DUBAI: Dutch Moroccan Egyptian model Imaan Hammam took to social media to promote artists from the MENA region with her 1.6 million Instagram followers in her latest bid to market Middle Eastern creativity online. The runway star — who is a fashion week staple and is currently the brand ambassador of cosmetics giant Estée Lauder — is known for dropping personally curated playlists of regional music for her social media fans, and she has now gone a step further by promoting regional artists. “Long, hot summer” the model captioned a carousel of paintings centered on the theme. She shared images of late Egyptian artist Hussein Bicar’s “Arouss Al-Nubia” (Nubian Bride) (1992), London-based Pippa El-Kadhi Brown’s “There’s a Whole World out There, in Here” (2022), Anuar Khalifi’s “Ghurba” (2020), as well as work by Sudanese artist Amani Azhari and Finnish Tunisian artist Dora Dalila Cheffi. Besides art, Hammam is a longtime music aficionado and often posts song recommendations on her Instagram Stories and boasts a dedicated “music” highlight on the social media platform — a permanent fixture for her followers. She even curated a playlist for Berlin-based record label Habibi Funk. The nearly three-hour-long playlist, which is available on Spotify, features a globally diverse mix of tunes that range from rai to dancehall, from artists all around the world, including Arabic favorites Cheb Mami and Ruba Shamshoum as well as icons such as Fela Kuti and Sade. It was not Hammam’s first time launching a playlist. In 2020, Rihanna’s now defunct luxury maison Fenty tapped the model, along with Jahleel Weaver and Compton-born music creative Steve Lacy, to help kick off the label’s Apple Music playlists series. Hammam is one of the most in-demand models in the industry. She was scouted in Amsterdam’s Centraal Station before making her catwalk debut in 2013 by walking in Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture show. Hammam has appeared on the runway for major fashion houses, such as Burberry, Fendi, Prada, Marc Jacobs, Moschino, Balenciaga and Carolina Herrera, to name a few, and starred in international campaigns for DKNY, Celine, Chanel, Versace, Givenchy, Giorgio Armani, Tiffany & Co. and more. She is also the global ambassador for US cosmetics giant Estee Lauder. Hammam previously spoke to the brand about her respect for Middle Eastern artistry. “I grew up as one of six children with a Moroccan mother and an Egyptian father. Growing up in a Western country, my parents made sure that we were proud of our roots and knew how to speak Arabic. They always surrounded me with our heritage at home through music, film and art.”