Burberry unveils Ikram Abdi Omar as first hijab-clad model to star in festive campaign
DUBAI: UK-raised model Ikram Abdi Omar has just been revealed as the first hijab-wearing star to feature in Burberry’s annual festive season campaign.
Born in Sweden to Somali parents and raised in the UK, the model is part of a cohort of fresh faces who will appear in the campaign, which is set to be unveiled on Nov. 13.
Omar is joined in the campaign by the likes of Chinese actress Zhou Dongyu, artist Boychild, filmmaker Wu Tsang, Brazilian model Lea T, Russian model Sasha Pivovarova, South Korean actor Yoo Ah-in and footballer Ruben Loftus-Cheek, as well as musicians Mahmood and Carla Bruni.
Burberry’s creative director Riccardo Tisci teased fans with a sneak peak of the adverts over the weekend, with fairies and fauns seeming to be the theme for the magical campaign.
Omar was the first hijab-wearing model to be signed to elite London agency Bookings Models and made her fashion week debut with designer Molly Goddard in 2018. Since then, the model has graced the covers of international magazines and worked with luxury e-retailer The Modist.
She took to Instagram to share her excitement about the upcoming campaign.
“Do you know what’s crazy, last year I met @naomi ‘s mum @valeriemorriscampbell and congratulated her for being featured in the 2018 Burberry festive campaign with her daughter,” she said, referring to iconic British model Naomi Campbell and her mother.
“I can’t believe that I’m part of this year’s @burberry festive campaign omggg! It’s out Nov 13th and I can’t wait to show you guys the images (sic),” she added.
“I have always looked at magazines and I’ve always seen not enough representation and thought ‘I can be that person to change that,’” Omar told the BBC in 2018.
“We need to be more inclusive in the industry, there are a lot of different faces out there that need to be recognized,” she added.
“I want to be the hijabi model that walks for brands like Givenchy, Louis Vuitton and Gucci. I want to be at a stage where when they think of a hijabi model, they think of me,” she later told The Modist’s monthly magazine.
Past stars of Burberry’s famously creative festive campaigns include Cara Delevingne, Matt Smith and Romeo Beckham — indicating that this year’s shift toward diversity is a conscious choice by the British brand.
