Ava Nirui is a New York-based creative director known for her ability to merge fashion, internet culture, and Gen Z aesthetics. She rose to prominence through viral bootleg projects that reimagined luxury branding, leading to collaborations with Marc Jacobs, Off-White, Nike, and Gucci.
After leading digital creative and strategy at Helmut Lang during its 2017 relaunch, Ava joined Marc Jacobs as Head of Global Creative in 2019, where she oversaw brand campaigns, commercial design, and digital storytelling. During her tenure, she became the founder and Creative Director of Heaven by Marc Jacobs, a youth-focused sub-label she helped conceive and launch in 2020.
Under her direction, Heaven by Marc Jacobs became one of the most original and influential brands in contemporary fashion. It merges early-2000s nostalgia, alternative subcultures, and digital-native aesthetics into a world that feels both personal and collective. With limited drops, artist collaborations, and archival references, Heaven builds an emotional ecosystem that reflects Gen Z’s values around identity, community, and self-expression.
During her time at Marc Jacobs, Ava also worked on the product design, development, and art direction, in collaboration with Marc Jacobs, for the revival of Marc Jacobs Beauty, which launched in 2026 to widespread attention and acclaim.
Since her departure from Marc Jacobs, Ava has continued to work across luxury, sportswear and lifestyle, collaborating with leading global brands on creative direction, brand development and special projects, while also serving as Editor of W Youth, a new publishing platform for the next generation launching in September 2026, where she oversees the editorial direction and visual storytelling across print, digital and social.
Ava Nirui
Creative Director
WORLD BUILDING • DESIGN • EXPERIENTIAL • CURATION • CREATIVE DIRECTION
HEAVEN
Creative Direction, Design Concepts & Curation
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Under Ava's creative direction, the @heavn Instagram account (incepted and run by Ava) grew to over 451,000 followers (in 2025), with a 10.97% engagement rate, a figure that places it in the top percentile for fashion brands globally.
WYOUTH
EDITOR
“You should talk to Sara Moonves about a teen version of W.” That was the text Sofia Coppola sent me last year, and how WYouth began.
I first met Sofia through Marc Jacobs, with whom I worked for seven years, while we were all collaborating to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her film The Virgin Suicides. Through Sofia’s work, I had discovered artists and designers such as X-girl, Sonic Youth, and Hysteric Glamour; it felt surreal that someone who had influenced me so much was now introducing me to Sara Moonves, whose vision I’d admired for years. Sara and I connected instantly, reminiscing over old issues of Seventeen and Sassy, swapping stories about our teenage selves, and talking about all the things we loved. Within weeks, we were bringing WYouth (pronounced “Double Youth”) to life.
- Ava Nirui
MARC JACOBS
CREATIVE DIRECTION
Under Ava's strategy, Marc Jacobs developed one of the most effective TikTok strategies in the industry. In 2024, the brand’s TikTok account posted approximately 165 videos, averaging 1.5 million views per post and achieving a 9.7% engagement rate which is significantly higher than the fashion industry average (typically under 2%).
The Marc Jacobs 40th Anniversary Curation was a year-long celebration that revisits and reimagines the brand’s most iconic pieces through the lens of collaboration and cultural relevance. Curated and concepted by Ava alongside Marc Jacobs himself, the program brought together a diverse group of creative partners, ranging from longtime collaborators to contemporary artists and designers, who each reinterpreted key items from the archive.
MARC JACOBS BEAUTY
ART DIRECTION, PACKAGING & PRODUCT DESIGN
