PARIS - Brad Pitt has been tapped as the new face of Chanel No.5, the iconic perfume from the French fashion house whose most famous ambassador was the late Marilyn Monroe.

Chanel announced the launch of a new ad campaign featuring the Hollywood heartthrob for its No.5, one of the world's best-known woman's fragrances, in a statement on Wednesday.

Contacted by AFP, the house would not say why it chose a man for the first time as the face of No.5, which has been represented over the years by the likes of Catherine Deneuve, Nicole Kidman and Vanessa Paradis.

The most famous of all, Monroe once said in a 1953 interview that she slept wearing nothing but a splash of the perfume.

Pitt's involvement fuelled speculation that a man's version of the fragrance could be in the works, with the French website Daily ELLE reporting that it was set for launch within months.

Chanel would neither confirm nor deny the report.

No.5 was created in 1921 by the nose Ernest Beaux, as a special order from Coco Chanel herself, who wanted a unique scent to pair with her fashion designs.