Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation

The post-graffiti moment in 1980s New York City marked the transition of street art from city walls and subway trains onto canvas and into the art world. Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) became the galvanizing, iconic frontrunner of this transformational and insurgent movement in contemporary American art, which resulted in an unprecedented fusion of creative energies that defied longstanding racial divisions. This exhibition features his works in painting, sculpture, drawing, video, music, and fashion, alongside works by his contemporaries—and sometimes collaborators—A-One, ERO, Fab 5 Freddy, Futura, Keith Haring, Kool Koor, LA2, Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones, Rammellzee, and Toxic. Throughout the 1980s, these artists fueled new directions in fine art, design, and music, driving the now-global popularity of hip-hop culture.

“Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation” illuminates how this group’s subversive abstractions of both visual and verbal language—including neo-expressionism, freestyle sampling, and wildstyle lettering—rocketed their creative voices onto the main stages of international art and music. It is the first major exhibition to contextualize Basquiat’s work in relation to hip-hop and marks the first time his extensive, robust, and reflective portraiture of his Black and Latinx friends and fellow artists has been given prominence in scholarship on his oeuvre. Notable among those works is the much-revered painting Hollywood Africans, which lionizes Toxic and Rammellzee, the legendary artist/philosopher who is also represented with multiple works in “Writing the Future,” and with whom Basquiat created the prophetic, influential, and talismanic rap song “Beat Bop.”

Learn more about Basquiat, his peers, and New York’s post-graffiti era.

October 18, 2020–May 16, 2021
Ann and Graham Gund Gallery (Gallery LG31)

KERBY JEAN-RAYMOND x REEBOK VP CREATIVE DIRECTION

Reebok Names Kerby Jean-Raymond/Pyer Moss
Vice President of Creative Direction

The CFDA Award winner will also release in 2022 the first products of Reebok's Product With Purpose program.

Kerby Jean-Raymond is assuming greater responsibility at Reebok.

The New York City-based designer and founder of Pyer Moss has been named vice president, creative direction, for the sports brand. In this role, he will provide creative leadership and work closely with Reebok’s product, global marketing and development organizations to ensure consistency across all areas.

Jean-Raymond will also be at the forefront of the brand’s Product With Purpose program, which is part of its commitment to United Against Racism. The program will launch in 2021 and the first products by Jean-Raymond will release in 2022. In addition, he will serve on the Reebok senior leadership team and report to president Matt O’Toole. O’Toole confirmed that the Reebok by Pyer Moss collection will continue as planned.

“I am thrilled to be evolving my role at Reebok and joining the leadership team as the head of creative direction,” Jean-Raymond said in a statement. “I welcome this opportunity to help invigorate the brand with new ideas, while also focusing on instilling a sense of social purpose into our work.”

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Jean-Raymond expanded on the statement: “I started working with Reebok in 2017 after meeting Damion Presson [Reebok’s director of entertainment marketing]. I was brought in to support the launch of a shoe at the time called the ‘DMX Fusion.’ We made our own version called the Experiment 1 and were asked to make some apparel to support one of their retail partners at a mass market price point. I’m not really too good at following rules, so I didn’t pretend to try.

“Instead we made a series of collections we believed in, incorporated our collaboration into our runways and created content that spoke to what we were already doing at Pyer Moss. Campaign 1, Seven Mothers (Campaign 2) and a series of videos called ‘Imma Ball Anyway’ were some of my favorites. Many of these projects were a result of us seeing how far we could go before someone yelled ‘uncle.’

“No one did, and I was grateful.

“Today, that collaboration will evolve. Pyer Moss is not just a partner of Reebok, but I am now the creative director, globally. Or technically…vice president, creative direction. To my Reebok fam, there’s a lot of work to do. Can our mind-sets collectively evolve to serve the future? Are we inclusive enough? Are we bold enough? Are we challenging tradition enough? Are we ready to unlearn? It’s going to be difficult. I’m ready though.”

Reebok and Jean-Raymond have worked together for four years on the Reebok by Pyer Moss collection, a popular footwear line. Their work together led to Jean-Raymond winning Footwear News’ 2018 Collaboration of the Year Award and the 2019 FNAA Person of the Year Award. He took home the CFDA Award for Menswear Designer of the Year and Designer of the Year from Harlem Fashion Row this year.

Last year, he was named artistic director of Reebok Studies, a new division created to foster emerging talent, and this year launched with Kering, Your Friends in New York, a fashion, culture, wellness and philanthropy platform to foster the next generation of innovators.

