For Rabanne, Moses Sumney Talks Million Gold, Music, & Style
How could an abstract concept — confidence, masculinity, or energy, for instance — be expressed without words? For the provocative perfumers at Rabanne, each bottle holds an answer. The latest release, Rabanne Million Gold, is an infectious Eau de Parfum that sizzles with cedar and sandalwood, capturing the idea of modern masculinity in a sleek, shiny gold case. With singer-songwriter Moses Sumney on-board as the male ambassador, the campaign amplifies all the audacious appeal of 1 Million, the Maison’s signature scent.
If 1 Million is the essence of empowerment, then Million Gold embodies pure, unfiltered, exuberance. It’s joy, manifested — a quality that Sumney has in spades. “I had a vision board of what I wanted to do when working in fashion,” says the 32-year-old. “Believe it or not, a Rabanne fragrance ad was very, very high up there. It’s a bit of a dream come true.”
To launch Million Gold, Rabanne pulled out all the stops; glitzy shots flaunt the new fragrance while Beyonce’s “Pure/Honey” pulses in the background — a much-coveted stamp of approval from the Cowboy Carter chanteuse.
“When they told me on set about the plan to use “Pure/ Honey,” I was like, “Really?” I didn’t believe it,” says Sumney. “Here’s the thing: Bey doesn’t say yes to a lot. You’re not just going to play her music. Even if you have the money. So I am really grateful that she said yes and I couldn’t be happier.”
Sumney is a bit of Renaissance man himself. With numerous albums and EPs to his name — including last month’s release, Sophcore — Sumney is best known as a singer-songwriter. His music has soundtracked a slew of projects, from Euphoria to Swan Song to Orange Is the New Black. Sumney has proven himself as an actor, too, tackling the big screen with Mia Goth in summertime slasher MaXXXine.
“When you are making an effort to be good to yourself, and to be good to other people, it actually fixes your face. It’s channeling a light that comes from either the natural world or from the universe — you are that connected.”
Moses Sumney
“In my work, I’m always trying to make less obvious choices, so that we can create opportunities for people who don’t come from fashion or music,” says the musician. “Or who come from backgrounds where opportunities are not as easily accessible. It’s important to do that in a way that doesn’t feel didactic but, rather, just feels loving and actually fun.” In these words, parallels between Sumney and Rabanne emerge more clearly than ever. Like the ambassador, founder Paco Rabanne had a penchant for the underground and unexpected.
Four decades prior — long before ‘1 Million’ defined Rabanne — the name was associated with another, smaller number: 57. This was the address of Paco Rabanne’s Centre 57, a bohemian reprieve dedicated to all things up-and-coming. Located on the glittering Boulevard de la Villette in Paris, Centre 57 stood in stark contrast to the synthesizer-soaked airwaves of 1983. Musicians like MC Solaar, JoeyStarr, and Kool Shen found community in the crowds, hosting events and dances.
“It wasn’t about marketing: it was pure generosity. It was linked to the art,” creative director Julian Dossena told Vogue Business in June. “When Paco himself opened the space in the eighties, it was to offer a safe space.”
Rabanne proudly represents this period, whether that’s through interviews or limited collaborations (like the recent Club 57 capsule with Spotify). In the 1960s, Paco Rabanne was one of the first designers to include music in his fashion shows. Today, Rabanne infuses music into perfumes and products to honour his legacy.
“Million Gold encapsulates the new vision for Maison Rabanne as a whole. It is bold and super premium,” says perfumer Christophe Raynaud. His collaborator, Quentin Bisch, agrees. “Million Gold is more than a fragrance; it is a bold statement that rewrites the vision of modern masculinity,” says Bisch, citing the blend of woody and flowery notes. Rabanne’s vision goes beyond the bottle, Bisch adds. “There is an effortless sensuality to the Million Gold man. A light that shines from within that makes him both powerful and irresistible.”
“What we put on our bodies is directly connected to how free we are or aren’t.”
Moses Sumney
As an ambassador, Sumney understands this. To him, beauty is more than aesthetics. “For me, it’s connected to emotional health and emotional vulnerability. I try to channel those two things. When I’m in a good place with them, it shows physically,” he explains. “When you are making an effort to be good to yourself, and to be good to other people, it actually fixes your face. It’s channeling a light that comes from either the natural world or from the universe — you are that connected.”
Sumney describes something ineffable, but instantly recognizable. It’s tough to put this idea into words, but you’ll know it when you feel it. “When I feel the most empowered, nothing gets in the way of me being my truest self,” Sumney says. “Which is how I felt when we shot this ad. I felt like I was being welcomed, and encouraged, to just be myself.”
It’s fitting, then, that Sumney’s mantra is “tell the truth” — in his art, emotions, and day-to-day life. Beauty and fashion are no exception. “What we put on our bodies is directly connected to how free we are or aren’t,” says Sumney.
In that vein, Sumney takes inspiration from those with “an iconic, consistent look.” While his personal style icons range from Malcom X to Marge Simpson to André 3000, Sumney says Grace Jones is his favourite in the industry. “I love telling people that Grace Jones is my mom and seeing how far I can get with that,” he laughs.
Daring but playful, creatively luxurious — these traits define Million Gold and Moses Sumney alike. To capture these qualities in a single, spritz-able concoction is akin to alchemy. As Rabanne’s Christophe Raynaud puts it: “Million calls for excellence!” In Moses Sumney, the fragrance finds a worthy partner.
Rabanne Million Gold Eau de Parfum Intense is now available online and in-stores.
Feature photo by Alex Trescool.
