Singer Samara Cyn channels her alter ego for GANNI and New Balance

Some shoes are made for running. Some for dressing up. For GANNI’s latest shoewear collaboration with New Balance, the two brands do not make you choose. Built on the fusion of two archetypes, the GANNI x New Balance 1906L merges a loafer and the runner to build a silhouette built to adapt and slip into different scenarios with ease.

The shoe takes the structure and polish of a loafer – particularly New Balance’s viral ‘Sloafer’ – and layers it onto the comfort and movement of the brand’s running heritage. Smooth leather panels sit alongside breathable mesh, with a chunky sole grounding it all in that unmistakable NB DNA. The colourway pushes the idea further: a rich earthy tone offset with fresh pops of white and sleek black details, smart enough to dress up, but comfortable enough to be active in.  

Shot by London-based photographer Iris Luz, a close collaborator of PinkPantheress and George Riley, the campaign channels the shoes’ split personality. The star of the campaign is musician Samara Cyn, whose personal style naturally mirrors the GANNI x New Balance 1906L’s duality. The 27-year-old Tennessee native first set out on a traditional path – landing a coveted internship in tech – before realising that fulfilment lay elsewhere. Music became the outlet, and eventually the career, that allowed her to merge storytelling with self-expression. Over the past few years, she’s built a following for her honest, reflective lyricism and her ability to balance vulnerability with strength. That same instinct for balance shows up in her personal style, blending through different influences and references. 

Below, Cyn talks about her favourite moments on set, how her style has evolved alongside her music, and why a shoe that sits between rebel and refined feels so true to how she lives day to day.

When did you decide you wanted to pursue music?  

Samara Cyn: It was the summer after my third year of university. I was working an internship (that I worked my ass off to get) at a major microchip company, and I remember just feeling miserable and trapped.  It did not make me [feel] whole like music did, and my goal in life has always been fulfillment. So I decided to pour into my music heavily after that in hopes it might turn into something. It took me 4 to 5 years to actually make it my career, but we’re here now and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made.  

What role has fashion and style played in your life as a musician, and how has it evolved in your career so far?  

Samara Cyn: I’ve never been much of a fashionista to say the least. I was definitely an outsider tomgirl, ‘one of the homies’ who rarely got dressed up. Music really introduced me to fashion and style in ways that I had seen but was not clocked up until that point. 

We all have our own style naturally, and I was just figuring out what mine was at the same time I was finding my sound in music. I wasn’t too sure what my colour was, but as I found it, I’ve been finding ways to make it brighter. I lean heavily on a balance of masc and femme to please that tomgirl side and love an ethereal, nature essence, so trying to incorporate those earthy tones to keep things ‘pretty’. I think the new phase, and part of why I was so stoked to work with GANNI, is now finding out how to elevate that style while still keeping it me.  

You’ve talked about mixing masc and femme energy in your style. How does that balance show up in the way you present yourself day-to-day?  

Samara Cyn: You’ll always see me in a small/big combo. I either have a small top and baggy pants or an oversized top and small bottoms. Those baggy '90s, Y2K looks are my favourite. If I have your sister’s tank top on, I definitely have your boyfriend’s jeans under it.

What was your favourite garment from the shoot?  

Samara Cyn: I have to say the shoe was my favourite part. I know that’s the easy answer, given the shoot was about the loafer, but it’s just such a fire colourway and style. If things didn’t go through with the shoot, I would’ve been trying to get my hands on them regardless.  

What did you enjoy about working on this project with GANNI and New Balance? 

Samara Cyn: The concept definitely caught my eye. Rebel vs Tamed was how it was pitched to us. It was creative and felt like a cool opportunity for me to get out of my comfort zone and play around a bit with new styles as the rebel and more uptight characters. Both super tasteful brands that represent both sides of the spectrum as well. NB being heavily in athletics and GANNI being high fashion.  

This campaign explores duality. Do you feel like you have two sides, your public self and your private self? Where do they overlap, and where do they feel worlds apart? 

Samara Cyn:  Honestly, I’m pretty much the same Cyn all the time. My artistry is a lot about authenticity, so I get to just be myself always. I do get to turn it up a notch when I perform, but even then, I feel like me just more in my power.

Creative & Production: Dazed Studio, Photographer Iris Luz, Hair Shamara Roper, Make Up Fey Carla Adediji, Art Department Giorgio Santa Maria, Video Mia Tanguy.