KIDS AT PLAY – Rotate
Story by: Marta Locklear Photos by: Stanley Tran Like every 90’s sitcom, Kids at Play is about a group of friends who are practically a family. Each episode tells a different story about their lives; they get in trouble, skip school, dress cool, and tackle life and the curveballs pitched at them together. The cast is always dressed in vintage and new street fashion, all purchased from the local Richmond store ROTATE. The owners hand pick the items they buy from customers to maintain the store’s personal style and theme. The kids loves ROTATE because of its hip and chill aesthetic, and it’s one of the their go-to stops after school; they drink freezes and chat on the couch. Let’s meet the Crew! Meet Olly. Full name Olivia but the gang calls her Olly, it fits her tomboy style and chill personality better. Olly is the fashion inspiration for any gal who isn’t all about ruffles, dresses, and frills. Her favorite items in her closet are wide leg jeans and her Docs. She is known for adding a stand out accessory to a simple outfit to make it pop. Meet Preston. Because he’s so creative and adventurous, Preston’s style is the edgiest out of the friend group. He likes to keep it classic and with black skinny jeans, matte black high tops, and a cool graphic tee. He likes to play with accessories and statement pieces like vests to stand out. Meet Z. Every sitcom needs the cool guy with the cool name right? Z’s style matches just that. In this episode, Z rocks Georgetown track pants, an oversized hockey jersey, and Cool Grey 11s. As the star varsity basketball player at school Z keeps his style comfy and athletic, like a ball will be thrown his way any second, because it just might. Meet Joshua. When he’s not rocking varsity track pants a graphic tee, the DMP 11s, and a making buckets on the court, He plays a big role in keeping the gang tight after silly debates and fights breakout. They go to school, hang at ROTATE, shoot basketball, and skate all in one outfit. It’s the perfect combination of fashionable and practical. Creative Direction: Jacynth Serrano Rodriguez Stylists: Daniella Osuna, Jerrell Funtila Models: Aaron Lai, Adriana DeRosa, James Bryce Settles, Tariq
Halcyon: Lost in Time
Photography By: Dom KhunStory By: Aayesha Poudel There has always been something soft and romantic traveling on train. From the tale of strangers meeting at a station or while traveling, and falling in love to saying goodbye to a significant other as they embark on a railway journey. In some form or another, we are all romantics. We set the scene in the midst of a love story with two souls who find themselves secluded from the rest of the world. In this wide open train station, they are alone but together. They create beauty in their movement, their shadows and their gaze. They surround themselves in art, from their scenery to the clothes they wear. Halcyon, a vintage consignment boutique located in Richmond, allows us to idulge ourselves in the old Hollywood fantasy and bring it into our modern wardrobe. First, we have the beautiful Celeste who gives us young Faye Dunaway vibes, wearing a victorian ruffle blouse paired with a suede mid-length skirt, kitten heels, knit gloves and a hat. She evokes elegance and power with her deep stares and glances. What would this love story be without a gentleman like Nicky? He is the Clyde to her Bonnie, the Warren to her Faye. In each scene he doesn’t just wear his clothes in style, but uses them to provoke drama. For instance, he styles his fedora to hide his eyes which creates a bit of intrigue. He pairs a white button up with brown trousers, boots and a leather jacket. Before they part ways, the two of them share an intimate dance using every part of the station as their stage. We feel their connection through the looks they give each other, making us fall even deeper in love with them. As we leave the two trapped in a timeless love story, we are reminded of how even in the digital age of technology, we can create romantic beauty anywhere, and find historical significance in the clothes that we wear. Stylists and Models: Celeste Chaves and Nicky Reardon Photo Assistant: Stanley Tran
That 70’s Shoot with Tori
Photography by: Kylie NewcombVideography by: Brandon MoralesCreative Director: Dom_Khun Tori Radday lives in her own 70’s daze with a combination of vintage and chic. Check out this eccentric series styled by Richmond stylists and blogger, Tori Radday. Here is where you can find Tori Radday: Check out her instagram: @toriraddayCheck out her depop page: @toriradday Models: Aayesha PoudelAliviah JonesJade KoumtakounFelicia Lam
