MINT Magazine Spring 2017 by MINT Magazine

SPRING 2017

Photographed by John Liu Modeled by Katherine Yang Cover Photo by Iman Floyd-Carroll Modeled by Hamzeh Daoud

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Rebirth, renewal, and a pop of color—oh how we love spring. It’s been an exciting year for MINT coming back in force from our previous hiatus. We’ve gotten to: write articles we really care about (especially ones that call for a more diverse, inclusive fashion world), publish photo spreads that incorporate our peers and aesthetics we’re excited to explore, and meet and hear from all of you! This season, we’re back with a splash of fun. Our pink, floral cover departs from the darker, cooler shades we’ve emulated this fall and winter. This playful energy sets the tone for our issue. This edition, you can look out for articles on: the growing visibility of blacks in fashion leadership, an op-ed on body positivity, a rundown of the Carefree Black Girl movement, student profiles, a murderous book review, and an analysis on the MET Gala’s fashion. Our photography editorials include a retro cinema-inspired spread and our floral, sun-kissed series “pushing daisies.” We’ve also got an exclusive interview with the CEO of sneaker label House of Future about their inventive spring line inspired by satellite images of the Earth. We hope you savor it all. HAGS, and we’ll see you in the fall! Ashley Overbeek, Becky Aydin, Divine Edem, Iman Floyd-Carroll MINT Editors-In-Chief

Becky Aydin

Divine Edem

Iman Floyd-Carroll

Ashley Overbeek

DESIGN DIRECTOR nicolette GRABIEC ART DIRECTOR phoebe YAO MANAGING DIRECTOR becky AYDIN WRITING DIRECTOR divine EDEM PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR sydney MAPLES COPY EDITORS carly OLSZEWSKI anna-marie SPRENGER MODELING DIRECTOR iman FLOYD-CARROLL WEB DIRECTOR mirna EL-KHALILY DESIGNERS taylor SIHAVONG SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR emily CHAO FINANCIAL OFFICER olivia GREGORY SPONSORSHIPS sean HOWARD

MINT STAFF

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ashley OVERBEEK divine EDEM becky AYDIN iman FLOYD-CARROLL

IN THIS ISSUE

Lost Coast photographed by Wyatt Mullen

pushing daisies 8 snap, crackle, pop 18 retro cinema 24 what happened to the drama 30 growing visibility 32 make-up by lilah b. 34 the ethics of plus-size fashion 38 who run the world? 44 to be the carefree black girl 52 disrespectability politics 58 how to murder your life 64 welcome to the future 66 senior spotlight 74 spring cleaning 76

PUSHING

DAISIES Photographed by Kelli Santos Modeled by Em Wilder

Snap

e l k c

a r C POP!

M E N S W E A R ACCESSORIES

Written by Vander Harris Photographed by Sydney Maples Modeled by Vander Harris 18

What makes what a guy wears pop?

We all know that fit is king in menswear (nothing beats a well-tailored suit), but what is second in command? Accessories. Accessories can set an outfit from being just “nice” to getting that ultimate compliment (“where do you shop?”). Placing so much emphasis on accessories in menswear may not seem intuitive since the fashion industry concentrates so much on women’s accessories—from purses to shoes to jewelry—as key aspects of women’s outfits. Even youthful, prêt-à-porter brands like Forever 21 perpetuate the idea that accessories are just for women; their online catalog has only a handful of accessories in its men’s section compared to the hundreds of options in its women’s section. But I’d like to think that, because men’s clothing traditionally has less accessories to work with, it makes the accessories you do wear speak even louder. While there is less accessorizing in menswear than womenswear, the idea that menswear doesn’t have a wide range of accessories to utilize is actually an illusion. There are many accessories that can be used in menswear, including: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, watches, belts, backpacks, satchels, pen, wallets, belt hooks, socks, money clip, glasses, phone cases, rings, and ankle bracelets. (This does not even include the accessories that are at your disposal when the temperature drops.) A fair amount of energy does need to be put into finding accessories that fit your style and your budget. Since it does take time and thought to find and define which accessories to incorporate, once the careful choice is made,

