If there’s one thing we’ve learned from A Black Lady Sketch Show, it’s that when a project is created, led, and executed by an all Black woman team, the result is magical. And of course, the melanin is popping. MIZANI’s newest global campaign is a testament to both. Created and executed entirely by women of color, with three Black women at the helm, it’s dripping with Black excellence, and of course, the magnificence of Black beauty.
“We believed it was time to refresh the look and feel of our beloved brand MIZANI; from the models’ hair looks, to our new vivid color palette and fresh tone of voice. The content we produce today is reflective of what resonates most with her,” said Tumi Soyinka, Assistant Vice President of Marketing Worldwide for MIZANI. “The heart of MIZANI is to empower our users to stay true to their authenticity and to champion the unlimited possibilities that the beautiful fabric of our textured hair lives for. So whether she wants to wig it, sleek it, braid it, twist it or wash n’ go it, the point is, MIZANI’s got it.”
The campaign is a relaunching for MIZANI with new branding and a new vision. Creative director Pekela Riley, and famed photographer Itaysha Jordan brought their unique perspectives and skills together, along with Soyinka, to bring that new vision to life. Designed and engrained in inclusivity, it’s clear from the beautiful visuals that the campaign is meant to empower women no matter what hair texture they choose to wear, no matter what hair goals they have.
“Unlike the drama and extravagance of past collections my expression in this body of work was to honor and reflect the ‘relatable’ and yet magically intriguing visual aspects of women we know and love in our daily lives,” said Pekela Riley. “[It’s] to declare our presence in every tone and texture, celebrate style classics in culture, and more emphatically being enough without the over the top elements and even sometimes disconnecting grandeur.”
With all the recent conversations about the representation of Black hair in campaigns, controversies over Black students being asked to cut their hair for jobs and intramural sports, and the need for the CROWN Act in all states, the representation of Black talent in all aspects of business is ever so important. The MIZANI campaign is refreshing in many ways, but mainly because it celebrates Black hair without enforcing a subjective ideal of what it should look like. Healthy hair is the goal, and that’s what the campaign promotes.
“I desire that the conversation around Black hair be about the health and condition versus length, or the constant assertion of victimizing or non-acceptance paradigms of texture types. By that I mean that even in loving all textures types, [there needs to be] the understanding of them enough to know when it has not been cared for in even the most organic of presentations,” she continued. “When women use MIZANI they will feel cared for genuinely. They will feel serviced in their hair uniqueness and at the core of every offering are whole-hearted innovations in what matters to them for hair care.”
“MIZANI is a brand that has your back no matter how you choose to wear your hair, and wants to empower women and men to love their texture and have fun with it.”
