’ve ever been on,” he says of the experience. “Hedi was super nice, so it was really fun.”
Since the reins at Celine last year, Slimane has undertaken a radical overhaul of the storied French label, injecting it with his own brand of rock’n’roll, indie-kid cool and insouciance. As well as Noen, Margaret Qualley, star of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and that Kenzo fragrance ad, is also a new campaign face. Who’s next? Watch this space.
