Chanel Beauty’s Sylvie Legastelois on creating its most luxurious lipstick yet

As Chanel 31 Le Rouge lipstick launches, Sylvie Legastelois tells us about her 40 years of design for the brand in this exclusive interview

Sylvie Legastelois, the head of Packing and Design Creation for Chanel Beauty, designed some of the most iconic products of recent times, with her creations appearing in movies and TV advertisements, department stores and billboards the world over and, of course, on bathroom shelves and in the handbags of countless women.

And yet, few people know her name. Since joining Chanel in 1984, Legastelois has kept a low profile, offering only a few interviews in the course of almost 40 years. On the rare occasions she does speak publicly, the lessons, as I learned during a recent call with her, are intriguing. Here is a woman who has developed the aesthetic codes for one of the most iconic brands in the world – so how has she done it?