these thoughtful additions really make a menswear outfit pop. When shopping for accessories, one should consider quality and style over price. Some of the best accessory finds are discovered by accident at places like clearance racks, liquidation sales, and thrift stores. It is important to note that for many accessories, an expensive price tag does not mean it will make an outfit pop any better. When selecting which accessories to pair with an outfit, wearing fewer accessories—as opposed to layering too many at once—will come off as defining your style rather than senselessly accentuating it. I like the idea of three’s; sticking to three, well-defined accessories and adding them to garments (with an excellent fit, of course) will make for a smashing outfit. For example, a pair of sharp Ray Ban glasses, a sleek money clip hooked into a shirt pocket, and a leather satchel can work strongly together. For each accessory, it takes time to figure out the styles you like and on which types of occasions you like to wear them. Maybe you enjoy the looks you receive when people catch a glimpse of your gold chain under your shirt while out at a bar, or perhaps you’re more of a freshly pressed pocket square kind of fellow. Whatever it is, it takes time to get comfortable with the accessories that fit you. But once you find your signature accessory-induced pop, you will start to think an outfit is naked without it.

retro cinema

Photographed by Sydney Maples Modeled by Marin Reeve, Alexandra Botez

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE

DRAMA

a meditation on the fashion of the MET gala Written by Divine Edem

f there’s ever a time to make a fashion statement with a bold ensemble, it is at the MET Gala. The event welcomes celebrities to display their takes on each year’s groundbreaking fashion theme. Yet, it appears creativity and risk-taking in fashion choices on the gala’s red carpet has been diminished, perhaps in the attempt to avoid potential criticism from fashion media. As the MET Gala themes have become more avant-garde since the 2011 selection of “Punk: Chaos to Couture,” attendees have actually burrowed further into the safety of uniformity. The drama that the MET Gala once mandated from its attendees costumes is gone; the gala has transformed into a playground of grand ballroom dresses and other safe variations, with only a bold few popping out. Originating in 1946, the MET Gala is the annual fundraiser for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and a roaring celebration of the year’s themed exhibition, which dictates the dress code for the evening. Although the objective of the prestigious gala is to raise large amounts of money for the renowned museum, the event has become a highly exclusive fashion show in its own right. Once the theme of the exhibit is released, the media and non-attendees wait in anticipation for who will bring the heat and stick to the theme. This year’s theme marked a celebration of Rei Kawakubo, founder of the label Comme des Garcons. Her intricate, avant-garde designs raised expectations for attendees to make risky fashion choices in order to stay true to the designer’s aesthetic. However,

like the ensembles seen in past few years’ themes, such as Manus x Machina and China: Through the Looking Glass, most of the attendees chose to deviate from the theme, recoiling into the safety ofclassic gowns. This shying away from the avant-garde theme raises concerns about uniformity and non-risk taking presiding over celebrities in their red carpet fashion choices. As Anna Wintour, Vogue Editor-in-Chief and MET Gala organizer, has stated in past interviews, everything has become the same on the red carpet. In 2014, the fashion queen lamented that celebrities “have all these teams of people telling them what to do, what to wear, how to do their hair, makeup. And they’re so scared of being criticized, whereas, you know, what’s wrong with looking different? How many mermaid fishtail strapless sequin [gowns] can we see?” At the MET Gala, we have come to expect to see at least five different variations of the naked dress or another fashion trend that has overrun its course. Harper’s Bazaar Arabia called out the MET Gala 2017 red carpet participants for not sticking to the dress code and instead falling back on “the goddess gowns and column dresses that have become de rigueur at the Oscars and Golden Globes – safe choices that are not likely to ruffle any feathers and will easily make it to many best-dressed lists of the year.” The publication criticized“publicity-hungry” fashion houses for the sterilization of red carpet fashion. The drama and risk taking in style can only be seen on the select few whose stylists push for breaking the norm. For some, declining to make risky fashion choices assures they’ll stay off any notorious worst dressed lists. But, conforming prevents them from bursting out of the pack of monotonous uniformity. With the MET Gala, it should be expected that those with the status to participate in the fashion elite’s shindigs actually step up their game for the highly publicized event. Those unafraid to play with the theme are the same figures who set the bar of fashion in the mainstream world. Singer Rihanna and actress-singer Zendaya consistently turn out for the MET Gala in the best possible way. One can tell that each artist carefully studies and embraces the theme based on their iconic gala looks. Both women avoid the obvious in order to not only set themselves apart from the sea of monochrome ball gowns, but also praise the fashion designer of the Costume Institute’s an-

