On March 31, Lily-Rose Depp made her first official public appearance, at the Chanel Métiers d’Art show in New York, and the internet officially broke. Who was this wide-eyed, elfin beauty dressed head to toe in pastel Chanel? More importantly, how could we find out? A quick click and a scroll later, and numerous YouTube videos were unearthed featuring the oldest daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, and by the next day, the whole world was obsessed. We tirelessly pilfered through her public Instagram in a bid to find out more about our new queen of everything, and the world’s coolest teenager. For a while, this is all we had to go on. But as the year unfolded, a few things begun to happen, and the mystery of Lily-Rose Depp began to unravel, making 2015 the year of Lily-Rose Depp. Here’s what we’ve learned so far:
She became an LBGTQ ally
In August, following in the footsteps of Miley Cyrus and Cara Delevingne, Lily-Rose became the latest star to reject labels when it comes defining her sexuality. Joining actresses Gaby Hoffman and new step mom Amber Heard, the 16-year-old has lent her face to artist and activist iO Tillett Wright’s campaign Self Evident Truths. Tillett Wright hopes to take portraits of 10,000 individuals who identify as being somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum. Now, coming out as being definitively non-heterosexual could be read as a bit of a meh statement. But when you consider the good that will come of someone like Lily-Rose, who is very much in the public eye, challenging gender binaries and highlighting the fluidity of sexuality, it’s actually inspirational. Not only does it help to normalize what has previously been regarded as “other,” it also encourages more people to stand up and speak out about LGBTQ issues.
She opened up Chanel to the next generation
First she rocked a pastel look at the Chanel Métiers d’Art show. Then she was a vision in black for the spring/summer 15 casino-themed presentation, walking in arm in arm with Lily Collins. And in July she cemented her relationship with Chanel when she was revealed as the face of the brand’s latest eyewear collection, Pearl, shot by the one and only Kaiser Karl. She also made a pit stop at Chanel’s very own spring/summer 16 airport runway, as well as appearing in the brand’s Mademoiselle Privé exhibition.
She had her first spread in French Vogue
The Clockwork Orange-esque editorial, shot by Inez and Vinoodh appeared in 95th anniversary issue French Vogue. In the images, Depp, much like her guy-liner loving dad, wears super thick mascara and heavy eye makeup. But her signature pink cheeks and over-all cool aesthetic are still very much present. J’adore!
She came of age
While most Hollywood tweens were getting fancy cars and diamond rings, Lily-Rose threw her very own “Sour 16th” for which she dressed up in chains, held a sword and wore a string of onions around her neck proving Lily-Rose is anything but average.
She’s demonstrated how down to earth she is
In an exclusive interview with i-D, the sweet 16-year-old told us how she grew up with the media circus. “My parents were very calm about the photographers and the fans,” she explained, “But I understood right away that I hadn’t done anything to deserve that attention. No matter what happens, it will be there. I didn’t choose it. You just can’t take that too seriously. You need to live your life and stay calm.”
She launched her acting career
With a cameo in Rejjie Snow’s music video, and four movie roles already under her exceptionally stylish belt — including one opposite her dad in the new Kevin Smith film Yoga Hosers and another opposite Natalie Portman — it’s fair to expect big things from this one. As the doe-eyed beauty said herself, “I’m a Gemini, very spontaneous. For now, I’m having fun doing it, we’ll see what happens later.”
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Angelo Pennetta