Josephine Rais x Essie

27th August 2024

“Colour is how I spread joy”

This summer, one TDF artist had her TVC debut. Working closely with renowned nail care brand Essie, Josephine Rais starred in a global campaign all about how colour expresses individuality.

Familiar with Josephine’s work and her dopamine-boosting palette, the Essie team reached out to to kickstart the collaboration: “We love the way you use vivid, feel-good colours in your creations and the joy and dynamism that comes through in every single thing you create.”

Josephine flew out to Cape Town to shoot the campaign – her first time in-front of the camera. “Being in the spotlight, especially on par with my art, is outside of my comfort zone,” she admits. “But the experience was amazing, it pushed me to grow and see my work from a new perspective.

For Josephine, too, the collaboration felt like a great match. “In my memory, Essie was one of the first brands to introduce an incredible variety of nail polish colours,” she tells us. “So, when the request came in I immediately thought, this is such a great fit! I love the palette that Essie offers.”

Following the global commercial, the TDF artist was selected for the roll-out in her native Germany. Crafting an enormous mural in bustling Berlin has been a life-long dream for Josephine, “This has been on my bucket list forever, and now it’s finally happening,” she says. “The location is perfect—it’s such a busy spot. It’s not just a personal achievement but also a way to share my creativity with the community.

In any artist collaboration, creative freedom is always appreciated. Josephine’s full involvement resulted in a heightened sense of authenticity. “Essie gave us the freedom to stay true to our vision and creativity,” she says. “This level of trust and collaboration made the experience truly rewarding and inspiring, allowing us to create something that felt like us.

As Josephine says in the commercial, “Colour is how I spread joy”. Get your daily dose of that here.

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