nual gala exhibit. The Twitter trend “Where is Rihanna” demonstrates her credibility and validity in the fashion industry. This year, Rihanna flaunted a piece straight from Rei Kawakubo’s Commes des Garçons collection. The singer posed as living art with the outfit sporting three-dimensional rose-colored and cerulean flowers paired with matching makeup and thigh-high gladiator sandals. In 2015, the singer commanded the carpet with her imperial yellow, floor-length fur cape by Chinese designer Guo Pei, which authentically paid homage to the 2015 theme China: Through the Looking Glass. Zendaya also took risks this year: representing the fashion house Dolce & Gabbana, she transformed what could have been an ordinary ball gown into a MET Gala statement with an exciting parrot-flower print. At last year’s gala, Zendaya resembled Obi Wan Kanobi for theManus x Machina themed event in a muted gold dress by Michael Kors featuring a sleek chestnut bob. With Rihanna and Zendaya , the fashion industry and the public’s expectations remain high and they go above and beyond gala themes year after year. This differs from many other attendees who many expect to simply attend without a huge fashion faux pas. But what about the attendees who stick to the theme, but miss the praise? For instance, at the 2017 gala former U.S. ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy received backlash from Daily Mail, which called her dress “bizarre...swamp[ing] her figure, leav[ing] her arms hidden. Unbeknownst to the publication, the dress came straight from Commes des Garcons. Kennedy chose the dress to reflect her time as the ambassador to the honoree’s native country, as Kennedy told Andre Leon Talley on vogue. com. The “bizarre” dress stands as a reflection of the aesthetic Kawakubo fosters throughout her legacy: designing to please herself, not to please others. The Daily Mail and the trolls of Twitter responded in a similar manner to Katy Perry’s monochromatic Commes des Garçons ensemble, comparing the singer to the wife of Beetlejuice, the eponymous character of the 90s cult classic film. If the media responds in this aggressive of a manner towards ensembles from the designer of the night, how are attendees and fashion houses expected to put their own creative twists on the theme without risking fashion suicide? With the powerful presence of social media, everyone, fashion elite or not, can watch their favorite celebrities and fashion industry insiders ascend the MET stairs without having to wait for those pictures to hit the pages of fashion magazine’s websites. This direct dynamic prompts he fashion elite to not only be more cautious in their fashion choices, forging their own aesthetic from the safety of the norm. What do we risk when we lose the drama in fashion?

Growing Visibility:

Blacks in Fashion Leadership photo source: womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wear daily

by MINT

Diversity. Inclusion. Representation. These three words have lingered in the fashion world in the past few years as social media and outspoken insiders like Naomi Campbell have demanded that the industry better reflect its buyers and consumers. Minority leaders in the fashion industry are not as numerous as their white counterparts. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why fashion editorials, runways, and campaigns continue to appear racially homogeneous. This imbalance does not excuse the slow movement to fix this disparity. To diversify the industry overall, the institution itself seeks diversification to reflect its audience. The fashion world certainly has motivation enough to make major strides towards diversification: the industry already deals with the continuous criticism of its exclusive nature, and according to the Harvard Business Review, diversity yields innovation and market growth (Hewlett, Marshall, Sherbin 2013). Consumers are finally viewing a pivotal period in the industry in which companies and publications alike are taking more initiative than their usual, weak effort of adding one or two more black models to its runway lineup. In particular, the appointments of Elaine Welteroth of Teen Vogue and Edward Enninful OBE of British Vogue represent this shift towards ethnic visibility in leadership. Elaine Welteroth made headlines with her promotion in leadership at Teen Vogue back in 2016. Her newest role as editor marked the second time in publisher Condé Nast’s history that an African-American held a position of that stature. With her rise in the ranks, Welteroth illustrated her commitment to making Teen Vogue a more inclusive, welcoming space for its readers. Her first issue as editor featured the widely acclaimed “Cultural Appreciation” editorial in which ethnic models represented their ethnic heritage. It may sound elementary, but it had widely positive reception because it deviated from the norm of “cultural” fashion

