Meena Ayittey Crafts a Sense of Past, Present and Future in Empowering Debut Commercial for Afrocenchix

London-based production studio KODE is delighted to share ‘Natural Hair’ the debut commercial for Afrocenchix, directed by Meena Ayittey. The empowering 60” film, shot through an intimate lens, visualises the hair-care brand’s diverse range of natural and ethically sourced formulas, alchemised throughout history.

Afrocenchix itself, is a Black-owned business run by individuals who understand and care about those with Afro hair, so when it came to creating their first commercial Meena felt that “It was important to showcase a range of naturally curly hair types and textures.” Meaning the casting process was integral to the film’s success. She added, “I truly believe that the beauty of Afro hair is in the fact that there are so many variations in our hair types.”

Meena was gifted with a lot of creative freedom by the brand, who praised her choice of confronting audiences with the rich history of Afro hair. The marrying together of stills and archive footage, with her softly lit action shots, helped to create a poignant sense of past, present and future, which is embedded in the Afrocenchix ethos. “Authenticity is essential for me, so it was such an honour to work with the team at Afrocenchix who were open to explore creative avenues that really made this film come alive,” said Meena.

She concluded that “Collaborating with brands that share a common creative vision is something that makes the job all the more worthwhile. It's the satisfaction of contributing to something greater than the individual parts and the pleasure of seeing a shared vision come to life that makes these types of projects truly special.”