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Credit: Instagram @calvinklein
When Moonlight stole the spotlight from La La Land to take home Best Picture, Calvin Klein must have been cheering. The morning after, Moonlight’s cast members – Mahershala Ali, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes and Alex Hibbert – were the stars of the underwear giant’s brand new Spring 17 campaign. And as Ali described to WWD, it was their collective inclusion that was important.
“Any time I found myself in situations of affluence, opportunity or access, I was often the black guy,” said Ali who was the first Muslim American to ever take home an Academy Award when he accepted the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
“So to see a campaign flush with black faces being marketed to the general public, and not just the black populace, is somewhat groundbreaking.”
Credit: Instagram @calvinklein
Shot by Willy Vanderperre and under the new direction of Raf Simons, the campaign seemed a continuance of the film’s values; one that explored diversity and thus inclusivity. “It’s great to see yourself represented in all mediums,” said Rhodes. “I think it represents the minimising of an ideal we as an industry have held onto for too long—out of fear. I believe the win coupled with the campaign hits those prejudices in the mouth.”
Sanders echoed this sentiment. “This is a really cool opportunity to represent black men,” he said. “It’s ironically one and the same—they kind of coincide with each other…which is actually pretty rare.”
Credit: Instagram @calvinkelin
Credit: Instagram @calvinklein
Credit: Instagram @calvinklein
Credit: Instagram @calvinklein
