Namshi teamed up with global fashion brand Tommy Jeans to launch Style Academy, a campaign that reimagines the school experience through the unapologetic lens of Gen Z.
“The idea came from a simple flip: what if Back-to-School wasn’t students learning from teachers, but the other way around? Gen Z teaching, adults taking notes. It’s a role-reversal that captures exactly who they are – a generation that doesn’t wait for permission. They lead, they create, they move culture forward,” says Medha Kapur, Head of Brand Partnerships, Namshi.
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Flipping the back-to-school script
Both Tommy and Namshi recognise that Gen Z in the region are more than confident. They are socially aware, entrepreneurial, and often outpacing older generations in activism, trendsetting, and cultural influence. As a result, this campaign breaks away from traditional fashion campaigns and instead puts Gen Z in the driver’s seat.
Style Academy hands Gen Z the reins – from renaming the principal’s office “Style HQ” to owning the hallways in full Tommy drip. The campaign is a vibrant mix of youth culture, self-expression and rebellion, wrapped in a playful, nostalgic school setting.
“This had to feel true to the region, and with Namshi, it was never going to be anything else. We shot in a local school, the perfect backdrop for our ‘Style Academy’ concept, instantly relatable whether you’re in school now or grew up here. The content was bilingual, Arabic and English, to be inclusive and reach the full audience,” says Kapur.
She adds, “We leaned on influencer-led storytelling, with regional voices adding credibility, humor, and a sense of belonging. We tapped into cultural nostalgia – a Captain Majid T-shirt, a retro MP3 player – to spark conversations and build an emotional bridge between generations. The role-reversal concept added humor and relatability, so nothing felt staged.”
This was a digital-first campaign, rolled out 360 across Namshi’s own channels – customer emails, push notifications, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. It also had a dedicated landing page on the Namshi app and website gave audiences an immersive, shoppable experience with influencers and talent.
Community-led storytelling
Style Academy positioned itself not just to blend in, but to spark conversations. It aimed to drive results by creating digital-first experiences and activations that genuinely excite people, whilst highlighting community – led storytelling.
The message is clear: style isn’t just fashion, its culture.
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Style Academy
In a bid for authenticity, all Gen Z cast members are real locals from the UAE, not professional models.
This deliberate choice reflects the campaign’s core mission – to truly represent and empower Namshi and Tommy Jeans’ target audience. By casting individuals who live and breathe the culture they portray, the campaign resonates on a deeper, more relatable level with regional youth.
Leading the charge are prominent regional figures like Dania Fawaz and Mohammed Kindy, whose presence amplifies the campaign’s spirit and connection to the Middle Eastern Gen Z community.
“We handpicked the cast for authenticity – people who could really connect with Gen Z. They weren’t just faces, they were storytellers. Mohamed Kindy, one of the region’s favourite comedians, nailed the role of the awkward adult trying to keep up in a nostalgic Captain Majid T-shirt. Dania Fawaz brought the confidence and attitude that anchored the campaign. We rounded it out with a mix of Gen Z community leaders and good-sport adults, making the story bold, fun, and instantly relatable. And when their own communities picked it up, the campaign spread organically, driving conversations and engagement far beyond paid reach,” says Kapur.
Style Academy is more than just a fashion campaign – it’s a statement of identity, style, and cultural pride for a generation rewriting the rules on their own terms. The campaign measured success through impressions, engagement, and product sell-through. While final numbers are still coming in, the early signs are strong – the campaign has already driven high visibility and sparked real organic buzz across social media.
This collaboration marks one of the first times a global brand like Tommy Jeans has partnered so closely with a regional e-commerce platform to co-create a campaign that’s both culturally relevant and creatively bold.
Credits:
Concept & Creative: Namshi’s Marketing Team
Brand Partner: Tommy Jeans, PVH Corp. (Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation)