shoots (i.e., white-passing models wearing dreadlocks, bindis, kimonos, you name it). In addition, Welteroth chose to expand Teen Vogue’s content to the political sphere with its highly praised coverage of the 2016 presidential election. The editor, along with her senior staff, asserted that teen girls are multifaceted individuals who can admire fashion and care about what’s going on in society at the same time. Her efforts have led to a remarkable increase in readership for the magazine online and her latest promotion to sole editor-in-chief. Welteroth’s leadership of the magazine into topics of diversity and politics, and the demonstrated success of this foray by signs of audiences gobbling up content, shows just how much diversifying the executive roles in the fashion industry can create positive change. Across the pond, British Vogue latched onto the momentum of diversity with its latest appointment for editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful. This appointment came as no surprise: for the past twenty-one years, Enninful has demonstrated his remarkable eye for good taste and non-traditional style. The renowned international fashion stylist and fashion contributor hailing from Ghana got his start in the industry at just 19-years-old as a fashion director for the British publication, i-D. Though he was the youngest ever to hold this position at i-D, he worked with a striking grace and poise that catapulted him to the level of industry elite. Through his unique lens for edgy elegance, the fashion director revolutionized British grunge wear in the early ‘90s and set out to make high fashion and editorials more physically inclusive. Switching over to Italian and American Vogue offered him a larger platform to showcase his talents and continue his efforts to diversify the fashion industry. Enninful’s groundbreaking “Black Issue” featured only black models, including Naomi Campbell and Alek Wek. As a recent recipient of the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his work to diversify the fashion industry, Enninful stands to make waves in his newest position at British Vogue. Welteroth and Enninful join the prestigious ranks of industry favorites like renowned, former Vogue Editor-at-Large Andre Leon Talley, in their efforts to increase representation and inclusivity in the fashion world. Both editors are ones to watch for as they set a remarkable tone for the fashion industry to diversify moving forward.

MAKE-UP BY LILAH B. Photographed by Iman Floyd-Carrol

Modeled by Em Wilder

THE ETHICS OF P L U S - S I Z E

FA S H I O N Written by Maya Pete Photographed by Rachel Zilberg Modeled by Maya Pete, Jessica Gold, Seun Adebagbo

The fashion industry is notorious for its shunning of curvy women. Critics have called out fashion designers and clothing companies for leaving bigger women in the dust when it comes to the latest fashion and style trends. Contributor Maya Pete ‘18 discusses her personal experience with the woes of plus size fashion in her opinionated commentary. Plus size. What does that even mean? In the United States, it’s a way of letting women know that, if they are not a size 0 to 4, then they are most definitely larger than the “normal” woman and must proceed to shop as such. But in reality, the average woman in America wears a size 16. The first qualm I have with plus size culture is the term itself. Tell me something, why does it have to be “plus” size? Why isn’t there just more size variety? Then, the sizes that are now deemed “plus” could be lumped in with the rest of the group. Or, if one absolutely must have a separate section for these sizes, how about naming it something other than plus, so that women don’t have to feel self conscious when they venture to shop in that area? How about giving the sections names that accentuate and appreciate their body types? Voluptuous Vixens, Big Booty Judys, Cute-in-the-faceTHICK-in-the-waist, Cutie Pies with Thicky Thighs...look I’m just spitballing options that I would vibe with, not saying any of them are quality, but you get the point.

