Summer of white
When we were approached by Nike x Vice, they wanted us to portray visuals of a campaign called “Summer Of White” associated with the #mywhitesneaker hashtag. Selecting from a variety of sneakers, we chose the Airmax97 model and decided to elaborate on its aesthetics.
Two Art Directors, Ali Cha’aban and Rayan Nawawi wanted to express the nostalgia of that model and the aesthetics or feel surrounding it, so we came with the phrase “Satellite culture,” a phrase we tend to think about when we visualize an age before the internet. Most of our information was consumed from what was seen on TV. When it came to creating the visuals for the Airmax97, these were the notions that were taken into consideration. These are the aspects we tried to envision, a revisit to the past with a humble conscience. Symbolizing the humble “thobe” a garment we wear that makes us all equal, whether rich or poor, we all wear it. Our concern with the traditional attire is a a form of esteem, we wear it with pride because it has so much history which is our connection to the past.
The statement here was, a nostalgic interpretation of a white and cleaner past.
The approach to the Nike campaign was the idea of less is more, minimalist proposition that tends to highlight the white hues. That approach allowed us to visualize the 90s era without the complications of the internet and the technological age, a simpler times that appreciated simpler things. Trying to transcend from the average editorial shoots by focusing on history and culture rather than aesthetically pleasing visuals.
Vogue Arabia and Dubai Design & Fashion Council's Fashion Prize program, an annual endowment for the Arab world’s most promising emerging talents.
The annual competition celebrates the region’s finest emerging designers across ready-to-wear, accessories, and fine jewelry. Since the initiative launched, hundreds of designers from twenty countries across the Arab world have applied.
Art Director Ali Cha'aban
Photographer Rayan Nawawi
Artist Ali Cha’aban, photographer Rayan Nawawi, and Saudi Arabian designer Mohammed Khoja of Hindamme have collaborated for the first time. Naturally, the results are thought-provoking, aesthetically on-point, and oozing cool. In a series of photographs featuring Hindamme’s Fall 2017 collection, the artists explore motifs of Arab culture and investigate the tension of today’s Middle Eastern identity. Cha’aban describes the project as “a research of how we remix our heritage as well as our customs into one melting pot.” Vogue.me explores the dynamism between the meeting of these three minds…
Art Direction: Nawawi studio
Photography: Nawawi Studio
Dress: Latifa Bint Saad
