It’s awesome to see celebrities using their platforms to promote awareness, so we love the message rapper T.I. is sending with his clothing label AKOO. The brand recently released a campaign video for its 11x HUMAN collection, which helps to shed light on violence and racism.
The video, directed by John Merizalde and narrated by Michael “Killer Mike” Render from Run the Jewels, shows the impact violence and racism has on individuals and communities. It begins by asking questions, such as “If not us, then who? And if not now, when?” It goes on to show a young black man being chased by the police and other striking scenes. The film also focuses on poignant moments between friends and family.
Merizalde told AdWeek, “The campaign pushes a sense of social consciousness and responsibility around issues of racial violence, urging a sense of shared humanity as a way of counteracting increased brutality.” Sabai Burnett, Vice President of Marketing at AKOO, also shared, “Our goal was to be reflective of the violence that we inflict on our own community and not just limit the focus on external factors such as poverty, poor education, and the actions of the police. This films is the crescendo of our artistic viewpoint—heavily graphic and unapologetic.”
It’s amazing to see a fashion campaign do more than just try to sell clothes. The social justice issues AKOO has tried to highlight in their campaign are ones that need to be discussed more often if we can ever hope to resolve them. We’re looking forward to seeing if this campaign inspires more celebrities and fashion brands to use their fame to promote awareness and discourse about such important issues.