The second qualm I have is with the style options themselves. I know that you’ve noticed the garments in the plus size areas are never as cute or available as the clothes in the “regular” areas. So, big girls don’t wanna be cute too? Oh ok...nah, you’re lying. And if you don’t believe me, please take a field trip to your nearest Forever 21 or H&M so you can see that, like George Washington, I cannot tell a lie. It’s neither cute nor healthy for the self esteem of the women shopping there. And don’t think I didn’t notice that the price of a regular t-shirt is higher in the plus size area than it is in the “regular” section. Listen, if that’s not some type of discrimination punishable by law, it should be. Charging me more because I have a little bit more skin to cover? That’s sheer disrespect. Finally, the culture surrounding being plus sized is a special type of body shaming that cuts deep. Clothes are a form of expression that allow people to brand themselves and to be whoever they want to be. By not giving big women equal opportunity to be as cute, as fly,

as beautiful, or as sexy as smaller women, we are not allowing them to brand themselves as they wish. Rather, the plus sized-allergic fashion industry is branding them, which last I heard was something done to herds of cattle. I assure you, that we are not! And one last thing: it’s hella depressing to be shopping and grabbing a plethora of cute items you guess might fit because you picked the largest size they offer, and then making your way to the dressing room only to find that none of them fit: talk about a blow to the self esteem. All I’m asking for are equal opportunities to slay here. So, let me sum up what I’m trying to get at: 1. Don’t make my thicky thickums sisters pay more to be fly as hell. 2. “Plus Size” has a negative connotation. Let’s ditch it, shall we? 3. We’re Big Fine, let us know it AND show it! Big Hugs and Kisses, Maya G.

WHO RUN THE WORLD? You’d be hard pressed to find a Stanford gal sitting still. Whether they’re cranking out a p-set on Meyer Green, running a meeting at Old Union, or pushing it at an early morning sports practice, these women ooze ambition and drive. This spring, MINT decided to profile four women carving out a path in fashion and the arts. We’ve got: an Indonesian Idol singer turned female-empowerment app ambassador, a fashion marketing and sales intern organizing a fashion revolution in sustainability through the d.school, and the co-chairs of Stanford’s annual festival celebrating Black arts, Blackfest. Flip ahead for the real scoop on who runs the Farm, and the world.

CHRISTIE HARTONO MINT sat down with sophomore Christie Hartono to chat about her love of fashion and beauty, her role as ambassador to online platform for women Mogul, her stint on the TV show Indonesian Idol, and her aspirations to become a bona fide social media influencer.

MINT: Tell us about yourself. CHRISTIE HARTONO: I was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia and moved to the US two years ago for college. I’m currently a sophomore who is majoring in Communication with a focus in Media Studies. Besides MINT, I am a member of Everyday People, Stanford’s R&B, soul, and hip-hop a cappella group. Outside of school, I love collaborating with others who share the same passion in music and creating covers of my favorite songs. My most memorable experience back in Jakarta was participating in Indonesian Idol. I’m also in love with all things fashion and beauty. My passion in social media, fashion and beauty led me to start a blog and finally pursue a career as a brand ambassador for various fashion and beauty brands and campaigns on online platforms. After seeing the rising popularity of social media platforms, especially Instagram, I’ve been working on my personal branding as a fashion influencer online. I am also passionate about autism awareness. Back home in Indonesia, I founded my non-profit organization ‘Art for

Autism’ to create a platform for society to appreciate the artistic talents that exists in many on the autistic spectrum. M: How did you get involved in the campus ambassador program for Mogul? Can you also dive a little bit into what Mogul is? CH: Mogul is a technology platform that enables women worldwide to share information, connect, and access knowledge from one another. Mogul not only has been read by over 18 million women in 196 countries, but also gives ambassadors the opportunity to initiate campaigns about social issues that they truly care about. After learning more about Mogul, I wanted to surround myself with women who make me feel empowered, and I wanted to access knowledge from such accomplished women from around the world. My goal was to become an influencer by initiating some of my own campaigns, and I believe that the best community to start [with] is at my own college campus. I also wanted to create a hub where women

