ISSUE 1
Different Shades of Brown Explore the cultural differences between different shades of brown people in the minority group of America.
New Beginnings How love turns into a commitment for life known as marriage. A sneak peek into the wedding stories of 2020
The Se7en Deadly Sins Creative director, Minh Tran sits down to answer behind the scene questions about his Seven Deadly Sins editorial process and vision.
COVID 19 vs. Depression Coping with the reality of depression during the pandemic known as COVID - 19
US $3.99
The T h You Is ank sue
A MESSAGE FROM THE TEAM
H S
ow We Got Our Start
ince opening in 2009, we have become masters of our craft. Our commitment to quality photos, exceptional services, and dedication to our craft, has helped us grow and build our company into what we have now. More followers, more business social media pages, and Our own magazine called, B.A.Y. Style Magazine, which we started and built-in June 2020. We have always hoped to be published in other corporate magazines, but we were not always picked. This went on for a while until I woke up one day and decided to create my own magazine, Something with my flare, Bay Area Flare, clothing, and photos that always tell a story.
T
he Models and Clients of the community keep coming back again and again because our services and creativity match no one else’s. We make sure whatever vision that client is looking for, we deliver, Always. We will never stop improving and will continue to expand our services, based on how we can best serve the Bay Area and our clients. We thrive on giving our clients the best and most enjoyable experience and customer service. We want and make sure our clients and customers to have the most professional photos and creative directing we have to offer. 2 | Magazine
Letter from the editor SHONTA JONES Owner, Editor and Chief
This magazine is a collaborative process of many wonderful and talented creators in the fashion community. We are thankful for everyone who has helped us make this Magazine Issue possible. All the hard work, long hours, editing, photoshoots, fashion styling, traveling, set up and take down, make-up artist, designers, models, photographers, and all the assistants
31 Shonta Jones, the Ceo, Editor, and Chief of Bay Style Magazine would like to thank everyone who made our First Issue #1 a success. Shonta was born and raised in Hayward, Oakland, Berkeley, and Union City CA, went to elementary, middle, and high school with some of the most stylish students of her time. Shonta has been modeling for over 15 years, for major shows like Oakland Fashion Week, Queer Fashion Week, San Francisco Fashion Week, Sustainable Fashion Week, Sacramento Fashion Week, and many private and designer fashion weeks throughout the Bay Area. Shonta has an eye for creativity and fashion, she loves art and going out of the box. Shonta has also been a model coach, runway coach, backstage manager, hostess, mc, and private coordinator for Fashion Weeks. Shonta started her own magazine called Bay Style Magazine because she is here to help her sisters and brothers thrive in an industry that counts us out or uses us as a trend. The Bay Area is a melting pot for all races, religions, and all sorts of creative art. Shonta wants to bring that to the mainstream and let the World know, we are not just a tourist are, but a staple and starter of many fashions and trends. Shonta of Bay Style Magazine would like to thank all those involved in this issue and made this launch possible. My creative agency agent and good friend and fashion advisor Minh Tran of San Francisco Ca, for everything he has done. All the long hours of writing, editing, and posting, for all the hard work he put into the layout of the Bay Style Magazine, we are truly thankful and honored you are with us and helping us build and brand our magazine and company. Bay Style Magazine would also like to give a big thanks to all the Models, Makeup Artist, Hairstylist, Designers, and Photographers involved, without you, it would just be clothes on a rack and no content, I thank you for putting in the long shooting hours, image editing, all the faces you applied makeup, all the hair you styled, all the clothes you brought to style the models in, all the creative poses and garments and just being an amazing and coming and slaying every concept thrown at you. We have so much more to come, this is just our first issue, much more creative content, issues to come, and many more new faces to introduce. Stay Amazing and Be Amazing.
