Highlighting and Showcasing Creatives of Color
Welcome to the magazine designed to highlight and showcase creatives of color.
Designer, activist, and writer Céline Semaan is proactively leading the march against unsustainable practices in not just the fashion industry but the world at large. Having coined the ubiquitous and galvanizing term #fashionactivism, Semaan is bridging the gap between fashion and environmental justice with Slow Factory, the agency she’s founded that produces clothing and accessories stitched with social change--each item is 100% eco-friendly, fair trade, and made to last. I stopped by Semaan’s Brooklyn studio one afternoon to talk the politics of identity, fast versus slow fashion, and the wide-ranging effects of colonialism on the fashion industry.
Meet Brina Jeffries-- the fresh faced, petite media studies student stomping the concrete jungles in chunky heeled boots and hoop earrings as big as her face. Each and everyday, Brina daringly pairs a mixture of different prints, textures, colors to create a cohesive, off-the-runway look that others can’t help but admire. She has an eye for art and, luckily for us, her eye-catching fashion is only a taste of the immense skill oozing out of this tiny girl. Like her wardrobe, Brina directly translates her experimental, forward-thinking style from brush to canvas. Her pieces focus on highlighting the beauty in people of color. Check out my interview with her below to see how Brina is the epitome of an artistic icon.
As I enter a local tea shop in Greenwich Village, I immediately spot Nic Bisgaard dressed in vibrant blues with a detailed flower inked on his cheekbone. I ask him if the inked flower is real — prompting Nic to laugh and shook his head no. Later, we move on to talk about more important things in his life: music, influences, and dope, color-coded iPhone apps.
Salman Toor is a 34 year-old visual artist from Lahore, Pakistan. He lives between New York City and Lahore. His work oscillates between autobiography, art history and pop culture.
Sometimes the Universe aligns and places the right people in your life at the right moment, even if it’s to just have a brief interview. The common threads kept uncovering themselves as I spoke with Trinity Mouzon Wofford, founder of GOLDE Turmeric, a wellness collective with blends that focus on the healing properties of turmeric, a yellow hued spice from the ginger family.
I knew Trinity and I were on the same frequency from the moment I found GOLDE’s beautifully curated Instagram page. There’s something so warm and inviting about Wofford’s spirit and GOLDE is just the same. Lean in close as we discuss finding comfort and clarity during moments of transition, the infinite magic of black mothers, and navigating the evolving landscape of the holistic wellness and beauty industries.
Christina Chung is a 24 year-old illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York. Through a line and pattern-based style, she creates illustrations that are sensitive, delicate, and infused with symbolism. Chung spent her childhood blackberry-picking and pirouetting in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, her summers in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and her angst-filled adolescent years in the hot and sweaty melting-pot known as Singapore. She has since left her island-city home of 7 years and has graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York with a BFA in Communications Design with a concentration in Illustration. She likes cats, coffee, Earl Grey tea, making to-do lists, devouring books and the smell of lavender.
It’s safe to say that Lauren Ash is the epitome of Black girl magic. Not just the trendy, coconut-oil-soaked, Instagram-baddie kind. Lauren Ash embodies the kind of magic that Black women inherently possess—the kind that builds an empire out of sticks and stones, that creates a city with just a few bricks. She started Black Girl In Om just a little over three years ago out of a need to create a space by Black women for Black women. More than just a fantastically curated Instagram feed full of inspiring Black women, BGIO is a movement that is radically intent upon promoting holistic wellness and inner beauty for women of color. BGIO accomplishes this by connecting women of color in the online space through avenues such as the BGIO podcast and #BGIOMindful Twitter Chats, as well as Self-Care Sunday sessions often led by Lauren, herself, in Chicago. In addition to having created the village that is BGIO, Lauren is also a Nike Trainer and co-founder of Lifestyle with Ivory and Ash.
Adrianna Adarme is the creator of the recipe sharing blog, A Cozy Kitchen. Her unique and beautifully inviting photos make you feel like you’ve just walked into a dear friend’s kitchen who you’ve known for years. This Fort Lauderdale native, now living in Los Angeles, California is responsible for creating a myriad of well-loved recipes by her more than 230K followers on Instagram.
There’s likely nothing more disappointing to an artist than surfing the internet or walking down the street and seeing reproductions of paintings, drawings or photographs they put their creativity, time and energy into being displayed or even sold without their permission. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, one of your first thoughts is likely what your legal options are and how you take advantage of them.
Annya Santana, founder of clean beauty brand Menos Mas, wants to make one thing clear, wellness is for the people. Operated out of Paris and New York, Menos Mas is “a wellness lifestyle for the culture,” that centers black and brown communities that may get lost in the noise.