The Grammy-nominated artists embody the spirit of Brazil in a series of video and campaign images shot in Brickell, Miami.
Via Hypebeast 5/20/2024
Kenner, the Brazilian footwear brand known for its open-sneaker sandals, has long been rooted in funk, dance and Brazil’s b-boy and b-girl scenes, and along the way, on the come-up with Rio de Janeiro’s rising stars. The brand has remained emblematic of Brazilian culture, celebrating its diverse communities, from street performers to graffiti artists to funk artists and athletes. For its latest campaign, Kenner tapped two luminaries who embody the heart and soul of Brazil. Blending genres, bending expectations and bridging cultures, Grammy-nominated artists Masego and Anitta are creative chameleons who’ve amassed international audiences in Brazil and beyond. The duo brings the spirit of Brazil’s streets to Brickell, Miami, in a new brand campaign celebrating creative unity led by global brand ambassador Anitta.
Latin American royalty in her own right, Brazilian pop sensation Anitta is no novice to dominating the charts. Following her most recent album, Funk Generation (2024), she’s poised for a global takeover. Throughout her 15-year reign in the music industry, Anitta, born Larissa de Macedo Machado, has stylishly blended pop, Afrobeats, EDM and reggaeton while redefining the bounds of funk carioca. Her bombastic girl boss anthems, written in English, Spanish and Portuguese, embody the sultry rhythms native to Rio de Janeiro. Earlier in her career, collaborations with J. Balvin (“Downtown”), Major Lazer and Pabllo Vittar (“Sua Cara”) solidified her presence in the Latin market, and across six studio albums, she’s championed the electric energy of Brazilian funk and its unifying power across continents.
Now, as Kenner’s global brand ambassador, Anitta exemplifies the brand’s growing presence in the streetwear scene, from Rio de Janeiro to Miami — a cosmopolitan epicenter of Latin American culture. The campaign, shot in one day and produced over three months, celebrates the multicultural communities home to the city as Anitta and Masego open up about their fashion identities through a series of campaign shots and videos. Kenner produced a soundtrack to accompany the project, blending each artist’s unique stamp on pop, soul and funk music.
Jamaican-American recording artist Masego (Micah Davis) is a self-taught virtuoso known for his rich, layered instrumentations — a unique sound he’s coined as “trap house jazz.” Masego, like Anitta, has an ear for warm melodies and slick baselines; a true multi-hyphenate, he embellishes his compositions with sax, piano, guitar and lush drums that transcend the soul and R&B genres. His 2018 breakout debut, Lady Lady, married these genre-blending elements, with the standout track “Tadow” showcasing his poetic bravado and swoon-worthy lyricism. Semi-fluent in Portuguese, the artist spends his downtime in São Paulo, Rio and Salvador and has even noted Brazilian icons like Jorge Ben Jor, Tim Maia and Gilberto Gil as musical inspirations.
Together in action, Masego and Anitta embody the effortless cool synonymous with Kenner — the IYKYK swagger that breathes through the brand’s collection of open-toed silhouettes. Artists like L7NNON, FBC and VHOOR have also expressed appreciation for the brand’s unwavering connection to Brazil’s dance subcultures and a brand ethos that remains authentically Brazilian. As Kenner champions its Brazilian roots, the brand is positioned for global domination, with upcoming pop-ups at New York City’s Bowery Showroom on May 31 and June 1 (1-7 PM). In celebration of the campaign, Masego is hosting an artist event to coincide with his upcoming concert at SummerStage in Central Park on June 19.
For Kenner, the shoe that was once colloquially known as an “ugly sandal” has become a beloved staple of diversity, creativity and uninhibited expression and an emblem of today’s most notable artists around the globe. Exploring this creative synergy through the lens of Anitta and Masego, Kenner makes its mark as a rising brand bigger than the sum of its sandals.