Special Thanks to Neferttiti Stewart Bernadette Rose Anna Jacquez Minh Tran Kam Mariee DaNorman Bobino Britney Freeman Khamiko Olivera Tiffanye Young Kenyetta H Todd Alexis Telfer-Tran Yolanda Yogibopg HarbinVenson Vert Wright Carrie Smith Nisha Brown Magazine | 3
4 | Magazine
Magazine | 5
DIFFERENT SHADES
OF BROWN
Exploring the social norms that identify different shades of people in our own minority cultures.
ing to either side or being accepted by either side. They are either not African American enough or they are not enough of the other race they are mixed with. Mixed races seem to have it even harder than full-blooded African Americans who are trying to accept. Another horrible feeling, they face on a daily, is not feeling like they belong anywhere. It was already hard for mixed races to belong or be respected, but it is even harder for them once Trump came into office. It’s like we are Each shade of Brown is unique in their own going back to town, the only thing we are way, Black, African, African American, Meximissing is the “Colored Only” signs. can, Puerto Rican, Asian, and Family, Friendships, and marriages many other races who share ended when Trump came into ofthe same shade of Brown. fice and are still having an effect Each woman/men no matter today on conversations, relationwhat shade of Brown you are ships, marriages, and friendships should always respect one anWE NEED TO BE other and uplift one another, . Some Black races don’t accept the Be your Sisters/Brother’s KeepOUR BROTHER’S mixed races, even more, now with er. Being different shades of AND SISTER’S the political battle and race battle Brown is difficult in the workKEEPER going on in the World today, they ing field and socializing field, feel they are not black, even though some Blacks try to put you in they are 30% to 50% black. Friends a category of house slave or who have been best buds for over field slave, just because of the 30 years are now not friends, all for brainwash that has been put in the color of their skin. The color their heads. The battle that has of our skin, our shades of Brown been going on between African should not matter. We as people should love American families for decades and must stop. one another no matter what. Uplift one anWe are all the same race and should ban toother and help those who are in need. The gether for equality instead of tearing one anGovernment and World destroy us, our lives, other down or belittling one another like the and the way we live, enough is enough, other shade is better or less than the other. we do not need to add to the destruction. Another battle that is going on is that you are If we put more care, love, and respect in neither black nor the other race you are mixed the World, we could have a better World. with, mixed races have more trouble belong The World has many shades of Brown and the human eye can recognize most of them. We have shades like Olive, Golden Brown, Caramel, Mocha, Almond, Chocolate, Auburn, and more. But tell me why the World can’t accept the different shades of brown on the skin of people. Why must we all be against one another, just because our skin is lighter or darker than each other?
6 | Magazine
Magazine | 7
8 | Magazine
Magazine | 9
10 | Magazine
Magazine | 11
QT SWIMWEAR BY DEZIRE HALL Bay Style Magazine supports black owned businesses. www.qtswimwear.com is a young and upcoming fashion retailer that specializes in swimwear and lounge wear.
DEZIRE
HALL IS AN ENTREPRENEUR THAT RECENTLY JUST OPENED HER FIRST ONLINE RETAIL STORE TO SUPPORT PEOPLE THAT LIKES SWIMWEAR RANGING FROM REGULAR TO PLUS SIZES.
12 | Magazine
ONE-PIECE TWO-PIECE PLUS SIZE KIDS
Magazine | 13
14 | Magazine
Magazine | 15
THE SE7EN DEADLY SINS BY: MINH TRAN
Bay Style Magazine follows a reflection and the process that went into shooting this high fashion spread.
