Onitsuka Tiger Taps Willow Smith As Its New Global Brand Ambassador
The songstress strikes a pose in a desolate desert, wearing the brand's Fall/Winter 2020 collection
What do you get when you a combine a millennial world-renowned artist with one of today's hottest Japanese sportswear brands? A fusion of music, fashion, pop art and a whole lot of colourful patchwork.
Dressed in pieces from Onitsuka Tiger's Fall/Winter 2020 collection, Willow Smith successfully pulls off the brand's contemporary designs, while playfully merging Onitsuka's heritage with her youthful energy. The campaign takes us on a throwback moment, referencing Willow's 2011 music video for her hit song "21st Century Girl", also shot in a similar desert landscape.
Willow has come a long way from the young singing sensation who released her first single at the age of 10, and Onitsuka Tiger has taken notice. "Willow Smith is a woman blessed with universal humanism and excellent creativity, going beyond the limits of Generation Z or Millennials," explained the Communication Team of Onitsuka Tiger. "We feel a strong affinity and joy as a brand for the fact that we can collaborate with someone who has both a unique perspective on society and intelligence and shares that message globally," says the Onitsuka Tiger team.
Andrea Pompilio, the Creative Director of Onitsuka Tiger, wanted the campaign to highlight Willow’s natural beauty and strength as well as her love for the Earth, which "oozed from the bottom of her soul", he says.
As the brand ambassador, Willow is in good company. She joins the ranks of her father who last year, fronted a 44-second social media film released to celebrate Onitsuka Tiger's 70th anniversary.
As part of the global #BlackLivesMatter movement, Onitsuka Tiger will donate a portion of the proceeds made from of the sale of this campaign to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (https://www.naacpldf.org/) in a show of solidarity.
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