Amiri 'Icon' Fall 2023 Ad Campaign

Review of Amiri ‘Icon’ Fall 2023 Ad Campaign by Photographer Karim Sadli with Talent Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli

Amiri enlists Black Star, one of hip hop’s most iconic duos, to front the brand’s new Fall 2023 campaign. The pair of rappers was captured by photographer Karim Sadli.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of hip hop, and Mike Amiri honored the occasion by making the most explicit reference yet to the genre and ensuing style that has always been a major influence on his work. The designer samples 70s soul and 80s NYC rap to cut together a kind of greatest hits set filtered through his own Paris-by-way-of-LA perspective.

Composed of rappers Yasiin Bey (AKA Mos Def) and Talib Kweli, the iconic Black Star is an excellent casting choice to front the campaign for a collection that honors the trailblazers of hip hop, and speaks to the increasing cultural sway of the brand. Not only were Black Star one of the most prominent acts in guiding forward the hip-hop sounds of the 90s, but they have also been major contributors for hip hop’s status as an intellectual force to address and resist societal issues and the ongoing systematic oppression of Black Americans.

Captured in a nostalgically wood-paneled interior, Sadli’s portraits of the duo exude confidence and charisma, putting a simple focus on the personalities of the artists while their composed looks nod to the legacy of hip hop and their own role in shaping it.

It is almost impossible to overstate hip hop’s influence on the contemporary fashion landscape, and Amiri is perspicacious to pay homage to the enduring legacy of this music and cultural movement – and a partnership with Black Star is one of the most impressive ways the brand could have done it.