Ruba Abu-Nimah is currently global creative director at Revlon whose also held posts as Elle's creative director (the first woman to hold the title) and the global creative director at Shiseido, where she helped completely rejuvenate the brand's image.
She's a true aesthete whose Instagram diptychs inspire your favorite mood board curator's “things I'm going to bite” finsta. Her clear understanding of color theory and encyclopedic ability to recall the progenitors of photographs, works of art, automobiles, and buildings is something that is increasingly lost in a digital landscape of clout-chasers and aggregators.
Abu-Nimah recently hosted a series of Instagram Lives on the Highsnobiety account, convincing the likes of Angelo Baque, Tyshawn Johnson, William Strobeck, and Venus X to have frank conversations on life in quarantine and the state of the world. Her latest project is a personal collaboration with designer Phillip Lim launching on July 8.
Lim and Abu-Nimah have produced a small selection of screen-printed T-shirts, hoodies, and crewneck sweatshirts as part of the #NYTougherThanEver initiative. They're going to donate 100% of net proceeds to the Thrive Collective, an organization that provides opportunities through the arts and mentorships in public schools, and the Immigrant Justice Corps, a nonprofit advocating not just for immigrant rights in the courtroom, but fostering relationships between the law community and immigrant communities. The accompanying lookbook was shot by Noah Zangas.
“Our roots are grounded – where there is a riot, there is a revolution. This is a reminder that if enough of us get involved, change will come,” says Abu-Nimah in a statement. “The moment has a message: New York. Tougher than ever.”
T-shirts will cost $55, crewnecks will cost $95, and hoodies will cost $110. All three release July 8 on Phillip Lim's web store.