16 | Magazine
Q&A
with Minh Tran CraveCreative.us Minh Tran a visual designer and creative director who specializes in visual and organic designs. I enjoy innovating in the creative realm of design for a variety of companies and agencies throughout the United States. Experimenting and exploring new ideas of design and illustration excites me and working with teams of all types inspires me. Being the youngest Vietnamese-American production founder for at-risk youths in San Francisco, I’ve learned to think differently when involving design and innovation for catering to different demographics. I have a passion for visual and performing arts, I also love to incorporate photography and fashion design in my spare time. Bay Style Magazine had the chance to sit down with Minh Tran, owner and Creative Director for a new media and marketing startup company call CraveCreative.us here in San Francisco. Minh was excited that Bay style wanted to showcase his fantasy-inspired fashion editorial shoot that he manifested and brought to reality when he was in art and design school at the Academy of Art University. Se7en Deadly Sins was the brainchild of Minh and his creative group known as Social One Production and Royal Management at the time. This high fashion shoot took place at Studio Mix, an upscale fitness center that was owned by his friend. I was inspired deeply by Greek mythology and wanted to find a way to transcend the idea of the 7 deadly sins folklores stories I’ve been hearing from since I was a child into a visual spread said, Minh. Q: How did you get all the people to be involved in your vision? Minh: I been in the fashion production industry since I was 16. I didn’t pick it, it chose me in a way. Over the years, I worked with numerous talented individuals specializing in make-up to hair, styling, and design. I was mostly known as a show producer. My sister was a beauty pageant winner, so she had a connection to many model friends and fashion designers. It was a great collaborative process for all that was involved. We were all trying to build our industry portfolios. Looking back, we were so young and had such great energy.
Q: Was it stressful managing so many people on set? Minh: I had fun playing the role of Creative Director. It was my vision and I wanted the photographers and models to present the brief a certain way on set. Everyone was at such a level of professionalism and was so good at what they did, I was ensured that the images would turn out great. Some of us were already about to graduate from art school, so we were experienced in the protocols. I also wore many hats throughout this project. At one point, I was set producer, image editor, and was even part of the clean up crew. We had so much fun, those were amazing memories. Q: How did you direct your models and photographers? Minh: I was very lucky, most of the models that we choose were already working for an established modeling agency. So they were experienced in me directing them to provoke a certain mood for the shoot. The theme was Seven Deadly Sins, each girl was paired with a designer to depict one of the sins. When it came to the photographers, we had two on set. Working with each of my 7 gals. They were asked to set their creative visions to match the lights and setups. A lot of comparing images on set. They were very useful in post-production as well. Q: How long was planning from start to finish? Minh: It took us two weeks in the planning phase. We had to make sure we obtained the location first. We then contacted the designers to loan us their new looks for print. Contacting each model’s mother agency was a process. Some models were freelanced but the ones that needed clearance from their agency, we had to show our current work to them to approve. We agreed that this was a trade-for-trade project so, everyone was on the same page. Models get to use our open source publications copyrights and we get them on board for the shoots. Since graduating from the school of Web Design and New Media, AAU in 2014, Minh was able to continue working on numerous other fashion and design projects. Bay Style Magazine is excited to publish and recycle its fashion editorials spread by Minh in this Dec. Issue One.
Magazine | 17
18 | Magazine
Magazine | 19
20 | Magazine
Magazine | 21
22 | Magazine
Magazine | 23
24 | Magazine
Magazine | 25
26 | Magazine
Magazine | 27
28 | Magazine
Magazine | 29
30 | Magazine
Magazine | 31
32 | Magazine
Magazine | 33
COVID - 19 VS. DEPRESSION
Covid-19 Through the Covid-19 pandemic of 2019 to 2020, I have lost my job, some friends and some family members have contracted the disease and have survived it or have passed on, 2020 was not a good year for me. It was hard to just get the essentials, like toilet paper, water, bread, noodles, eggs, milk, baby formula, diapers, baby food, sanitizer, cleaning wipes, and cleaning supplies. When Covid-19 first hit, the stores had no regulations on how many essential items each customer could buy. After customers started to rush the stores and buy up all the essentials, the cities and government saw people were hoarding these essentials, so they started to put limitations on how much each customer could buy, this was hard for me and a lot of others, I was not ready for this emergency. Many people like myself have back up essentials, but if the stores are going to close or be looted, we needed to stock up now, what we had on hand would not last us through the
34 | Magazine