around the Stanford community feel safe to voice their opinions and share information about topics that they are passionate about. M: How does this ambassador position fit into the type of careers you’re interested in going into after Stanford? CH: As campus ambassador, I work with a group of talented women to initiate campaigns throughout the school year. Last quarter, for example, the Mogul team and I launched the #ReadMyLips campaign on campus in support of women’s rights, equality, and health issues. We collected messages about feminism from women across campus and delivered them straight to the White House. Throughout the campaign, the team and I discussed strategies that could be implemented to make our campaign most appealing to our target market. This type of skill is similar to what I envision specializing in after Stanford: working on marketing strategies to promote social media campaigns, preferably in the fashion, beau-

ty, and lifestyle industries. I want to immerse myself in the social media industry because of its ability to expand network, develop relationships, and spread ideas via mass media, especially in the more connected and globalized world we live in today. M: What are some of the cool activities that you’ve done in collaboration with the company? CH: Last month, I participated in the VISA challenge in San Francisco. Visa has partnered up with TLC’s Girl Starter, a new TV series that mentors young female entrepreneurs. Mogul gave me the opportunity to test out and provide feedback about the winning team’s prototype, which will be aired on the show! I’ve also been featured in NowThis.

ELLE WILSON Elle cares about sustainable fashion. Joining a team of d.school master’s students, she helped organize an event—Revolution by Design—that sought to make improvements in the world of ethical fashion.

M: How did you get involved in the Revolution by Design event?

egies to promote collaboration between people at different points in apparel supply chains; a key insight of ours is that because fashion is so competitive and its supply chains are so long and global, people have a difficult time imagining mutually beneficial cooperation. We wanted to change that narrative, and encourage people to think of each other as equal collaborators working together to minimize fashion’s deleterious environmental and human rights impacts. This event also served as the west coast kickoff for Fashion Revolution Week, a global fashion awareness week organized by Fashion Revolution, and we were honored to work with them!

EW: This RXD event, or “Revolution by Design,” evolved out of d.garage, the Master’s Product Design Thesis Project. In this class, teams of master’s students in the product design program partner with students from around the university to use design thinking to bring real innovations to life. I’ve been on a team since winter quarter with two product design master’s students, Brooke McEver and Bryant Chu, and a master’s student in the International Policy Studies Program, Emily Gray. We’ve used our diverse skill set to try to approach the difficult, sticky problems of fashion’s planetary and human toll from a fresh perspective. We’ve spent all year developing strat-

M: What was your role in the event as a student liaison? EW: I worked with my team to build the event from scratch, consulting with brands like Nike and Patagonia and organizations like the UN and the State Department to identify key issues in supply chains and the ways in which each stakeholder needed assistance in adhering to human rights and sustainability standards. We developed a workshop informed by the principles of design thinking to help different apparel stakeholders empathize with each other, reframe their understanding of these problems, and ultimately develop concrete ideas for coop-

MINT: Tell us about yourself ELLE WILSON: I’m a junior STS [Science, Technology, and Society] major in the Innovation and Organizations track. I’m an active member of the Stanford Debate Society, and a member of [the sorority] Kappa Kappa Gamma. I also work for TAPS in the costume shop building costumes for shows, and off campus as a Marketing Intern and Sales Associate at Marimekko!

Pictured: Elle Wilson (second from left) along with members of the Revolution by Design team

eration in the future. What we discovered through our extensive research is that many, many brands care about building better businesses, but fall short of their goals because of the lack of trust in business partners along their supply chains. Competitive forces keep stakeholders at different points supply chains from collaborating with each other, sharing best practices, or seeking to expose problems too big for them to fix. In an interview with Patagonia, we heard confirmation for the fact that “everybody agrees that no one can do this alone.” In our workshop, we hoped to represent every step of the apparel supply chain, from cotton farmers to factory managers to designers. We used their rich knowledge to identify points of risk and vulnerability in the manufacturing process, and then used our insights to help them reshape their perspectives. Fundamentally, we wanted to create an environment in which they felt safe sharing information and building relationships for later collaboration. This kind of trust is so rare in the fashion industry, so watching our participants change from guarded independent business owners to members of a collaborative group was truly magical. M: What was the process of working with these local brands and community members? EW: The fashion industry can be very competitive,

