Luxury hospitality group Jumeirah has launched a global brand campaign that places Arab cultural identity at the center of its international positioning, marking the start of a two-year repositioning developed with strategic agency partner Soursop.
The new direction moves away from conventional international luxury imagery and instead draws on Arab hospitality traditions expressed through poetry, art, design, and lived cultural practices.
Launched during Ramadan, the campaign takes the form of an editorial-led project consisting of an art book and a short film that together explore themes of welcome and cultural exchange.
The initiative, conceived and creatively led by Soursop for Jumeirah, centres on a book titled Where Worlds Meet and a cinematic work, Our Flame, bringing together writers, artists, and designers from the Arab world and beyond.
The book and film draw inspiration from the majlis, the Arab tradition of gathering poets, thinkers, and guests, translating the concept into a contemporary framework for global artistic collaboration.
The project is anchored by an original poem written by Emirati author Shamma Al Bastaki and a short film directed by Emmanuel Adjei, whose previous collaborations include work with Beyoncé, Madonna, FKA twigs and Zendaya. Agency production was handled by Whale Amsterdam, and the production company was 100 percent.
The film centers on a single flame carried across Dubai, London, Capri, Bali, and Mallorca as well as the open sea, symbolising warmth and welcome across cultures.
In the book, visual artists and designers contribute works that reflect contemporary Arab creativity and its global connections.
Photographer Lamya Gargash’s Majlis series (2008–2009) explores domestic interiors as cultural spaces, while contemporary artist Farah Al Qasimi, whose work has been exhibited at the Guggenheim and Tate Modern, represents a generation shaping Gulf visual language within the international art scene.
Arabic typography is interpreted through work by Mooni Studio and Egyptian designer Fares Waleed, while Iraqi calligrapher Majid Al-Yousef contributes original pieces rooted in the tradition of Arabic script.
The project also extends beyond the Arab region. At Capri Palace Jumeirah, works by Giorgio de Chirico and Mario Schifano form part of the hotel’s permanent art collection, linking Arabian hospitality to a broader art-historical context.
Across the book and film, Jumeirah presents contemporary Arab culture as a central element of its global identity.
The campaign forms part of a broader repositioning effort by the hospitality group, with the cultural platform intended to guide brand development over the next two years.
For Soursop, the project reflects a wider focus on building brand platforms structured around cultural collaboration, while for Jumeirah, the initiative marks a shift toward a global identity shaped through artistic partnerships.