“Kerby is a fashion visionary with a bold approach who has established himself as a leader and a passionate activist,” O’Toole said. “We are incredibly excited about the impact he will have on Reebok from a design and brand purpose perspective and for him to bring his unique voice and direction to the Reebok brand more broadly. This is certainly a big opportunity for both Reebok and for Kerby — he understands the value of our rich heritage and iconic silhouettes and how he can build on that and take Reebok in an exciting and evolved direction.”

Jean-Raymond had been transparent about the beginnings of the Reebok relationship. The designer was ready to step away from Pyer Moss, but stayed in order to partner with the sports brand, which helped the designer keep his brand. He said at the WWD CEO Summit in November 2019 that Presson said he could offer “at least 10 times the amount” what another brand was offering Jean-Raymond to join the Reebok team.

Jean-Raymond said he believes the future of fashion is experiential, which calls to question what his output for Reebok will be in this new role. This year, he launched a new mentorship platform, announced a film and directed two music videos. But he hasn’t forgotten about the product. The first in-house Pyer Moss sneaker, Sculpt, launches on Oct. 3, retailing for $595. The silhouette bears resemblance to the Reebok Experiment 4 Fury Trail by Pyer Moss with an exaggerated sole similar to the Pyer Moss x Reebok DMX Experiment 1 sneaker.

The first Reebok by Pyer Moss collection debuted at Spring Studios in February 2018 with the “American, Also” collection. Jean-Raymond would show two more Reebok by Pyer Moss collections under the “American, Also” moniker at Weeksville in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and Kings Theatre in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

They released more sneakers as well, the Daytona DMX Experiment, Mobius Experiment and the Fury Trail styles. He said in November 2019 that his footwear, in particular “sells out within the first four minutes.”

Last year, he established Reebok Studies, which he described as “a division where I can sign talent, give them collaboration deals, give them sponsorship deals so that they can have money to grow their companies.”

And this year, Jean-Raymond remained very busy, directing music videos for rappers Wale and Joey Bada$$, and also through philanthropic work, donating in March $50,000 to support minority and female-owned independent businesses impacted by COVID-19 through Your Friends in New York. He also asked for mail-in donations of masks and gloves and contributed $5,000 for supplies.

He also announced he will premiere a film, “American, Also,” chronicling his runway shows and the Black experience in America. The project that was filmed over two years was slated to premiere this year at drive-in theaters and to bring the community and New York City together and engage with fans, but the date and format have not been confirmed yet.

“It’s always been our mission to show the amount of thinking and laboring that goes behind putting together a collection — we’ve been slowing down the speed of how much we produce and improving the quality of what we produce throughout the years,” Jean-Raymond said in a statement announcing the film. “This film aims to show the love and care our entire company puts into every single moment we create and will show that we appreciate fashion as an art form and communication tool.”

By Obi Anyanwu on September 30, 2020

BEAUTIFUL GENIUS

BEAUTIFUL GENIUS : JORDAN PIANTEDOSI

Jordan Piantedosi is an interdisciplinary maximalist based in Boston.  She is energized by genre-blending & subverting the expectations of a medium - the design of bizarre textiles, (the feminine gaze, the subversive domestic, repetition and tessellation) and comics, (literary, narrative-driven, cinematic, humorous), and oil painting, (sensuality, mythology, grandiosity, symbolism, historically elevated.)  The spirit of simultaneity and proximity in the digital age invites comparison between these disparate sets of expectations, their varying levels of formality, where they are located in a cultural hierarchy, whether they contain a linear sense of time, and how they interact with oppositional forces.  Who do we identify as a protagonist?  An honest painter must admit that the act of painting, in all of its hilarious physicality, is the dragging of hairs through slime.  One could say “painting is dead,” or “take a picture, it’ll last longer,” but in the activated state of observation, the eyes become two ants, and they devour a desire very slowly - the labor of artwork is a desire that cannibalizes itself.  Simultaneously, at the atomic level, the trajectory of a particle in motion will be influenced by the expectations and desires of the scientist who bears witness to it.  As the artist misrepresents the muse, the art lover projects herself into the artwork's window of negative space - a sensual hologram.  The eyes drink color as if it were wine.  When we become bashful from so much looking, we hide behind the artwork to feel seen.  In this way, the artist makes herself useful.  

JORDAN PIANTEDOSI: BEAUTIFUL GENIUS
In 2016 I designed textiles and hand-painted leather for about one-third of the pieces in Erin Robertson's winning collection at NYC Fashion Week for Project Runway. I attended the taping of the final episode & you bet I DID get kisses from Heidi Klum.

