Pop Culture: The brightly-hued details on Nars’ Andy Warhol collection
View the collection and its Andy Warhol inspiration »
If his product shade names are any indication—Edie, Nico, Ondine and Chelsea Girls—makeup artist François Nars has long been an Andy Warhol enthusiast. Though Nars laments the fact that he never had the opportunity to meet Warhol (“I think the first thing I would have done would be photograph him”), when he moved to New York in 1984, he had a connection to him in the form of his friend Marina Schiano, a former model and muse of Yves Saint Laurent, and a Warhol silkscreen subject. “She was extremely friendly with Andy and told me so many stories about him,” says Nars.
But Nars’ most direct link to the late silver-haired artist is through Fabien Baron. The former art director and current editorial director of Interview, the magazine Warhol founded, Baron is also a longstanding creative collaborator with Nars, having designed the brand’s product packaging, photography books and even the flagship Bleecker Street boutique. Using his knowledge of the Warhol archives, Baron helped Nars create the brand’s Andy Warhol Collection (from $21, at Sephora and department stores), three distinct sets of makeup inspired by Warhol’s world. They include palettes with the artist’s paintings printed into the makeup; even better, the colour extends all the way to the bottom of the cases so that as you use them, the image remains intact.
Nars was most inspired by The Factory, Warhol’s studio, and the characters who hung out there. “I loved the freedom and the creativity, the fact that it was so underground and rebellious. To me it represented New York and made you want to move there,” he explains. “All those people were extremely creative and fabulous.”
Get the FASHION newsletter
Sign up and never miss fashion and beauty news, product drops and trends. Plus, the occasional promotional message from our partners.