Lemonade director Kahlil Joseph creates short film for Kenzo’s SS17 campaign

For Kenzo’s SS17 campaign the fashion house has partnered once again with director Kahlil Joseph. Recognised for directing Beyonce’s Lemonade alongside music videos for Arcade Fire, FKA Twigs and Flying Lotus, the director last worked with Kenzo in 2014.

Filmed in Los Angeles, the short film Music Is My Mistress doesn’t make fashion the main focus, portraying a range of black artists and activists. Starring Tracee Ellis Ross and Jesse Williams, the short is accompanied by music from Kelsey Lu and politically charged rap group, Shabazz Palaces. The narrative follows Jesse looking across LA for a woman of “African royalty”. The sun-filled colour footage is interspersed with monochrome segments, alongside short bursts of silence adding to the intensity of the film. 

The film puts Kenzo once again at the forefront of fashion films, displaying its current collection in a nonconventional way.