The fashion world has long been called out on its lack of diversity, and while it’s still in progress of building an all-inclusive industry, we’ve witnessed the rise of Arab talent, who championed through and have redefined fashion as we know it. Be it the Hadid sisters, Imaan Hammam, Nour Rizk, Shanina Shaik, or Nora Attal – here are the iconic fashion campaigns featuring Arab talent in all its glory.
Nour Arida For Boucheron
Lebanese influencer Nour Arida front French label Boucheron’s festive campaign series titled “Together as One,” alongside famous personalities Alexa Chung, Dongyu Zhou, Lu Han, Hannah Quinlivan, Youn-Jung, and Rola. Arida donned pieces from the “Wladimir the Cat” collection.
Gigi and Bella Hadid For Versace
Most recently, The Hadid sisters partnered with the opulent label for its Spring 2022 campaign alongside the fashion mogul Donatella Versace. The Palestinian-American supermodels featured wearing latex and metal mesh dresses with the brand’s popular La Medusa bags. “Family is always at the heart of everything I do, which is why I love Bella and Gigi so much. They perfectly exemplify the strength between sisters, and they share that message to our Versace sisterhood worldwide,” said Donatella in a statement.
Gigi shared campaign shots on her Instagram with the caption, “Family. Being a Versace girl has been one of my greatest honours over the years, but the most valued moments are the ones with you @donatella_versace. If you get to know your heroes, and they’re better than you could have dreamed, remind them! I love you DV, and appreciate you so much.”
Nora Attal For JW Anderson
At the young age of 16, Nora Attal caught the attention of the fashion world from the JW Anderson SS14 campaign. Since then, the now 22-year-old has worked for other fashion brands such as Prada, Elie Saab, Oscar de la Renta, Hermès, Roberto Cavalli, Fendi, Chanel, Valentino, Dior, Versace, and more.
Ramla Ali and Nadia Nadim for Dior
Creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior Vibe campaign highlighted eight sports professionals – Somali boxer Ramla Ali, Afghan-Danish footballer Nadia Nadim, Greek athlete Athina Koini, Italian ballet dancer Eleonora Abbagnato, Chinese fencer Sun Yiwen and surfer Darsea Liu, Korean figure skater Yuna Kim, and American skateboarder Briana King.
“Sport has played a great role in the emancipation of women,” said the designer. “I think we need to remember that women have had to fight to play their favorite sports… [and] that fight still goes on today.”
Sarah Taibah, Domie Alsalim, Yara Alnamlah and Faisal Alghazzawi for Jean Paul Gaultier
To commemorate Saudi Arabia’s 91st National Day, Jean Paul Gaultier launched for the first time in a Middle Eastern country by releasing a film created by an all-Saudi team. The campaign for the collection featured popular Saudi stars such as Sarah Taibah, Domie Alsalim, Yara Alnamlah and Faisal Alghazzawi.
Imaan Hammam, Nora Attal and Malika El-Maslouhi For Jacquemus
Jacquemus’ campaign titled “L’Amour,” saw three trailblazers Dutch-Egyptian-Moroccan Imaan Hammam, British-Moroccan Nora Attal and Moroccan-Italian Malika El-Maslouhi, showcasing the brand’s spring 2021 collection. That’s not it, the campaign’s soundtrack was composed by Moroccan-Belgian star Hamza.
Sherouk Farid For Louis Vuitton
The Egyptian-Lebanese-Greek model Sherouk Farid stunned Louis Vuitton’s Ramadan capsule collection in 2021. She’s currently signed by part UNN Models and is also the face of Dima Jewelry.
Pam Nasr For Valentino
Valentino’s Spring-Summer 2020 campaign spotlighted Lebanese film-maker and stylist Pam Nasr wearing a white shirt with balloon sleeves. “A freshness of mood, a hybridization of perspective. White, the colour that lives in close relationship with the whole chromatic spectrum, comes to life for #ValentinoSS20,” the brand wrote on its Instagram account. Nasr also recently directed the Versace Jeans Couture Holiday 2020 campaign.