pandemic the news was telling us. Covid-19 was and still is the biggest scare right now in the world today, we cannot go outside, walk into stores, gas stations or be around others without a mask, we can not work at jobs without a mask, which makes it very difficult to work certain jobs. My kids are no longer going to school, schools are closed and they are doing online classes and zoom classes with their teachers. My kids no longer have that social interaction with their friends and peers at school, they no longer play sports or have practice. We now have to be temp checked before we enter any building and have the proper mask on, we have to constantly wash and sanitize our hands. IT WAS HARD Covid-19 is spread through GETTING THE sweat, moisture, also in the air when people cough and not ESSENTIALS cover their cough, just like a cold or flu but worse, really bad SUPPLIES TO MAKE germs/virus escaping into the SURE MY FAMILY air. If everyone would abide by the rules and follow the WAS INSURED FROM guidelines we would not have to keep getting shut down and THE VIRUS put on lockdown. I see and hear some people saying g it’s hard to breathe with the mask on, it’s going to be even harder to breathe and live if you contract the disease or unwilling to pass it on to someone you love and they pass on. We should all be mindful of others, even if we don’t care about ourselves. A caring world is a loving world. We should all do better and we can be better. - Anonymous
Magazine | 35
COVID - 19 THE VIRUS STORY
The covid-19 pandemic was a big scare for me and my family, our health, finances, and my crafting business. When the stores closed down, everyone had to buy items online and most of the items I needed would be sold out or I had to buy more yards in a fabric that I did not need. I sew blankets, socks, quilts, craft birdhouses, frames, household accessories, and sometimes headpieces for clothing garments. When the pandemic first hit and I had to go to Joann Fabrics, I had to sit or stand in line for over an hour and a half, sometimes two hours. So many crafters were coming out to make masks to keep up with demand or masks for family and essential workers. Lines at the fabric counter would be back to the wall and all the ticket numbers would be pulled by end of the day. Joann and many other stores had customer limits to how many can be in the store at one time, Joann had a max limit of 20 people. When it came to outside activities, this was hard because we lived in an apartment complex, the kids had no backyard and could not go in the complex park and play because of the social distance law in place. The kids would get
36 | Magazine
restless just being in the house all day, we came up with many games to play inside, but the kids still missed that outside play and running around. Once the Covid-19 numbers started to go down, the cities started to open things back up again, certain parks and recreational areas for kids to play, they also made white circles in the park for visitors to sit and be six feet apart. This was helpful because we could take the kids out in the fresh air and they could run around and enjoy the sun like they use to. This is very hectic for everyone on finances as well, it’s hard to pay bills if you have no money flow coming in, but the bills keep coming in. In life, we need the essential like water, food, gas, electricity, and our shelter, without these things we would be out in the cold. I hope that we keep up with the guidelines we have in place and start to help those like myself get back on our feet, so we can make a living, bring in income, instead of just paying out income. Many families have lost their home, car, or land, all because the income they use to earn got hit hard by covid-19, even with the EDD money that was given, most did not receive due to scammers, so those people are still in the red and in trouble. Some mortgage companies and landlords are working with their tenants through this hard time and I’m so glad our landlord is working with us; we would not have anywhere else to go if we lost our home. We pray that things get better for us and everyone else, we can only survive so long on scraps and change.
THAT DEPRESSION SITUATION Depression Having depression in this pandemic have been horrible, I feel I can’t breathe like I am trapped in a dark hole, a place and can not get out. I have no one to talk to or call, I live alone and have no friends in this new city. When I first moved here it was great, I went out all the time, met new people and new friends when the pandemic hit, all the social places shut down for a while and everyone had to stay inside and could only got out and get essential or go to work if their employment was still open. My place of work had to shut down and I was left at home alone and without any pets or people to speak to. I do customer service and talk with people all day, so it is and was very hard for me to be alone. Sometimes I feel like I just don’t want to be here like no one loves me and I am in this world alone. Sometimes I just want to be in the dark and not see or hear anything, sometimes I go in the shower or bath and just sit, no water and sometimes with water. Not being able to interact with anyone or touch anyone is difficult in these times. I miss that simple hug, that simple kiss, and that pat
on the back or handshake of appreciation. I am so glad that I reached out to someone to talk to on this hotline and on my Facebook, being able to tell them how I feel and what I am going through is helping me in this hard time. They never judge me on how I feel or what I say to them on the phone. They comfort me in a way that makes me feel that everything will get better and we will be able to get out and social activities again. That even in this time of tragedy, I will get through this, to tell myself and to make myself find that one person I can talk with when I need to talk, when I am at my lowest point, I can call them and they will and can lift me up. I do not think about taking my life anymore, I think more about how I am going to live it. Many people have lost their loved ones and some will never and have never gone outside, I should be thankful for the air I breathe and every step I take.
