Final Fantasy XIII’s distant and independent protagonist Lightning has been making rounds on the internet lately by appearing in a series of fashion ads for French fashion house Louis Vuitton. In her latest appearance sporting the high end boutique, she is interviewed by the French company itself and opens up about her new foray into fashion.
In the interview, released to The Telegraph, she speaks on how it feels to be included in the same breath of other company spokeswomen such as Jennifer Connelly, Michelle Williams, and Alicia Vikander. “As part of the family, but I have so much to learn to catch up to these radiant women who are light years away from where I stand” Lightning says. As a fellow spokeswoman she hopes to be able to share the stage with them one day but understands the limitations of where they come from. “I hope that one day, we can share the same stage, that different worlds can come together. But who knows? Maybe that’s ambitious, even for me.”
Lightning later reveals that it was the work of creative director Nicolas Ghesquière that pushed her into the world of fashion. She states that when she had first laid eyes on the collection “it was as if I was hit by a bolt of lightning”. She goes on to speak on how she identifies herself; a slight nod to the criticism that it was out of character for her to be appearing in these ads.
“All this time, I thought the only style that suited me was one that mirrored who I was: strong and tough. But I was wrong. He changed the way I see myself. Perhaps I’m finally learning who I truly am.”
“My clothes were nothing more than armor to stay alive; “dressing up” was a concept I’ve never had. Perhaps that makes me an unseemly choice as ambassador. But this experience has opened my eyes. Fashion isn’t something you’re taught or given, it comes from your own taste and your own choices. It displays the essence of who you are to the people around you.”
The interview closes with a question about whats in store for Lightning in the future. While Lightning says her days are peaceful and hopes those days “last a long time” she does hint at missing some action in her life and sometimes gets the “urge to put my life on the line again and test my limits”. She ends on a note that might stir up some excitement in Final Fantasy fans looking to see her in action once again.
“One day, not so far in the future, I will be out there again, in a world of strife. But I won’t be the same person I was before. I will return to my origins, like a Mobius strip, but it’ll be a new me, one who has evolved.”
Could her statement be a reference to the still in development mobile game Mobius Final Fantasy? We’ll have to wait and see.