Zendaya is the face of Smartwater’s campaign created in collaboration with the British Fashion Council’s talent support program Newgen.
The actress is largely known for her extraordinary looks on the red carpet, and this campaign was nothing less than that. Her long-time stylist, Law Roach, hand-picked five designers to dress her for the campaign including Conner Ives, Nensi Dojaka, Aaron Esh, Di Petsa, and Chet Lo.
Each campaign photo looks like a fashion spread, with a long flowing hooded dress by Conner Ives as one of the main shots. A water-like cutout white dress by Di Petsa adorned the actress in the campaign’s primary Instagram post. Another piece she wore was a bespoke flowing blue dress with a squiggle neckline by Newgen alumni, Dojoka.
Each look was naturally inspired by water, ebbing and flowing in their respective ways. The unlikely partnership is intriguing to see how fashion is centered even in the most unassuming places. Small designers are being highlighted to the public creatively, showing that the fashion industry doesn’t have to take itself so seriously. The British Fashion Council’s Chief Executive Officer, Caroline Rush, shared the following with WWD: “Through initiatives such as Newgen, the BFC is committed to supporting emerging design talent, and working with Smartwater, who are dedicated to using their platform to champion innovative thinkers, is an exciting opportunity.”
The Newgen program has nurtured over 300 designers, including Black designers Bianca Sauders, Priya Ahluwalia, Saul Nash, Grace Wales Bonner, and many more to come. Creating opportunities for such designers is a service not just to them but to the fashion industry as a whole by promoting diversity organically.