YARA SHAHIDI X ADIDAS

Yara designed a collection forged of her Black and Iranian identity. So we created a print campaign to match.

WE DON’T INTEGRATE, WE RECREATE

As a creative, you’re always drawing from the well of cultural inspiration from your youth.

But growing up Iranian, there’s a folder of imagery in my mind that never ends up in my work. Not much call for Iranian references in advertising.

That is, until Yara came along.

Her Adidas collection is created from memories of her own Iranian childhood, like the textiles and fabrics she remembered growing up in her grandfather’s carpet shop.

The concept we came up with together was simple but satisfying. Four models, their key art created from magazine covers that related to their heritage.

Art boards were designed not only in Farsi, but also Twi and Tamil.

And I got to spend an absurd amount of time looking at magazines from Ghana, India, Iran and 1970’s Black American culture. Basically, heaven.

Models: Yara Shahidi, Andrea Thomas, Dora Owusu, Duckwrth

Shot by the exceptional Nailah Howze