Life

Sir Elton John and Kate Moss mark 50 years of his iconic Christmas song to fight Aids stigma

Elton John has appeared in a new beauty campaign with Kate Moss (Charlotte Tilbury Beauty/PA)
Elton John has appeared in a new beauty campaign with Kate Moss (Charlotte Tilbury Beauty/PA)

Sir Elton John is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his festive anthem Step Into Christmas with the help of Kate Moss, Jourdan Dunn, Charlotte Tilbury and more.

Rocket Man singer, 76, is pictured in an electric blue suit with glitter detailing in new images for Charlotte Tilbury Beauty.

Sir Elton – whose custom-made suit was designed by Donatella Versace – is joined in the festive campaign by models Kate Moss and Jourdan Dunn, actress and activist Michaela Jae Rodriguez and musician Rina Sawayama, all dancing to Step Into Christmas.

Clockwise from left: Elton John, Charlotte Tilbury and Kate Moss
Elton John, Kate Moss and Charlotte Tilbury (Charlotte Tilbury Beauty/PA)

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty is the founding beauty partner of The Rocket Fund – the Elton John Aids Foundation’s £100 million drive to fight Aids, and the new campaign aims to shine a light on this work.

“I had so much fun stepping into beauty magic and working with Charlotte and her muses to bring this fabulous campaign to life,” Sir Elton said.

“We have the tools to end HIV and Aids – it’s the stigma that’s holding us back.”

He established the foundation in 1992, inspired to take action after his friend, Indiana teenager Ryan White, died of Aids. It’s one of the top 10 philanthropic funders of HIV/Aids grants worldwide, and aims to end the epidemic by 2030.

Kate Moss (
Kate Moss (Charlotte Tilbury Beauty/PA)

Moss, 49, is pictured alongside Sir Elton in a shimmering sequinned red gown with an open back.

The supermodel is one of Tilbury’s ‘beauty muses’ – she first met the beauty mogul on a magazine shoot in the Nineties, and has long been a champion of the brand. Moss was one of the first celebrities to wear the cult lipstick Pillow Talk on the red carpet, and became the face of its first fragrance in 2016.

Moss said she’s “so proud to be part of this campaign”, and added: “I’ve always been so inspired by Elton’s incredible work with the Elton John Aids Foundation, it has made such a difference to reducing the stigma around HIV and Aids.”

Rina Sawayama & Elton John
Rina Sawayama and Sir Elton John (Charlotte Tilbury Beauty/PA)

Tilbury, 50, said: “Elton has been a huge inspiration to me my entire life. He is a national treasure, the ultimate renaissance man, a polymath, a musical genius adored by generations, a true creative, champion of the arts and of course a fashion icon.”

Hold The Girl singer Sawayama, 33, also appears in the campaign, wearing a black feathered column gown with Nineties-inspired spaghetti straps.

The Japanese-British singer joined John onstage during his headlining Glastonbury show to perform Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.

Rina Sawayama
Rina Sawayama (Charlotte Tilbury Beauty/PA)

“Elton has been the most incredible mentor,” Sawayama said.

“We met a few years ago and I’ve been so lucky to work on so many exciting projects with him! I’ve always been inspired by Elton and David’s [Furnish, John’s husband and chairman of the foundation] unwavering commitment to the fight against HIV and Aids.”

British model Dunn, 33 – who is a familiar face in Tilbury’s beauty campaigns – wears a silver sequinned cowl-neck gown with a thigh-high leg slit and a matching headpiece.

Kate Moss and Jourdan Dunn
Kate Moss and Jourdan Dunn (Charlotte Tilbury Beauty/PA)

“Charlotte’s partnership with the Elton John Aids Foundation’s Rocket Fund is going to be transformative for so many young people,” Dunn said.

“It will help those most at risk of HIV and Aids access the support they so desperately need. I feel really proud to be a part of this campaign that has such a positive story to tell – we’re sending a message of love, joy, acceptance and hope.”

The campaign debuts Charlotte Tilbury Beauty’s new holiday collection, including the new limited edition Rock Lips lipsticks (retailing at £29 each) and Rock Star Bag (£50) – a clutch-meets-make-up bag – all inspired by John’s glittering outfits from the Seventies.

The brand was announced as the official founding beauty partner of The Rocket Fund in June, and says its contribution will help over 40,000 young people most at risk of HIV and Aids access life-saving services and support.