Magazine | 37
New Beginnings
Rayshonda & Daylon Bersntine are self-made Business Entrepreneurs from San Francisco CA, both are Brand Ambassadors creating brands for their Urban Community, setting platforms for our Youth and giving back into their communities and helping to build generational wealth within the communities. Rayshonda & Daylon help people in their communities and families to gain access to start building their own business and teaches them how to bring in revenues to their communities and households, Rayhonda and Daylon Bernstine are working to become a household name. If the Bernstines could take a trip anywhere in the world they would go to Africa, to the Motherland of our people and get more educated on their history and their ancestral roots. They would each like to know where they came from, who they are, who their families were and who started their family trees. Rayshonda and Daylon plan to take a trip to the Motherland in 2021, we wish them a safe and healthy travels to them both.
38 | Magazine
Rayshonda and Daylon’s favorite meal to cook together is Seafood Gumbo, with crab, fish, prawns and lobster and true seafood feast. The three most important things in Rayshonda and Daylon’s life is, God, Family and their Legacy they are building to leave their family, they both value Family most of all. When the days comes when either of them passes away, their families
IT TAKES A VILLIAGE TO COME TOGETHER AND BECOME AS ONE
and loved ones will remember them by their Hustle, their Awesome personalities, good hearts, hospitality, good spirits and the Big hearts they both have, but most of all, family will remember their cooking, they both can truly throw down in the kitchen. If Rayshonda and Daylon could speak to the people in the whole world, they would say “Be Blessed, stay Humble, keep God in your life, have patience and always give back to your own when you spend your money. Spend with Black Business and help them grow, by spending with those in your own community and with your own, we can stop supporting
other countries who support big clothing lines and Brands, It takes a “Village to come together and become as one and to come together and be one.” You can reach out to Rayshonda and Daylon Bernstine on Facebook at Rlabelinc Management and Daily Bread, Sunshine Mclemoore who is also part of Rlabelinc Management can be found on Instagram at www.instagram.com/sunshine_turnedup, you can also reach out to Daily Bread at triplebbbbloddline@gmail.com.
Magazine | 39
40 | Magazine
Magazine | 41
LIFESTYLE QUICK LOOKS HOW TO ROCK THE WINTER 2020
Winter Coat 42 | Magazine
Blue Jumpsuit
Magazine | 43
POSE IN HEELS
44 | Magazine
Gold Watch
Lime Green Handbag
Magazine | 45
We are
CraveCreative.us at your service. Classically Trained, unconventional results Design is one of the first ways your customer engages with your brand. Our goal is to make that connection deep and meaningful.
Aim We’re a startup company founded by design school graduates who’ve been in the industry for a long time.
We view the design process like solving a puzzle. This means we start with asking the right questions to arrive at the right marketing strategy and goals.
We see the disproportionate advantages that good branding brings to large companies, but care to bring the same level of creativity to the community.
We know the end result shouldn’t be just a beautiful graphic, but should add to your business success. So we execute by turning complex concepts into intuitive compelling deliverables.
Our aim is to democratize the world of high concept design and see a vision where both large and small companies can succeed
Method
LOGO DESIGN BRAND IDENTITY STRATEGY INTERACTIVE / PRODUCT WEB DESIGN
Thanks to our intuitive grasp of visual design built from years of client work, we have been able to develop a design method that maintains project consistency across websites, branding, strategy, motion graphics, photography, cinematography, and even fashion branding.
46 | Magazine
We’re a group of creative thinkers who have built a business to change the world. At “THE CREATIVE HOUSE” we use decades of combined experience in design to help clients achieve their creative goals.
