Tahiti Fashion Week for i-D

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“Yellow represents the sun and is the color of life, or the ora. The colors must link with a story, an idea, a concept, a legend of the land.”

After almost having their entire culture erased, these South Pacific Islanders are reviving the folklore in unapologetic celebration of their traditions. The rise of traditional tattoos and world renown Polynesian dance groups have pushed the culture. But more recently, Tahitian designers have resurged the use of the materials that characterized the traditional costume to create modern, culturally-charged pieces, and these pieces rule the runways of Tahiti Fashion Week.

read the full story at i-d.vice.com >>

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credits

Creative Director/Stylist: Alexander-Julian Gibbson
Photographer: Emmanuel Monsalve
Assistants: Lina Palacios // Teani Liu
Production: Manu de Schoenburg of Filmin’ Tahiti
Make-up: Nadia Hilal
Hair: Mareva David
Models: Tia Wan + Hinaniui Campello BRAVE Models
Dancers: NONAHERE Dance Group

Rwanda's Finest for Travel and Leisure

 

“Rwanda’s creative golden age is upon us — here are the artists that are ready to take the world by storm.” 

read the full story at TravelandLeisure.com >>

 
Cedric Mizero AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

Cedric Mizero AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

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From filmmakers in Nigeria to fashion designers in Senegal, Africa’s creative scene is bursting at the seams. And Rwanda, whose inspiring postwar transformation has ushered in a new wave of inventiveness, has a global influence that cannot be denied. So what is the picture of Rwanda that this new generation is painting? And how are these young talents building a creative community from the ground-up? To find out, I hit the streets of the capital city Kigali in search of the creatives that are writing the country’s next chapter.

read the full story at TravelandLeisure.com >>

ELVIS NGABO IN NYAMIRAMBO WEARING HOUSE OF TAYO, MOSHIONS, AND KTSOBE JEWELRY

ELVIS NGABO IN NYAMIRAMBO WEARING HOUSE OF TAYO, MOSHIONS, AND KTSOBE JEWELRY

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“Rwanda’s culture has inspired my art work immeasurably. Our country's story is one that I reflect on constantly.”

Mackson Maxmillian (left)

“As a model, I've witnessed the creative community evolving and growing every day, in large part thanks to the efforts of the government. With their help, we’re working to make Rwanda’s creative industry an economic powerhouse.”

Rachel Neza (right)

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WINNIE KALISSA in kimiranko market wearing moshions

WINNIE KALISSA in kimiranko market wearing moshions

“At the speed that the country is innovating, these young pioneers are poised to join the pantheon of Africa’s creative exports.”

Highsnobiety // 24 Hours in Auckland, New Zealand

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City Guide: 24 Hrs in Auckland

Get the Most Out of Your 24-Hour Layover in New Zealand’s Gateway

Thanks to Air New Zealand’s setup, Auckland is the international gateway to the green pasture paradise that is New Zealand. But before you head on to Queenstown to hit the slopes, bungee jump off cliffs, and dive into all the other insanity that happens in the country’s tourism capital, be sure to check out Auckland in full. Thanks to the city’s collection of boutique streetwear spots, standout restaurants, and lively nightlife, Auckland has established itself as a city on the up. So extend that layover and turn your mandatory pitstop into 24 hours in New Zealand’s coolest city.

see more at highsnobiety.com >>

Lagos to The World!

PHOTO CAPTURED BY MANNY JEFFERSON FOR VOGUE GERMANY

PHOTO CAPTURED BY MANNY JEFFERSON FOR VOGUE GERMANY


LAGOS TO THE WORLD!

Growing up, I struggled with my identity as a Black man, in large part due to the fact that until my years at Howard University I didn't necessarily identify as Black. I was African—Nigerian to be exact. Still, in those years that sentence wouldn’t spill from my lips with pride the way it does now. In those years being African meant you were the butt of every joke and constantly at risk of being called “African booty-scratcher” or “kunta kinte"—a reference to a film I’ve still never even seen. But growing up in Houston, the Nigerian capital of America, meant I had the opportunity to see that pride and grow up in a community that practiced and celebrated the culture–relentlessly. I went to a Nigerian church, had Nigerian friends who ate Nigerian food and went to Nigerian parties. After 18 years, the feelings of shame for my rich culture were finally coming to an end and I could finally stand proud as an African man, who only occasionally scratched his butt. But then came Howard, and just at the moment that I was coming into my own as African, I was thrown into a trial-by-fire immersion of sheer Blackness. 

Although I had walked my whole life in brown skin, many of the nuances of blackness eluded me. I hadn’t seen Friday or Baby Boy, but I knew all the punchlines to Aki and Paw Paw movies, and I didn’t grow up listening to Frankie Beverly and Maze on Saturday mornings, we listened to Yinka Ayefele and The King Sunny Ade. Howard was my introduction to those nuances. And after four years, you can be sure that I graduated blacker than ever, like, blackity black. I learned about the history, culture, and plight of the Black American. But in those four years of premium, grade-A, unfiltered blackness, I wondered what became of the African man I was becoming? Had he become lost in the shadow of blackness and my idea that I could only be one? African or African-American? Years went by and I found myself watching from afar and often superficially referencing a culture with which I had blood ties.

It had been 12 years—12 years since I had been to Nigeria. This year was my first time in the country since I was thirteen, and my first time ever going alone. Although it was work that inevitably brought me to Lagos, I took the opportunity to connect with the city as a young adult, and tap into its thriving creative scene. I met young Nigerian creatives who had moved to Nigeria from all over the world to reconnect with what made them who they were. After hearing their stories, I was reminded of Marcus Garvey’s Back-to-Africa movement and became inspired. The connection of the blackness I had recently attained at Howard University and the Africanness I had always known could co-exist. 

A lot of things changed for me this year. I left my position at GQ, started traveling professionally, and began investing in myself, but most importantly I discovered who I was as a Nigerian-American man. I no longer forsake either forms of blackness, as their unique collaboration is what makes me, me—and it now shows in my work. I hope you enjoy.