Malia Obama is a very busy 26-year-old. When she's not giving us fashion inspiration while hanging out with her younger sister, Sasha Obama, she's working as a director. Recently, she directed the A'ja Wilson “A'One” shoe vignette in connection with the main commercial for the launch of her Nike signature sneaker.
The sneaker itself has been in the works for a while now and is set to launch May 6. It will be available for purchase at 10 A.M. EST. The A’One is a new silhouette — and Wilson’s first Nike signature shoe. It was designed to “push her performance to new heights and leave defenders in the dust.”
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“If you think you’ve seen my best, think again,” Wilson said in a press release. This silhouette is meant to deliver the ultimate blend of comfort and versatility, engineered to give hoopers everything they need — cushioning, traction, fit, and support.
The Cushlon ST2 foam works with a firmer base to deliver explosive responsiveness and smooth, cushioned landings, allowing athletes to stay ready for every play. It also features a reimagined traction pattern that lets you cut, pivot, and move side to side with precision. While the supportive insole and breathable mesh upper lock you in for unstoppable, dynamic movement.
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“The A’One is meant to go the distance, taking control from the jump and dominating the floor on every play,” Wilson says. “From the beginning, we designed the shoe to both support my game and to provide young hoopers a tool to help them level up. The A’One aces that assignment, delivering exactly what I need to push my performance and inspiring the next generation to give it their all on every play.”
The commercial about the shoe has gone viral online, with many applauding its expression of young Black girlhood through fashion, beauty, and athleticism. Between the little girls wearing braids with “A'ja” going across their hair in beads to colorful bobos and barrettes placed in the commercial stars' hair to the pink bodysuits worn by the Benedict College cheerleaders, the entire commercial encompasses Wilson's southern upbringing. The commercial managed to highlight all the ways in which young Black girls' sense of style and confidence can shine when supported. Jade Li-English got behind-the-scene images of the shoot, which you can see here.
Malia Obama — another iconic young Black woman — served as director in the secondary vignette for the launch of the A'One shoe, which features Wilson and one of the young girls. The little girl is teaching Wilson the commercial's main song (a remix of the popular nursery rhyme “Miss Mary Mack” featuring details about Wilson) that plays throughout the commercial.
Obama has written and directed other projects, working on the Amazon Prime Video series Swarm, as well as her short film The Heart. With her stepping into the sports world, working with athletic fashion brands like Nike, we hope to see a lot more merging of fashion and sports in the near future.
