04/18/2016 at 06:48 PM ET
Following in the legendary footsteps of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne would be a formidable task for even the most sought-after of supermodels. So when Burberry went looking for someone to take their place as the face for its My Burberry fragrance, the company had to find someone who could live up to that level of beauty and sophistication. And as impossible as it may seem, the brand actually managed to cast the role perfectly with British actress Lily James.
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Despite the fact that James has starred in a handful of big box office films, including Cinderella, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and of course the TV smash-hit Downton Abbey, this announcement marks the actress first global advertising campaign ever. She’ll serve as the face for My Burberry Black, “an intense and sensual” new fragrance, starring in a film and photo series shot by Mario Testino debuting in August.
“I am thrilled to be officially joining the Burberry family,” James enthused, “I am so proud to be British, so it really means a lot…I don’t want to give away too much but I had a lot of fun showing a different side of myself.” Does this mean we could see a drastic hair color change in the actress’s near future?
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And James isn’t the only thespian with a new modeling gig. Ryan Reynolds is also serving as a philanthropic ambassador for Eddie Bauer’s #OneThree campaign, which supports American forests. The actor is bringing awareness to the brand’s Earth Day initiative in which people can simply text a number to donate $ 5 which will plant 5 trees. Eddie Bauer will match donations up to 75,000 trees to help begin to counteract deforestation and save endangered ecosystems.
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And while there’s no celebs fronting Athleta’s new campaign, the sports-focused brand is putting female athletes of all ages in the spotlight with a new video series called “Launching Girls.” The shorts are meant to show women and girls how to empower one another and lift each other up to achieve their maximum potential. The first video, shown above, features the D(n)A Dance Collective and shows the sense of sisterhood this high profile troop feel for one another.
What do you think of Lily James as the face of My Burberry and Ryan Reynolds for Eddie Bauer? Sound off below!
–Emily Kirkpatrick
Follow @kirkpate