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NIKE AIR RAID "URBAN JUNGLE"

The Nike Air Raid “Urban Jungle Gym” From 1993 Is Returning Again

Throughout 2020, various classics from Nike Basketball’s 1990s roster have either been retroed or teased for a reissue. The original Nike Air Raid is rumored to return before the year ends, but now its louder “Urban Jungle Gym” colorway from 1993 is beloved to return, too. 

Launched alongside Spike Lee’s “Live Together, Play Together” campaign, the Air Raid animates its predominant greyscale palette with colorful patterns across the tongue, heel, and midsole. Signature double-straps on the upper feature a multi-color peace symbol at the midfoot, which evokes the message of unity Lee expresses in the aforementioned 1992 commercial. Although last seen in 2014, the Air Raid “Urban Jungle Gym” is poised to follow its original color scheme and construction much closer than its last retro, as a first-look at the pair reveals true “Dark Grey” overlays. While word has yet to emerge, the release’s accompanying Nike Sportswear models (i.e. Air Force 1, Air Max 1) may also retro in the ’90s theme.

Enjoy a first look at this Air Raid retro below, as you wait for official Nike SNKRS release details to emerge. by Jovani Hernandez for SneakerNews.

JOEL EMBIID GETS HIS SIGNATURE SNEAKER

Since Steph Curry is absent of all Orlando bubble games, Under Armour is turning to one of their newest family members Joel Embiid to give them some on-court representation for the rest of the NBA season. The Sixers currently sit at the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference, and “The Process” will play a significant role in helping his squad contend for the Larry O’Brien trophy, especially since his co-captain in Ben Simmons is sitting out indefinitely due to a knee injury. So with all eyes on Embiid moving forward, there’s no better time to introduce the 7-foot phenom’s first signature shoe.

Entitled the UA Embiid One, the high-profile basketball silhouette is engineered for hoop athletes of any position. Uppers are formed with a full ventilated mesh, and supported by a TPU wing mold placed at the forefoot to keep you locked down during play. In terms of branding, the big man’s signature logo is pressed onto the tongues, while Under Armour logos land on the Micro G foam-loaded midsoles towards the rear, and in tinier fashion on the medial side up by the ankle. Its inaugural makeup dubbed the “Origin” is reliant on stark black to coat its upper, and comes supported with lava-like gradients that ornament the aforementioned TPU wings for a palette reminiscent of the first Kyrie 1 colorway. These will be dropping on UnderArmour.com as well as other North American retailers come September 18th, followed by a global release that will take place on October 2nd.

UA Embiid One “Origin”
NA Release Date: September 18th, 2020
Global Release Date: October 2nd, 2020

PALOMA ELSESSER

Paloma Elsesser on the Legacy of
Jean-Michel Basquiat.

For many in the fashion sphere, New York downtown legend and neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat has been a recurring source of inspiration thanks to his cartoon-inspired drawings and raw, graffiti-like images with hurried text. Stuart Vevers, the creative director of Coach, is one such big fan, having sent models down his Fall 2020 runway in pieces featuring Basquiat's distinctive motifs.

But it was Basquiat's use of social commentary — his artworks often referenced power structures and systems of racism — and his subsequent celebration of the Black and Latino experience in a notoriously elitist industry that set him apart from the rest (and predated the societal forces and calls for racial justice shaping the U.S. today).

"Basquiat is one of my heroes," Vevers said. "He embodied the creative, inclusive spirit of New York and was a force for change in his community." The designer, whose Coach x Jean-Michel Basquiat collection launches today, worked with members of the late artist's family on the collaboration, which includes a campaign starring ambassadors of the house like Jennifer Lopez and Michael B. Jordan.

Model Paloma Elsesser, who also stars in the campaign, was among the many famous faces who attended that Coach runway show in February, where the Basquiat collection first made its debut. "Being at the show feels so long ago because it was B.C., before corona," Elsesser told PAPER over Zoom. "I remember it feeling referential to the '70s and '80s, but it also very modern. There was a lot of liveliness and spunk. Also, Debbie Harry was playing at the show simultaneously so that was sick."

She also holds particularly fond memories of shooting for the Basquiat campaign, which was photographed by Micaiah Carter, describing it as a "profound" experience. "It felt very timely to be included in a collaboration highlighting and celebrating Black art and also for a Black artist like Basquiat, who was able to subscribe to the nuances of what it was to be a Black man in America in ways that were really subversive and timeless," she said.

