Prada has introduced French-Algerian-Palestinian singer and rapper Marwan Abdelhamid, known as Saint Levant, as a newly appointed brand ambassador, prompting debate online after campaign imagery showed him wearing a pendant in the outline of historic Palestine.
Prada has introduced musician Marwan Abdelhamid — the French-Algerian-Palestinian artist who performs as Saint Levant — as a newly appointed brand ambassador, with the announcement and related imagery drawing criticism and support across social media.
A promotional clip shared around the time of Prada’s Spring/Summer 2027 menswear show in Milan shows Saint Levant wearing a pendant shaped like the outline of historic Palestine — a design some critics described as erasing Israel, while others framed it as a symbol of Palestinian identity. Prada has not publicly addressed the criticism.
Abdelhamid has previously used charged language to describe the war in Gaza, including referring to it as a “genocide,” and has described Israel as an occupying power.
The partnership has also revived scrutiny of a November 2024 incident in Amsterdam, when Israeli football supporters were attacked after a match. In the aftermath, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said Telegram messages included talk of “people going on a Jew hunt.” Some outlets and social media accounts have circulated a video from a Saint Levant performance in which he appears to thank “Moroccan brothers” in connection with the Amsterdam violence; that claim could not be independently verified from reliable primary sources.
Separately, in March 2026 Prada Beauty named Bella Hadid as its first Global Beauty Ambassador, according to Prada’s website. Hadid, who has spoken publicly in support of Palestinian rights, has faced past controversy over videos from pro-Palestinian demonstrations where the crowd can be heard chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Prada’s group has faced prior backlash over cultural and political sensitivities. In 2017, Prada-owned label Miu Miu said it would pull items from its Fall/Winter 2017 collection that featured yellow star-shaped patches after criticism that the design resembled the badges Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust.
