Winnie Harlow Fronts PUMA Kyron Awakening Sneakers, Talks Social Justice

Winnie Harlow Fronts PUMA Kyron Awakening Sneakers, Talks Social Justice

Jamaican Canadian top model Winnie Harlow heads out into the world as a new PUMA ambassador, wearing PUMA’s new Kyron sneakers. According to the PUMA website, the Kyron Awakening sneakers are created for pack leaders who destroy doubts and devour trends. The sneaker’s silhouette is a mashup of PUMA archive and high fashion elements.

“First to cop is the fiercest of them all,” writes PUMA, and Winnie Harlow certainly qualifies. In announcing her new role on Instagram, Harlow shared her thoughts:

I am excited to finally announce that I’m the newest @Puma global ambassador!!! Situations over the past few weeks have highlighted the injustice, inequality and police brutality faced by black people both in America and around the world so it was really important for me to partner with a brand that gives me the opportunity to champion people and organizations working to make meaningful change.

I have always been inspired by the amazing @sybrinafulton and my first act alongside @puma will be to work closely with @thetrayvonmartinfoundation where we are making a product donation for their summer STEM camp.
In times like these, it’s important to remember grassroots organizations that are working to create change at the local level and I am excited to begin this journey with my @puma family.
We’ve been working on several projects over the last few months, that I’m excited for you all to see in the coming weeks. 

How DC Mayor Bowser Used Graffiti to Protect Public Space

How DC Mayor Bowser Used Graffiti to Protect Public Space

When President Donald Trump sent heavily armed federal law enforcement officers and unidentified officers in riot gear into Washington, D.C. during the height of protests recently, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser responded by painting “BLACK LIVES MATTER” directly on the street leading to the White House.

While many spoke of it as a daring political act, for artists like me, it was also an act of urban intervention, an artistic act intended to transform an existing structure or institution, that reclaimed public space back for the public. And she accomplished this with little physical matter at all.

Her action – expressing dissent by marking an oppressive environment – references graffiti, which has been called the “language of the ignored.”

Art scholars note that most types of graffiti are meant to claim or reclaim territory by those who are systematically excluded. “Writers” often work quickly and at night, when they are less likely to be seen and arrested for painting on others’ property without consent.

Bowser’s action would likely be considered vandalism if not for the fact that it was carried out by the city’s Department of Public Works, using city funds. She wielded municipal services as artistic tools to condemn another state-sanctioned action, the violence perpetrated against Black people.

Ruth Akele Means Business by Fernando Gomez for Vogue Arabia June 2020

Ruth Akele Means Business by Fernando Gomez for Vogue Arabia June 2020

Nigeria-born model Ruth Akele is styled by Daniel Gonzalez Elizondo in bold colors tailoring for ‘Businesswoman’, lensed by Fernando Gomez for Vogue Arabia June 2020./ Makeup by Rosa Matilla

FENTY R6.20-DROP1 Campaign Lensed by Lea Colombo Honors Rebellious Creative Aesthetic

FENTY R6.20-DROP1 Campaign Lensed by Lea Colombo Honors Rebellious Creative Aesthetic

Rihanna’s Fenty luxury brand brightens spirits today June 11, with “Release 6-20”, the first of three separate drops across June. Lensed by London-based, South Africa born photographer Lea Colombo, the campaign’s focus is models, artists and musicians who “embody the bright spark energy of the release.”

They include Amrit, Assa Baradji, Coucou Chloe, Daniel Gonzalez, Lilan Barru, and Mao Xiaoxing./ Art direction by Jean-Baptiste Talbourdet and Lolita Jacobs; casting direction from Samuel Ellis Scheinman. Video direction by Julien Pujol and Roberto Colombo. 

“In a time where fighting for global freedoms takes center stage, this release speaks to a generation that is a different kind of creative, and a different kind of rebellious,” says Fenty’s press release. The collection honors “decades of youth aesthetics and styles that emerged during periods of steep social change, each act of the month-long release celebrates a different facet of youth, expressed through varied style cues.”

The collection is long on psychedelic, tie-dye prints, baggy rave silhouettes, grunge hoodies and asymmetric dresses. The campaign will continue into July.

Emmanuel Adjaye by Jon Gorrigan for The Guardian Fashion June 2020

Emmanuel Adjaye by Jon Gorrigan for The Guardian Fashion June 2020

The Guardian’s fashion editor Helen Seamons puts menswear artistry center stage in ‘A Brush With Greatness’, photographed in the studio of British artist Matt Small. Photographer Jon Gorrigan captures model Emmanuel Adjaye, with Seamons also interviewing Small for “I want to get a sense of Jazz in my work.”