Elsesser remembers being really young when she first encountered Basquiat's paintings. "I think actually I saw the works first and it sparked something," she said. "And then I became more enveloped and excited to know more about him, which I think has taught me a lot of lessons in how talent can supersede identity and that identity also formulates such a richer kind of work."

She continued, "He was quite radical for his time and there was a kind of anarchist disfunction to his work in a way that I think should affirm a generation and young artists to make art, think, exist freely. Basquiat's age of art was in the '80s, which wasn't that long ago but it was long enough to then create more of a space and a chasm to the fact that we can create our own narrative, where no matter how niche or different your story may feel, when you share that part of yourself to the world there will be someone who identifies with it." by: Mario Abad

Why Is Fashion So Obsessed with Jean-Michel Basquiat?

An interview with Micaiah Carter, who photographed Coach's latest collaboration with the artist.

Why is the fashion world still so fixated on Jean-Michel Basquiat? How does an artist, 30-some years after his death, continue to be such a constant collaborator? In part, it is the fact that his estate has long been partnered with the licensing agent Artestar, thereby ensuring that his signature and imagery would appear on Off-White T-shirts, New Era caps, and even Peloton uniforms for years to come.

But Basquiat also had a certain way of moving and was a great beauty, which made him the perfect runway model for, say, the spring 1987 Comme des Garçons show. He also combined his passion with a cool remove, posing for the New York Times Magazine in 1985 wearing a paint-streaked Armani power suit, barefoot. It’s the kind of impertinent dance with consumer culture that artists today are usually too self-righteous to undertake.

Most recently, Basquiat’s work appears in the fall 2020 collection of Coach, which today debuts its collection of bags, T-shirts, and sweatshirts printed with the artist’s imagery, like the crown and dinosaur. The campaign was shot by Micaiah Carter and features Michael B. Jordan, Jennifer Lopez, Paloma Elsesser, Jon Batiste, and Basquiat’s niece Jessica Kelly, to name a few. In addition to the images, Coach will release a number of videos on social media in which subjects meditate on subjects like the family and art.

Basquiat, Carter says, “was a springboard for people to open up conversations that I think people weren’t having as often. And it resonated with the people that we shot, who are all people in the community who are all advocating for equal rights, not just for people of color but for all types of people.”

But Carter, who is 25, also points to something else: “A lot of it was New York.” He recalled arriving in the city from his small California hometown and thinking, “You have no choice but to adapt into your own ways” of approaching style. “Given his success, he still really made it his own with these designers and with these luxury brands to make it come back down to earth and really put his mark on everything. I think today people are inspired by that bravery that he had, to just do what he wanted to do.”

Carter’s signature is combining an easy sense of intimacy with a warm majesty. (It was firing on all cylinders in his photographs of Pharrell, posing in a Moncler gown, for the November 2019 issue of GQ as well.) Carter captured his subjects with an attitude that echoes the easy, stylish cool he attributes to Basquiat—Elsesser grinning, Jordan in a perfect crouch, and Lopez with her hoodie yanked over her head and nails painted electric blue. “They’re all artists,” he says, “and so there’s this respect—this level of collaboration.”

The other secret, Carter notes, is the perfect playlist. “I think that sets the mood.” Erykah Badu, City Girls, Playboi Carti, James Brown, and gospel music are all standards for him.

J. Lo brought her own playlist, however, and, Carter says, “I was able to vibe with that and really connect with her.” On the playlist? “Remixes of her own songs. I mean, that really gets you in the zone.” Barefoot Basquiat would approve. BY RACHEL TASHJIAN

YOUNG RIOT: POOLSIDE

YOUNG RIOT: POOLSIDE

LET US REFLECT AND REJOICE THE TRIUMPH OF SPIRIT. THE RESILIENCE OF BLACKNESS THAT TRANSMUTE OPPRESSION AND THEREBY WITHIN PLIGHT FINDS SOLACE. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WRITE A LOVE LETTER TO YOUR CHILDHOOD HOME AND, IN DOING SO, YOURSELF TO FIND (READ:CONFRONT), SELF, A BLACK MAN MUST WADE THROUGH WATER, HOWEVER METAPHORICAL IN NATURE.

HERE, DAVID HOCKNEY’S PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST SERVES AS A VEHICLE TO EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AN IDEALIZED SENSE OF SUCCESS AND A MAN WHO, IN THE FACE OF VIOLENCE AND TRAGEDY, CONSTRUCTED A BEAUTIFUL PATH TO FREEDOM. LURKING A LAYER BELOW, THIS EXAMINATION PRESENTS US WITH THE REALITY OF OUR PAST CIRCUMSTANCES. THAT IS A MAN TRAPPED IN A PRISON; HE WAS NEVER MEANT TO ESCPAE. HIS VOICE IS THE ONLY MEANS WITH WHICH HE MIGHT ESCAPE THE BOX. POOLSIDE. 