Headassery at its Finest
Story by Anna Debald Creative Direction and Photos by Dom Khun “Just a word we use when someone says does something unbelievable or unreal and you ‘gotta call them out for it.” “It’s, like, a way to describe your friends when they are being one of three things: hilarious, ridiculous or obnoxious.” “Ya know. It’s when your friends are being dumb stupid and a geek.” These are three examples of definitions I received when I asked my friends what the word “headass” meant. Moving from Philadelphia to Richmond last year brought a lot of changes to my life, but one that I hadn’t anticipated to stand out was the slang people use. (I heard “y’all” and “I’m hip” more in one month than I had in my entire life living in Philly.) Within the first week I moved here I was called a “headass.” At first, I was offended. However, after living in Richmond for over a year, I’m actually flattered. I now know it was a way to compliment my goofy, sometimes out of the ordinary behavior. This is a great way to describe what Zak Goldwasser has achieved with his brand, Headass Co. Picture this! It’s a rainy day in Richmond. Goldwasser puts earphones in and eats a sandwich. He listens to the motivational speaker, Lisa Nichols talk on the topic of overcoming obstacles. He is motivated and fired up for the day. He looks to his desk and glares at the pencil and the eraser on its end. He grabs a pen. No time for sketching or rearranging. The pen gracefully skims the paper. Three mouths, four eyes, two noses and three legs later, the idea Goldwasser had for Salty Dan on a hoodie comes to life on paper. Goldwasser began drawing the designs you see on his apparel today when he was in high school. After randomly choosing margins from papers his teachers handed out to sketch in, he realized people really enjoyed his spontaneous drawings. Today, his drawings come to life through his clothing brand. “A random shower thought” became a design a few minutes later. Straight to pen and paper he goes. No planning. No second guessing. Headass Co.’s designs reflect this aspect of his creative process. The product designs consist of characters with several heads, eyes, mouths and joints emerging from figures fashioned within his creative realm. They are cleanly drawn, but the characters are grungy and imaginary. Their expressions are unamused, but also goofy. Most of them have been assigned a name, like Salty Dan, Krangaroo Johnathan and Sparktopus. Each suggesting an other worldly curiousness. But where does all this inspiration come from? What Goldwasser realized by the time he finished college was that his margin drawings would be far more interesting than working a nine to five office job. Therefore, his main inspiration stems from his desire to free not only himself, but those who encounter the brand. He set himself free from a mundane life and took a career path that most do not have the chance to, nor the courage to. He wanted to end the stigma that declares that one must settle for an ordinary job to be successful and therefore, happy. That is why Headass Co. has attracted such a wide variety of individuals. Skaters, rappers, and people who just seek out different are typical customers. The brand does not offer traditional patterns. The designs are broken up. Each shirt utilizes one bold image that either chaotically fills the entire shirt or one that stands alone. Through these unique designs, Headass Co. welcomes a diverse group of people who detest the boring and appreciate hand-drawn innovation. The brand is now moving in the direction of new media. Goldwasser constantly uploads graphics and animations he creates to their Instagram. Their website also features thirty second short films he has produced. Each incorporates the imaginative, peculiar characters featured on the brand’s apparel. One that stands out is titled “Rick and Morty Headassified.” They have also recently made the front page of Reddit, thanks to Goldwasser’s work. This is definitely going to be something to look out for on the internet. His animations and shorts are what I imagine if Rick and Morty and BigMouth combined, but even better and newer. And what is ever more rad is the fact that you can wear merchandise that incorporates the same ideas from the shorts! If you aren’t hip to Headass Co., I would change that ASAP! (Look at me, a northerner, saying “hip” and “headass” in the same sentence.) Trust me–It is a whole lot of headassery that you don’t want to to miss out on.
What’s LUV Got to Do with It?
