PROJECT FOCUS
ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR
NIKE
NIKE x VICE
A nostalgic interpretation of a white and cleaner past.
ART DIRECTION
PHOTOGRAPHY
CHALLENGE
We were approached by Nike x Vice to create visuals for a campaign called “Summer Of White” along with the hashtag #mywhitesneaker. Among the variety of sneakers they represented to us, we landed on the choice of Air Max 97 and decided to elaborate on its aesthetics.
When the two art directors, Ali Cha’aban and Rayan Nawawi, were thinking of a concept to create for this campaign, they were inspired by the era in which “Airmax97'' was released. They envisioned how they used to spend their days in the 90s and felt that it was necessary to express the nostalgia they had. The process of coming up with the concept was a revisit to the past with a humble conscience. From their visualization of the age before the internet, they were inspired to come up with the phrase “Satellite culture” and with the setting location of rooftops.
APPROACH
The approach to the Nike campaign was the idea of less is more, a minimalist proposition that tends to highlight the white hues. We aimed to transcend from the average editorial shoots by focusing on history and culture rather than aesthetically pleasing visuals.
Therefore, guided by our values of local culture and global standards, we wanted to go out of the ordinary and link the theme of white with the symbolization of “thobes” a traditional attire that is a form of esteem and pride and holds the connection to our history and heritage.
The statement made behind the visuals was a nostalgic interpretation of a white and pure past.
Nawawi Studio.
/TESTIMONIALS
“When the duo embarked on a nostalgic cultural reverie. The kind that breaks the boundaries on global identity and just so happens to tap into the urban zeitgeist. The result? A sequence of striking photographs amid a rooftop scene, with isolated shots of man and machine.”
— Philippa Morgan, Vogue Arabia (2017)
nawawi creative studio.
Nawawi Studio.
GET NOSTALGIC
FOR THE 90’S
/ART DIRECTION & PHOTOGRPAHY
“The shoot joins an unofficial movement of millennial Middle Eastern artists who tap into their Arabic roots with an unexpected spin on modernity (check Najd Al Taher). Not only is Cha’aban and Nawawi’s shoot refreshing, the outcome is also strangely evocative.”
— Caline Malek, Arab News (2021)
Nawawi Studio.
/RESEARCH AND PLAN
How the dream went viral from
a 25 years old roof.
THE JOURNEY TO REPRESENTATION
We couldn’t find a perfect modern location that would fit our idea.
We decided to go in another direction and show a cultural aspect, so we found the location on our roof!
SEC.
/BEHIND THE SCENES
SEC.
/2.0
We represented the White through our clothes and with the elements in the visual, and we called it satellite culture.
nawawi creative studio.
Nawawi Studio.
/IMPACT