WEB: www.patheticpixels.com

IG: @REALPATHETICPIXELS

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THE HUNDREDS X BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB

In the summer of 2003, Ben and Bobby Hundreds launched The Hundreds at the same time Pharrell Williams and NIGO were introducing Billionaire Boys Club to the world. For the first time in 17 years, both streetwear brands are collaborating on a T-shirt to raise money for Black Lives Matter and the Black Mental Health Alliance. Today, Bobby and Pharrell shared the following conversation around being a Black brand owner in the industry, mental health, and the importance of “sharing the codes.”

BOBBY HUNDREDS: As we all know, there is a lack of Black owned streetwear brands in proportion to the amount of influence black culture has on streetwear's design and perspective. But back in the early 2000s, there was even less Black leadership and ownership in the street fashion space. When you launched Billionaire Boys Club, was this on your mind? What was it like for you starting up your label as a young Black man in an industry that was predominantly owned and profited off of by white people?

PHARRELL WILLIAMS: When I launched BBC [ICECREAM], I was a different person. My concerns were different, my thought process was different, my self awareness was premature. I considered myself a black man and making chess moves was enough at the time because that’s what the people I looked up to were doing. I was proud that they were black and I thought it was enough. Since then, I’ve educated myself and realized that would never be enough when the playing field was never leveled. It’s never been a leveled playing field since the beginning of time. It took traveling around the world and seeing what people go through to open my eyes and humble me and recognize how blessed I am. Aside from achieving, my biggest responsibility is to hold open the door and show the way for my own people... and to explain to those who have the power over these doors why they need to open their doors or not have them at all. With BBC, I always say ‘Wealth is of the heart and mind, not the pocket.’, but that wasn’t enough.

“Wealth is of the heart and mind, not the pocket.” This is the Billionaire Boys Club mantra. I’ve addressed this before in prior projects, but streetwear culture has been slower to adopt the mental health movement. Why is that? And how can we be better?

We just have to open our eyes, open our ears, open our minds and hearts. We don’t think like that because a lot of us are just like “I’m good” and that’s all that matters. The system trains us to be like “Don’t worry about them, worry about me. Did I make it? Ok good, ‘cause it’s hard out here.” We have to take it upon ourselves to look each other in the eyes and realize that we’re stronger together—there’s power in numbers. And now more than ever, we can’t afford to not galvanize, not mobilize...as Killer Mike says. We need to figure our way forward and upwards. If you have a brand—especially if you are of African diaspora— it’s your job to educate. And how about this, even if you’re not Black, but you trade on the likeness of us—it’s your responsibility as well. You gotta tithe...you gotta give back to that which is giving you everything that you have right now.

We are donating our proceeds to a mental health organization that puts its emphasis on the Black community. Can you speak on why that is specifically important?

Of course it’s important. There are a lot of variables that affect the minds of the people whose likeness gets traded on and marketed towards and then don’t receive benefits from it at the end of the day. And not everyone can get access to mental health resources like therapy or rehab, not everyone has people around to help. If you never really dealt with the erosion of your mental state, then it only continues to erode. There’s so much to unpack when it comes to this but, the fact that the fashion industry is thinking about the importance of mental health and how it affects the African diaspora is a very important step that we all need to take.

After George Floyd’s murder, America’s response was that of anger, frustration, and protest. Now that we are settling into a groove of consistent activism, there is discussion on what our hard goals are. There are many different answers to this, but I’m wondering what goals you’d like to see out of this? Whether it’s a short-term goal, or one that will take the rest of our lives to accomplish?

There’s no doubt that this is the American Revolution 2.0. It’s also an evolution because there are people that are opening their eyes—they didn't realize they were sleeping the entire time and being complicit to the things that affect us and continue to lead to the untimely death of people that look like George Floyd and us. We’re also dealing with a very different Washington [D.C]... they are just overt with it [racism], there’s no hiding it. What I’d like to see is for there to be some accountability online so that at least we can get our facts straight. We can’t get our facts straight when our system is being infiltrated by foreign agents and bots. I mean, as a sneakerhead, the first thing you try to do when copping is getting around the bots. We have to do the same thing here. There is a world of divisiveness on our internet. The best way to divide people is to use the tool of selfishness. I would like all of us to be aware of all the variables at hand—there’s a lot going on. While it is dark now, I know there is a God and He is the greatest. But we gotta get ourselves up out of this. Faith without work is dead, so we have a lot of work to do...and most of it is just being more self aware. If you’re kind and think of others, then you're heading the right way. But they get you with the lure of being selfish. Being woke is cool but man, but it’s like driving home at 4am and you don’t really know that you’re tired until you swerve. And at that point, you realize you ain't woke. That’s when you say “I’m up now..I am going to continue to work on myself and continue to challenge the people around me to wake up.”

