Dior Commercial Episode 4: Ruth Ginika Ossai - Feminine, plural 2025

VIDEO Christian Dior Episode 4: Ruth Ginika Ossai - Feminine, plural TV commercial 2019 • In this episode, meet photographer Ruth Ginika Ossai, who creates luminous stories themed around ephemeral beauty: a visual journey that captures the elegance of the Dior Cruise 2020 collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri. Discover more about her story in this video. 00:05 Surprisingly they contacted me on email. 00:08 I don’t have a website; I just have Instagram — 00:10 that’sit. I don’t have an agent — I don’t have anything. 00:12 They emailed me, I sent my ideas, 00:15 sent my model requests. 00:16 I think I sent like 50 models that I knew were in South Africa, 00:18 even Nigerian models that were in South Africa that I know, like Demi 00:21 and we kind of agreed with 5 backdrops. 00:24 So, the backdrops we print with my team in Nigeria. 00:26 They all vary sometimes they are screen-printed, hand painted, 00:29 different fabrics we use. 00:31 I started shooting backdrops because, this is funny, 00:34 I was supposed to go with my grandmother and grandfather for a burial 00:36 and everyone was like: “Oh my god! It looks so good. 00:38 Snap it with this palm tree” because it’s like make-believe. 00:41 You are in a fantasy world. 00:42 Maybe you were in the middle of the village 00:45 but really, we’re pretending that we are on a beach in Miami. 00:48 so, every time I snap my family they’ll be like “Oh my god! 00:51 Bring this backdrop — I want this backdrop.” 00:53 And then we just started printing more and more and more 00:55 and then people have liked it and it’s kind of my signature now. 01:00 It was important to me to have a mixed cast 01:03 and black models being the majority. 01:06 It wasn’t the stereotypical scene, 01:08 I wanted to do my signature with fashion. 01:11 I think, for me, I just wanted to show people as they are 01:14 not really anything over the top. 01:16 No over the top hair, no over the top make-up. 01:19 Just the models as they were in the clothes. 01:24 There were certain looks I wanted to pick, certain looks I didn’t want to pick. 01:27 And, for me, that’s not because I didn’t like them, 01:30 it was more: what works with my backdrop, what doesn’t work with my backdrop, 01:33 what works well on the models’ skin, 01:35 what works well in terms of composition and grouping. 01:38 So, for me, I was picking clothes with a more aesthetic appeal 01:42 rather than just what the clothes are. 01:44 It was just my interpretation of the Dior Collection. 01:48 I actually went to Morocco to the show. 01:51 The catwalk itself was beautiful. 01:53 For me, it was the set, the sound, everything was so overpowering. 01:56 It was great! 01:57 In terms of Maria collaborating with other designers 02:00 Grace Wales Bonner who’s a good friend of mine 02:02 and Nelson Mandela’s tailor and the wax print people. 02:06 And we’re talking about this at the show in Morocco 02:08 and for me, from what I heard, 02:11 you didn’t have to do it this way or that way. 02:14 It was almost like a free interpretation of the collection, 02:17 and what it means to that designer she collaborated with. 02:20 I think it’s been great. 02:21 If you actually find the correct information, 02:24 research it properly and not jump to conclusions, 02:27 I think she has done it in the correct way. 02:29 Maria has collaborated with the designers and let them have free range 02:33 as to how they want to interpret the collection. 02:36 There’s been 8 African photographers, like heritage photographers. 02:40 I think it’s been really strong. 02:41 We always say, especially in Nigeria, it is a male dominated industry 02:45 and I even struggle. I text my friends: “I need to find female stylists”, 02:48 “I need to find female make-up artists — help me!”. 02:50 But I think it’s really great that she has brought female photographers here 02:53 to do this collection because it really doesn’t happen often. 02:56 It was a good collaboration. 02:57 The images look beautiful and the models enjoyed their time. 03:00 I think overall, it’s been great.- advertisement spot 2019