Isamaya Ffrench, the British makeup artist and creator who counts Rihanna, Madonna, Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner as clients while maintaining consultancy roles at Tom Ford, YSL and Christian Louboutin, shown right, worked with Nike on creating new colorways of the latest Nike Air Max Dn.
“It’s been inspiring, working with athletes throughout this journey with Nike—and humbling to feel that the things I’m creating help these women feel good and give them the confidence to perform at their peak and define their own authentic creativity in expression,” said Ffrench.
Ffrench channels that sentiment into reimagining the Air Max Dn silhouette with a dual-chamber, four-tubed Nike Air unit to deliver “comfort, a smooth stride and max bounce” in bold color palettes inspired by her beauty line.
“For me, the most inspiring thing about the Dn silhouette is how much opportunity it presents to play with texture, color and materials,” Ffrench said. “My favorite parts of the design are probably the rand and heel, where we were able to add metallic tones underneath a glossy acrylic, giving those parts of the shoe an even more extreme and textural look— juxtaposing them against the matte of the upper and sole.”
In creating “her” Air Max Dn colorways, Nike said in a media release that “Ffrench drew inspiration from women athletes whose influence extends from the field of play to the fashion world.”
“Female athletes show that you can have it all,” Ffrench said. “You can have prowess in sport. You can be at the top of your game. You can take an interest in your appearance. You can express yourself in as many ways as you want and still be a top athlete. Beauty doesn’t undermine any of that. Beauty actually enhances it.”
Ffrench’s credits also include having been the global beauty director of Burberry Beauty and the visionary behind Byredo’s makeup collection. She has collaborated with most major fashion publications, including W and Vogue (British, French, Italian, and American). She has a makeup line (Isamaya), is on the Advisory Board of the British Beauty Council and regularly contributes to the Business of Fashion.
The Nike Air Max Dn x Isamaya Ffrench sneaker will be available globally in beige and chocolate brown at nike.com and select retail partners beginning December 20.
Images courtesy Nike