Whether you appreciate it or not, your influence and visibility as a Black owner of a streetwear brand inspired an entire generation of Black youth to believe they could also be the ones in charge. From Tyler [the Creator] to some of the kids in my crew today.

You know, I’m honored for things like that. But going back to the earlier question...I feel like I didn't do enough. At that time, it was about me, I was being selfish and I thought being black was enough. So if I could encourage you all to do anything, it’s to take your people with you...don’t make it just about you. That’s why you see me with my hands together [prayer pose]. Some of us pat ourselves on the back, others of us beat ourselves on the chest. That’s cool, I'm gonna let you do that...but when you’re done, bring people with you. Share the codes...share the cheat codes. A lot of us had to figure it out ourselves...that’s where we go wrong. The more of us that learn the codes, the stronger we are. That’s how we get to market share. If we don’t have market share, we don’t have a voice. If you don’t have a voice then you’re going to need help with healthcare, education and the biases that are ingrained in our legislation that makes the gravity 2x heavier on us. Share the codes, hold the door open.

Did you have a figure that you admired when you were growing up? And what would you say to a young Black man or woman today who is thinking of entering the space?

The people I tend to admire don’t make sense when I get asked this question because what I admire in people doesn’t really resonate with most people. I’m into people who are more like sages and seers. My grandparents, my mom and dad...wise people who see things. You know, the type of people who can read you from head to toe when you walk in a room..those are the people who I spend most of my time talking to. I find value in the things unseen. That doesn’t work for everybody because it’s not a tangible thing. I don't give names of people who you can see the things they have tangibly done. What I would say to any young black man or woman today who’s thinking of entering the space, is to surround yourself with people that are better than you. Do it because you love it so much that you would do it for free and you can’t believe that you can actually get paid for it. Hold the door open. Talk to your partners about them understanding more, listening more, watching more, and being more open.

Share the codes...share the codes...share the codes.

And, you know what, get really excited when you see others doing well. Some people take Ambien, some people take melatonin. But, I can honestly tell you the best sleeping aid known to mankind is good will. Be excited when your brother wins. Be excited when your sister wins. Don’t block their blessing because when you do that, you’re blocking yours. Whatever God got for you is yours. That’s it...share the codes. Be happy when you see someone making it because you’re going to want them to smile when you’re doing the same.

***

Squarespace Donates $500K

Squarespace to Donate $500,000 towards Justice Reform and Alleviating Racial Inequality

Like many of you, I have been heartbroken to watch recent events unfold, demonstrating the abhorrent and unjust treatment of members of the Black community in the US. At Squarespace, we believe in the power of individuals to make great things -- and we also believe in the power of individuals to make great change. It is all of our responsibility to take action to dismantle the systems of oppression and racism, and today I am sharing Squarespace’s long-term commitment to do more. 

Squarespace will start by donating $500,000 to organizations working towards social justice reform and alleviating racial inequality in the US. Our first donation will be in the amount of $100,000 and the remaining funds will be donated over the next 3 years. To decide where we will be donating, we are researching both the underlying needs of the organizations as well as their infrastructure to decide where our money will go the furthest. We will build partnerships with organizations that we get involved with, through volunteerism and other opportunities, and we will continue to match employee donations made using our donation-matching platform, Bright Funds.

Our platform is home to incredible changemakers working to educate others and make a difference in the world, and we have the opportunity to help amplify their missions. We are going to continue to make it a priority to promote and provide visibility for Black creators that use Squarespace, as well as customers using their causes, voices and platforms to enact change. 

For our team, this is an incredibly difficult and emotional time for many, especially our Black colleagues. We recognize that we cannot focus on outward change without first looking inward. Squarespace must be a place where all can thrive and achieve their full potential, without bias and other systemic unfair processes that hinder success. We will continue to work to build and expand programs designed to further D&I at Squarespace in a number of key areas that include broadly implementing our unconscious bias education program and improving diversity in leadership roles.

