PUMA’s CALI Chase sneaker is all about chasing your dreams. So, it only makes sense for the sportswear giant to tap Emirati designer Sara Al Arif for their latest campaign, bringing their Washed Ashore series to a close.
Directed by Lebanese filmmaker Mohamed Abdouni, the film sheds light on the worlds of female Arab artists, among them the Kuwait-based Aidha Badr, Lebanese actress Reem Khoury and Jordanian singer King Deco.
In the final episode of Washed Ashore Sara, co-founder of Dubai-based design studio, Twothirds Design Bureau comes to the forefront.
Sara, like the women that preceded her, is the perfect example of an empowered Arab woman.
Alongside her work as a designer Arif is also a partner in Akwan, a Dubai-based brand targeting Arabs in the wider world with a mission to instill the love of Arabic language in children across the globe.
Currently, Al Arif and Akwan are designing playgrounds for both children and adults to be installed in public spaces across the region.
“The shooting experience was totally new to me,” says Al Arif, reflecting on her time filming Washed Ashore “it was very exciting and not the typical kind of set and crew I would say,” she continued whilst sporting the latest iteration of the CALI sneaker, named the ‘Chase’, a modern interpretation in the same spirit of the brand’s iconic California shoe from 1980’s.
As Washed Ashore comes to an end, the links between Al Arif and the three women before her become clear. Not directly connected, but all four walk the same path towards greatness and ingenuity, a character-trait embodied in the spirit of PUMA’s latest collection.
Words by Thais Kelly