opaque, and adversarial. However, by the end of our workshop, we really saw people changing their perspectives, being vulnerable with each other, and forging meaningful relationships. It was a success beyond what we imagined; when we created a space where participants knew they were on the same team, they shared insights we never would have gotten otherwise, and were eager to begin working together in the real world. M: Why is ethical fashion important to you and/or important in the fashion industry? EW: The fashion industry is the second most polluting in the world, and very few people are aware of this, much less try to discuss it. Additionally, apparel supply chains are particularly ripe for human trafficking—especially of women and girls—and no one knows precisely how many people are engaged in forced labor due to the length and complexity of these manufacturing processes. These problems so often get abstracted away from the glamour of fashion, and we as a team are all passionate about bringing these issues to light. I have always loved fashion, and hope to work in the industry after graduation, but I think it is critical for those involved to be aware of how dangerous it can be and what steps need to be taken to minimize your impact.

ROCHELLE BALLANTYNE & JORDAN PARKER Stanford’s Blackfest—an annual celebration of Black art across mediums—had two powerhouse student co-chairs this spring. Rochelle Ballantyne is a senior double majoring in AAAS and Political Science; she serves as co-president of Black Student Union, is on staff in Ujamaa, and is the senior programming manager at the Black Community Services Center. Jordan Parker is a junior majoring in Psychology with minors in African and African American Studies and Spanish; she is a research assistant in the Movement Disorders Center at the Stanford Neuroscience Health Center. Under Rochelle and Jordan’s direction, Blackfest 2017 was a smash, bringing artist T Pain to campus and hosting a fashion show with MINT models.

MINT: How did you initially get involved in Blackfest? Jordan Parker: I have always been really passionate about music, and I also really wanted to get involved in the black community at Stanford. To me, it seemed like Blackfest was the logical option. I applied as a freshman and my first year on the committee was as a sophomore. Rochelle Ballantyne: My freshman year, I thought it was so cool that we had a concert on campus dedicated to black culture. It was also a welcomed break from the everyday pressure of going to school at Stanford. I volunteered my freshman year with day-of activities because I wanted to be a part of putting together a show that brought from people all over the Bay together through their love of blackness. I think that’s beautiful, and I stuck with it ever since. Junior year I was also a co-chair of Blackfest and now here we are, one last time. MINT: Why did both of you decide to take on the tough role of leading the production of Blackfest?

JP: On my first year on committee, I was a part of the Marketing Committee. That meant that I was responsible for reaching out to surrounding schools and organizations to ask for co-sponsorships and also for getting the word out about Blackfest to the Bay Area. As we got closer and closer to the concert, I realized how much more went on within other committees and how many other details the co-chairs were responsible for. I knew I wanted to be involved in Blackfest again, and I thought it would be both a rewarding and challenging opportunity to oversee the event at large, rather than just zoom in on one aspect of it. RB: Over the years, I have developed a love for planning things. I enjoy bringing people’s ideas together and everything that comes with working on a team but mainly I enjoy watching months of hard work and uncertainty result in a bomb performance MINT: Can you discuss the process of putting on a production like Blackfest? JP: Feels like organized chaos to me. There are a million

things going on at once, so it is super important to have a committee of people who are on top of things. There is a big learning curve for us each year in terms of what worked and what didn’t. It’s an ever-evolving process. RB: It’s a lot of coordination. It starts with fundraising, reaching out to different organizations and departments on and off campus and pitching to them the importance of a show like Blackfest. Then artist committee has to pick a headliner, pick a date based off that, hold auditions for the student groups and off-campus acts interested in performing. Stage committee reaches out to art and food vendors. Marketing committee makes all the publicity materials for this year’s show. MINT: What factors go into the selection of the main headliners of Blackfest? JP: Money is definitely a huge concern, but we don’t usually start there. The artist committee makes a list of artists they are interested in and then takes into account the opinions of the committee. There’s a lot of narrowing down through voting, with cost concern in mind, until

we are left with a handful of headliners and openers. We reach out and determine availability and price, and then move forward from there. RB: Cost for sure, like we can’t have someone outrageous like Kanye (although I for one think that’ll be dope). We have a tight budget that we have to adhere to when determining headliners. Then there’s availability because of all the other events that happen during the final weeks of spring quarter. We have to make sure the artist we want isn’t on tour or just simply unavailable. Finally, we consider headliners that we think will appeal to our audience and make them want them to travel all the way to Stanford to watch them perform. MINT: Describe your favorite memory of Blackfest? (either behind the scenes or during the actual concert) RB: My favorite memory is always the end, I’m always so proud of all the work everyone has put in to make the show a success. MINT: What would you like to see in the future? RB: #BringMigostoBlackfest2018