The change we all need to see won’t happen overnight. These issues are systemic and deeply rooted, and it will take a committed and concerted effort. We pledge to support and stand in solidarity with our Black colleagues, customers, and communities for the long haul.

Anthony Casalena
Founder & CEO, Squarespace  

GEORGE FLYOD

GEORGE FLYOD

NIKE CANYON

NIKE CANYON
Your journey starts with the Nike Canyon Sandal. This rugged hiker is ready to explore. The ACG-inspired design features a beefy outsole, plush foam midsole, and triple-strap closure. From cityscapes to the river banks, this versatile powerhouse will keep you steady on your feet and comfortable tackling whatever lies ahead. Enjoy your time away. You’ve earned it. Explore the Nike Canyon. The rugged design is inspired by old-school ACG hikers. Plush foam feels good underfoot. The beefy outsole has deep flex grooves and big lugs to help you find firm ground. Three adjustable straps let you personalize the fit. Durable webbing and a heavy-duty buckle on the top of the foot give major outdoor vibes.

MEGAN THEE STALLION: SAVAGE x FENTY

Megan Thee Stallion, Rihanna Team Up for New Savage x Fenty Lingerie Campaign

Megan Thee Stallion is taking her hit song “Savage” to the next level as the new brand partner for Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie brand. The musician appears in the company’s latest campaign, #SavageXTheeStallion, which is part of the brand’s community-led summer campaign initiative where brand partners, ambassadors and influencers create self-produced photoshoots from their homes. The brand is teaming with mixed media artist Rafatoon to put together the campaigns.

Stallion appears in the campaign modeling pieces such as the brand’s Helenca Lace Push-Up Bra and Thong, the T-Shirt Bra and Booty Short and the Balconette Bra and Side Tie Undie.

“Meg is the energy we were looking for,” Rihanna said in a statement. “She is a risk taker with an attitude, character and personality.”

The musician’s appointment as Savage x Fenty brand partner comes after Stallion helped launched the brand’s TikTok account in April with the #SavageChallenge, where she’s seen modelling the brand’s lingerie while dancing along to her hit song. The challenge has since gone viral on the social media platform, with the hashtag recording nearly 800 million views. By Layla Ilchi

"Your attitude is what makes you Savage. It’s the confidence that you have in yourself, and it’s the confidence that you can give off to people who look like you and feel like you, and those are the people that identify with the brand."  -Rihanna

BIGGIE SMALLS x FILA

BIGGIE SMALLS CELEBRATES 48th BIRTHDAY
WITH A FILA COLLABORATION CAPSULE FOR SUMMER.

Thanks to his laundry list of iconic rap tunes, Notorious B.I.G. will be forever remembered as one of the greatest hip hop artists to ever walk the planet. And in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his legendary “Ready to Die” album, as well as what would have been his 48th birthday this Thursday, FILA has decided to create a commemorative capsule in his honor. Alongside a full apparel range is a duo of special Biggie x FILA Tennis 88 footwear renditions. Serving as updated version to the Original Tennis model that sparked popularity for the Sportswear brand amongst the Brooklyn community in the 90s, the kicks pay tribute to the late rapper through dual branded tongues that print out the number 25 just beneath its crown insignias, the famous baby photo from the album art translated onto the footbeds, as well as the words “Ready To Die” embroidered on the heel counter. Two colorways including a cream/red as well as a white/aqua blue are set to release first on FILA.com on May 19th, and at additional retailers on May 21st for $90 a piece.
VIA SNAKER NEWS BY ELLIOT SANTIAGO

BEN JERRY'S NIKE SB DUNK "CHUNKY DUNKY"

BEN JERRY'S NIKE SB DUNK "CHUNKY DUNKY"

Nike SB Dunks have gained fame for their out-of-the-box concepts and progressive means of redefining a skate shoe. Ben & Jerry’s is familiar with that methodology as they’ve gained unparalleled fame for their own unique flavors and packaging for decades. And despite much of fat-tongued Dunk appeal being the unusual nature of collaborations, Nike SB and Ben & Jerry’s share a lot of core values.

It’s now a pesky waiting game for the upcoming May 23rd/26th release date of the epic Ben & Jerry’s x Nike SB Dunk Low collaboration. In the meantime, we’ve decided to show you a first-hand look at the “Chunky Dunky” Dunks, which is inspired by the cold confectionary’s trademark flavor of “Chunky Monkey”. Decorated with cow fur exteriors with mis-matched patterns, a Swoosh with extended “melted” edges, and the rainbow covering on the insoles and lining, these SB Dunks offer up that truly unhinged design in all the right ways. Peep our YouTube unboxing video below and stay tuned for release info and a store list.

