Ms. Lauryn Hill Designs Woolrich Collection and Stars in Campaign

Woolrich’s Fall/Winter 2018 campaign will feature musicians who are “at the very heart of American culture,” the clothing brand announced Monday.

Up first: Ms. Lauryn Hill, starring in her first fashion campaign, titled “Woolrich: American Soul since 1830.” The singer-rapper, who says she has been sewing her own clothes for five years (!!), also designed a capsule collection for the American heritage brand and lent her neo-soul music to the launch.

Hill customized several designs that will be debuting in Woolrich stores and retailers in North America and Europe. For the ad, she wears Woolrich outerwear with her album cover art screen-printed on pieces, including the Silverton Coat and the Arctic Parka. The styles also feature bold text and embellished appliqués on shoulders and sleeves.

“American soul music, to me, is a continuum, a tremendous legacy of tradition if you will that communicates love’s survival — through hardship, suppression and other challenges,” reads a Woolrich video with Hill’s vocals.

“The opportunity to work with Ms. Hill was the perfect start to our ongoing ‘American Soul’ project, highlighting Woolrich’s American heritage,” said creative director Andrea Cane. “We wanted Ms. Hill to bring her unique artistic eye to the product and DNA of the brand, so we invited her to put her own spin on these classic Woolrich styles.” (One of the oldest outdoor clothing manufacturers in the U.S., the brand has been headquartered in Pennsylvania since 1830.)

Photographed by Jack Davison at West 175th Street in New York City’s Washington Heights, the campaign imagery evokes Hill’s 1998 “Doo-Wop/That Thing” music video. The five-time Grammy winner is pictured with a bold red lip, blue eyeliner, a fur-trimmed hoodie and red Buffalo check coat, among other items, in the stylized campaign.

“We chose Ms. Hill as the first collaborator for ‘Woolrich: American Soul since 1830’ because her music is one of the most important cultural exports from America in the last 30 years,” said Framework creative director Brian Phillips in a statement. “Ms. Hill’s style, her creativity, and her words are lasting. She truly resonates with people of all ages, and this is a moment when all eyes are back on her.”

Repped by UTA, Hill is currently on her 20th anniversary tour. She performs next on Aug. 10 in Finland, and will stop at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 18.

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