Frank Sinatra and Kendall Jenner are connected through adidas Originals’ 2017 “Original Is Never Finished” advertising campaign. Jenner appeared in its third film, which used a reworked version of “My Way,” the song associated with Sinatra.
The connection concerns music and advertising. It does not establish a family relationship or personal friendship between them. Understanding the campaign’s sequence also clarifies their different contributions: Sinatra’s music informed the creative concept, while Jenner joined a later chapter as a featured performer.
How did “My Way” become part of the adidas campaign?
Adidas introduced “Original Is Never Finished” in January 2017. Its 2017 annual report describes the launch film as bringing together figures from music, skateboarding, sport, style and art, accompanied by a remix of Sinatra’s “My Way.”
The campaign explored how existing creative work could become the starting point for something new. Rather than simply playing a familiar song behind product images, it made musical reinterpretation part of its message about originality.
Johannes Leonardo, the campaign’s creative agency, describes the launch soundtrack as a radical reinterpretation of the track Sinatra popularized. Its explanation connects the music directly to the campaign’s premise: pushing familiar material in a different direction can produce a new creative result.
That distinction helps explain Sinatra’s place in the story. His association with “My Way” supplied a recognizable musical reference for the campaign.
When did Kendall Jenner join the campaign?
Jenner’s involvement followed the campaign’s launch. Vogue reported her announcement as an adidas Originals ambassador on May 31, 2017.
By August 10, the brand had unveiled the campaign’s third chapter, featuring Jenner alongside basketball player James Harden and musicians Playboi Carti, 21 Savage and Young Thug.
The film’s description published by campaign copywriter Jeph Burton explains that the team revisited its original film with a different cast and a new interpretation of the Sinatra track. Jenner therefore belonged to the campaign’s later development, rather than its January introduction.
The sequence is straightforward:
- January 2017: Adidas launched “Original Is Never Finished” with a remix of “My Way.”
- May 2017: Jenner announced her adidas Originals ambassador role.
- August 2017: The third chapter brought Jenner into the campaign’s continuing reinterpretation of the song and visual concept.
What did Jenner do in the advertisement?
Jenner appeared in a scene inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. According to contemporary coverage in It’s Nice That, which included adidas’s explanation of the imagery, she adopted a pose referencing the painting while enclosed in a science-fiction-style pod.
The film also drew on Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. These historical references extended the same approach used for the soundtrack: recognizable works were placed in unfamiliar settings and interpreted through a contemporary cast.
Director Terence Neale’s film combined those artistic references with figures from fashion, music and basketball. Jenner’s contribution was part of that visual presentation. The campaign description identifies her among its featured creators; it does not credit her as the soundtrack’s singer.
Did Frank Sinatra and Kendall Jenner work together?
They did not make the 2017 advertisement together. Sinatra died on May 14, 1998, as documented by HISTORY, well before the campaign was produced.
Describing the advertisement as a direct collaboration between Sinatra and Jenner would therefore misrepresent the timeline. The connection comes from a later creative use of music associated with Sinatra in a film featuring Jenner.
The campaign sources do not document a meeting or family relationship between the two. Their shared place in the advertisement’s history should not be treated as evidence of either.
Had Jenner mentioned Sinatra’s music before?
Yes. In Harper’s Bazaar’s November 2016 holiday feature, published under Jenner’s byline, she included Sinatra among the artists on her Christmas playlist. She also named Destiny’s Child, Babyface and Mariah Carey.
This provides a separate, earlier connection to his music. However, the feature did not identify particular Sinatra recordings, and it does not establish that her listening preferences influenced adidas’s soundtrack choice.
The documented story is specific: Jenner had publicly mentioned listening to Sinatra, then appeared the following year in an adidas campaign that reimagined “My Way.” The campaign’s chronology and creative descriptions explain the association without requiring a broader claim about their personal lives.
B. Sources
Primary sources and contemporary reporting used for factual verification:
| Publisher | Page title | Publication/update date | Direct URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| adidas | Annual Report 2017 — Online Summary | Reporting year: 2017; publication date not displayed | Source |
| Johannes Leonardo | Original is Never Finished | Not displayed | Source |
| Jeph Burton / Vimeo | adidas Originals — “Original Is Never Finished” — Chapter 3 | Not displayed | Source |
| Vogue | Why Kendall Jenner and Adidas Originals Are a Match Made in Sneaker Heaven | May 31, 2017 | Source |
| It’s Nice That | Da Vinci and Botticelli provide inspiration for star studded Adidas Originals ad starring Kendall Jenner | August 10, 2017 | Source |
| The Drum | Kendall Jenner becomes da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man in kaleidoscopic Adidas Originals spot | August 10, 2017 | Source |
| Harper’s Bazaar | #TheList: Kendall Jenner’s Holiday Picks | November 19, 2016 | Source |
| HISTORY | Frank Sinatra dies | November 13, 2009; updated May 27, 2025 | Source |
Search-intent comparison page consulted, but not used as factual authority:
- StoryNexa: “Frank Sinatra and Kendall Jenner: The ‘My Way’ Connection,” published and updated September 24, 2026. Direct URL
The campaign connection is supported by adidas’s own report, its agency’s case study and a campaign contributor’s description. report.adidas-group.com Contemporary reporting supports the release chronology and artistic references; Jenner’s earlier playlist mention appears in her Harper’s Bazaar feature. The Drum Sinatra’s death date is documented by HISTORY.
Read also Is Peter Orszag Bald? What Public Sources Establish