Updated: Ben & Jerrys is giving away one pair of the shoes. Enter here. VIA SNEAKER NEWS

Neiman Marcus Creditor Calls for Deal With Saks Fifth Avenue

A letter by the creditor suggests that combining the two luxury retailers would create between $2.8 billion and $4.7 billion of value.

DALLAS, United States — Hedge fund Mudrick Capital Management LP asked Neiman Marcus Group's independent directors on Tuesday to explore a combination with rival department store chain Saks Fifth Avenue, challenging the company's plan to reorganise under bankruptcy protection.

A lawyer for Mudrick, which holds portions of Neiman Marcus's roughly $5 billion of debt, wrote in a letter to the directors that a sale or merger with Saks would result in better financial recoveries for creditors than the company's current plan to restructure and hand control to senior lenders.

Neiman Marcus filed for bankruptcy last week after prolonged store closures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in plunging sales.

The letter, reviewed by Reuters, suggests that combining the two luxury retailers would create between $2.8 billion and $4.7 billion of value. That could ultimately be achieved by Neiman Marcus using bankruptcy proceedings to permanently close at least 22 stores in nearby or overlapping locations to its rival. That and other cost savings could boost the combined retailer's earnings, the letter said.

Saks owner Hudson's Bay Co in 2017 explored a Neiman Marcus takeover but did not ultimately pursue it, Reuters previously reported. Hudson's Bay has remained interested in Neiman Marcus, according to sources familiar with the matter, but has not yet made a formal bid for the company.

Representatives for Mudrick, Neiman Marcus and HBC declined to comment.

Hudson's Bay was taken private in March by shareholders that include Chief Executive Richard Baker, and it is also grappling with financial fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.

Neiman Marcus Chief Executive Geoffroy van Raemdonck told Reuters in an interview last week that the company is focused on reorganising and that a deal with Saks is not at the top of its priority list, though he did not rule it out.

Neiman Marcus has negotiated a plan with most of its creditors to cancel about $4 billion of debt in exchange for handing control of the company to senior lenders led by Pacific Investment Management Corp, Sixth Street Partners and Davidson Kempner Capital Management.

Pimco and Sixth Street declined to comment while Davidson Kempner could not immediately be reached.

These investment firms are also providing a $675 million financing package to aid the company's operations while it navigates bankruptcy proceedings, which a federal judge approved on an interim basis over Mudrick's objection.

The lenders hold the lion's share of Neiman Marcus's senior debt, giving them significant sway over whether the company's reorganisation plan is approved. Their agreement would likely be needed before Neiman Marcus attempted to explore a sale in lieu of the current plan.

An auction could also be time-consuming while Neiman Marcus is struggling. Neiman Marcus expects to burn through hundreds of millions of dollars in cash through at least the end of July.

Mudrick's letter said other creditors are hamstrung in agitating for a sale given they have signed a so-called restructuring support agreement associated with Neiman Marcus's bankruptcy case. The company's executives could be concerned about losing their jobs in a merger, and Neiman Marcus's private equity owners are keen to move on from their failed investment, the letter said.

By Mike Spector and Jessica DiNapoli; editor: Christopher Cushing. BOF

J BALVIN X Air Jordan 1 HIGH

J Balvin’s Air Jordan 1 High Collaboration Expected To Release This Holiday Season

If all of the sold out drops and astronomically high resell prices of Off-White and Travis Scottcollaborations are any indication, it’s that the Nike/Jordan team have mastered the art of aligning with key influential partners. And as we saw confirmed via an incredible Super Bowl halftime show this past February, the Jumpman music roster is set to expand by one this year with the welcoming of reggaeton artist J Balvin. The Colombian icon, who has been running up the numbers in recent years in terms of popular tunes with the likes of Cardi B, Bad Bunny, Major Lazer, and more, is now receiving his very own Air Jordan 1 collaboration. Balvin discussed in a recent interview that although production was caused to be pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the kicks will now be targeting a release for the 2020 holiday season.

Visually, the kicks are expressive of the artist’s vibrant fashion sense as the upper, which has been upgraded with edgy/extended overlays, is presented with a vibrant multi-colored gradient base seated next to a cream-colored tongue. Accents arrive by way of stark black shoe strings, as well as his signature happy face logo stamped along the left tongue and lateral heels. Peep a first look here ahead, and keep it locked for more official information related to its release likely on Nike.com and at select stockists. via sneaker news by elliot santiago