[tribulant_slideshow post_id=”5889″] Story by: Annie Miller Photos by: Stanley Tran When you think of ‘90s fashion, which sneaker comes to mind? This is the exact question Jair Barbour asked herself when customizing the dressing room in her startup shop, UNLUVD Boutique. “I thought, how about we make it a shoebox?” says Barbour, explaining the bright blue, box-shaped fitting room with the iconic three white stripes slapped across the door. “I wanted my store to be more than just white walls and endless rows of clothing racks. I wanted to stand out.” As a Richmond native, Jair Barbour attended college at Virginia State University, pursuing a career in psychology. All the while, and with a growing closet overflow, she collected an inventory of never-been-worn and hardly-ever-worn apparel, selling it all out of her garage through EBay. “It started with Michael Kors bags and that lead into everything else,” says Barbour, showing us the perfect example of classic consumerism- buying things we think we want but end up rarely ever using. While it may be just a “girl thing”, Jair Barbour took it up few notches turning “it’s just a girl” thing into an, “it’s just the dopest shop in Richmond” thing. UNLUVD boutique opened for business this September 2018, right on time for the fall return of Virginia Commonwealth University students. Located at 701 West Cary Street next to Monroe Park in the heart of campus, the boutique provides the broadest variety of clothing, easy to satisfy the tremendous melting pot of style and personality throughout the VCU student population. While maintaining a constant inflow of unique and exciting retail, customers are offered a vast array of merchandise stretching from today’s modern market all the way back in time to the most one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, planting the ultimate theme for the store’s retro roots. UNLUVD Boutique digs up some truly extraordinary old-school garments, reviving the funkiest forgotten styles and brands from the streetwear-centered age of hip-hop and Michael Jordan. Classic tee’s and hoodies, leather jackets, neons, metallics, distressed denim, fresh sneakers, vintage watches and bags- I’m all there. A trip to UNLUVD Boutique and you’re guaranteed to walk out, arms heavy. Barbour has done much more than create a simple shop-around store; rather, she has produced the ultimate customer experience, expressing an explosive compilation of culture with the most heightened sense of creativity. UNLUVD evokes intense ‘90s nostalgia, everywhere from the pink painted walls lined with neon lights and splattered graffiti to aesthetic additions of gold chain balloons, Fresh Prince and Tupac portraits, old pay-phones, stereos, TVs, and even a basketball hoop. That’s not to mention the subway themed bathroom, Nintendo gaming system (for customers to play while shopping), photobooth, and let’s not forget the Adidas shoebox fitting room. Enter the boutique only to find a metal gate door leading you into the shopping section; which as explained by Barbour, was inspiration pulled from their first summer weeks exposed to the Gladding Residence Center and Monroe Park construction. With all that said we still have only scratched the surface of UNLUVD Boutique’s depth and design, and for those who have never been, it will surely exceed your expectations. So especially as such a quaint start-up shop, why put so much investment into all this extra stuff? “I want my store to be a place where people feel comfortable to come in, shop, take pictures, and hang out,” expresses Barbour, her tone reflecting her chill, genuine personality. Barbour emphasizes how much she already admires the loyalty of VCU students to their campus businesses. Appealing to and developing relationships with the locals is her utmost goal seeing the future of UNLUVD play forward. A lot of talk about teamwork came into our conversation, as she stressed the importance of people in the fashion industry, and all in general, working together in order to achieve success and make an impact. Aside from all the fun, she also purposes her store as a stage to help promote all brands and designers, including small local ones, in hopes of boosting every business and helping them to thrive. “That’s what I think I love most about the nineties,” Barbour explains. “There was a stronger sense of unity and togetherness. Everything was family oriented and themed around teamwork. I want my store to be a place where anyone can come in and feel welcome to do their thing.” What I find most fascinating about today’s generation is our infatuation with the past and times that never belonged to us. I never experienced the 1990’s as Jair Barbour and others before me were able to, yet I still felt overwhelming contentment and sentimentality when treading through her whimsical wonderland of a shop. With passion and intentions so bold and pure, this boutique has given me an optimistic outlook on the future of fashion and its evolving industry, as creative naturals like Jair Barbour are surely essential in improving its direction. For a shop called UNLUVD, they sure have a lot of love to give. So take a break today, head over to this red-hot spot, and dive into a different decade. Bring your friends, shop around, play some games, and take some photos! Their door is always open. Models: Ayanna McKie, Celeste Chaves,Nick Reardon Stylists: Anna DeBald, Daniela Osuna Fashion Editor: Aayesha Poudel Editor in Chief: Jacynth Serrano Rodriguez