Biography
Kai-Isaiah Jamal is a poet, performance artist, model and trans visibility activist, helping long marginalised communities play a greater role in shaping cultures around the world. Through their powerful work spanning multiple types of media, Jamal has become “the voice of their generation,” as the late designer Virgil Abloh told Vogue in 2021.
Growing up in South London, Jamal turned to writing poetry as a form of self-exploration. Over a short period of time, they crafted a distinct voice influenced by pop culture, contemporary slang and classical literature, leading to their appointment as the Institute of Contemporary Art’s first-ever poet in residence in 2020. The following year, Jamal became the first Black trans model to walk the runway for Louis Vuitton.
Along the way, Jamal has been in campaigns for GCDS, Mugler and Stella McCartney . They starred alongside Nigo and Solange in a Louis Vuiton campaign honouring Abloh in January 2022.