With a combined 30 years of experience in fashion, photography, digital and print design, “THE CREATIVE HOUSE” will produce designs that will give tangible and profitable results.
OUR PEOPLE OUR WORLD-CLASS TEAM
www.cravecreative.us | 415.216.8931
Magazine | 47
YEARS OF FASHION ILLUSTRATED LOOKS a fashion art book by: Minh Tran
“I don’t normally see a lot of Vietnamese American fashion illustrators. I bring a different “I draw and paint every day. It’s like an perspective,” he says. In 2011, while an underaddiction,” says Minh Tran, a creative entregraduate of Web Design and New preneur who paints outside the Media at the academy that perspeclines, with over a decade of expetive made him one of the youngest rience having worked with LVMH THIS ART BOOK winners of the Asian Heritage Street to Mercedes Benz, from brand Celebration’s poster contest. “I tend ambassador to a graphic designACTS AS A VISUAL to infuse my work with Vietnamese er, Tran has a varied skill set that REPRESENTATION poems and culture. I am also heavtranscends industries. None so OF HOW I VIEW ily influenced by how Vietnamese much then fashion. “I’ve been enTHE FASHION women dress and their composure. amored with the idea of fashion since high school. One day a DVD WORLD THROUGH I tend to infuse their grace and poise in my compositions,” he added. was sent to my home from the MY EYES. Academy of Art University. After Held in partnership with the Asian watching the university’s New Art Museum, Center for Asian AmerYork Fashion Week shows I wantican Media, and Kearny Street Workshop, his ed to pursue a career,” says Tran. designs were displayed in marketing materi48 | Magazine
als across the San Francisco Bay Area including newspaper and TV spots as well as at the 29th annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. Currently, a visual designer at Crave Creative, a San Francisco based design and marketing startup, Tran hasn’t lost his penchant for illustration or fashion. “I keep up with industry news every day. It helps keeps me motivated,” he says.
TO GET YOUR DIGITAL COPY OF THIS PRE-ORDER FASHION ART BOOK. PLEASE VISIT WWW.CRAVECREATIVE.US.
After a collector asked if she could buy his illustrations in bulk, Tran had the idea of compiling this book. A coffee table book. Ahead is a collection of Tran’s greatest works. A tome of elegance and style; the same daydreams he lived in as a teenager; ink and watercolor to perfumed paper. “A lot of things inspire me from music to surrealism; colors and photography,” Tran says. “People around the world are going through tough times. I created a book that I hope will help us all heal, relax, and hopefully provide a small piece of mind.”
Magazine | 49
BIG OLE PRETTY GIRLS This is for the big ole pretty girls. Bay Area Style. www.bigoleprettygirls.com A look into the lifestyle of plus size models, retail chain and their ongoing journey to leave a mark in the fashion industry.
Big Ole Pretty Girls is your premier online fashion boutique. We showcase fashions for every woman of today. Our line of clothing is custom designed to your unique body shape. From t-shirts to high fashion, we can get you fitted for all occasions. BOLD | OUTRAGEOUS | PHENOMENALLY GORGEOUS I am a mother from Oakland, CA. I have always been a dreamer and a true believer of God. I could never understand why I was so different. Then, one day, God said to me, “why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were clearly born to stand out!?” I knew that something in my life was about to change and I was excited because I knew it was a part of God’s plan! On New Year’s Eve 2011 I could not find anything to wear. I decided to make my own outfit. I posted a picture of it on Facebook and received eight orders that night. Since then, Big Ole Pretty Girls has been moving forward and I am grateful for it. So now here I am world! A big ole pretty girl who is loving life! If you let go and let God, there is no limit to where your dreams will take you. Keep chasing your dreams because one day you will live them! May god bless you and thanks for your support.
50 | Magazine
STRONG POWERFUL & FASHION / STTREND SETTERS
Magazine | 51
CREDITS
52 | Magazine
Magazine | 53
BAY STYLE
MAGAZINE
©2020 by BAY Style Magazine in collaboration with cravecreative.us