To be the Carefree Black Girl Written by Divine Edem Photographed by Ashley Overbeek Modeled by Paula Reyna Small, Sofya Ogunseitan, Rochelle Ballantyne

Smashing the “angry black woman” trope is the “carefree black girl” movement. Type in the term “carefree black girl” into the search bar on Twitter and Tumblr. The results showcase an array of stunning black women and girls oozing chill vibes while being unapologetically black. The term was coined by Huffington Post writer Zeba Blay and an eponymous Tumblr page in May 2013, which sent positive shockwaves through social media. The movement of the “carefree black girl” offered black women an opportunity to unite together through another platform. Followers consider figures such as singers Solange Knowles and Janelle Monae—as well as the black women of Tumblr and Instagram who effuse earthy, hippie vibes—as inspirations for the movement. However, like any other social media movement, the “carefree black girl” movement endures its criticisms for its underlying exclusivity and its close-mindedness to real world problems for black women. Some critics balk at the “carefree black girl” movement because of the perception that it caters solely to one group of black women. Popular YouTuber Philogynoir—whose videos seek to uplift, empower, and mobilize black women— criticized the movement for continuing “to exclude black girls who don’t represent a specific tax

bracket, who aren’t of a certain skin tone, body size, hair texture/length, and/or physical ability.” This criticism acts as a reflection of the persistent issues of colorism within the black community. For example, on Twitter, one can find a short clip, which appears on timelines every so often, of a light-skinned black woman dancing in front of a pink background, most definitely feeling herself. Twitter users praise this aesthetic as the embodiment of the carefree black girl. However, for Keke Palmer, an actress with a darker complexion, the narrative changes drastically. When she dances in the streets in the midst of feeling herself, Twitter users are quick to throw derogatory labels, such as “crackhead.” When she posts Instagram photos of herself sans makeup as her natural, carefree self that features an imperfect skin complexion, the criticisms never fail to roll through. Palmer has been outspoken about this constant criticism, letting her fans know that the only things that she is concerned with are herself and her business. Yet, it is interesting to note the different reactions that both women face for the same act, simply because they bare different skin tones. The contrasting reactions allude to the notion that being carefree only works for one

group, which contradicts the movement’s initial objective of social liberation for all black women. Other critics have focused more on the perceived illusion of the movement. The Root columnist Shamira Ibrahim vocalized her abandonment of the movement and her issues with its ignorance of issues for black women, such as advancing in one’s career and the perils of sexual harassment on the streets. They contend that the social media version of the “carefree black girl” movement prompts individuals to ignore the real world. While this may be true in part, the movement also gives an outlet for black women to be themselves, in their truest forms, without the harboring of societal opinions and social constructs. The ambiguity of the hashtag and subse-

quent movement offers an environment in which any black, female-identifying user of social media can boast her unapologetic blackness. There is no set manual for what type of content must accompany the hashtag. It is about exuding what each participant feels is carefree in their being. The “carefree black girl” movement has offered black individuals the opportunity to express their truest and most confident selves. Since its conception, social media has witnessed a plethora of movements displaying the freedom of black men, black kids, and black bodies in general. In a world where the black body is criticized and hyper-visualized, it is important to observe the genuine joy in the union of being both black and carefree.

D ISRESPEC TA

POLITIC S

B ILITY

Photographed by Tony Hackett Modeled by Ei Thazin and Esther Tsvayg 59

how to murder your I’ve had a strung-out, Adderall addict whispering in my ear for the last month. It’s Cat Marnell, of course! The self described “writer, editor, downtown disaster” has sparkled and burned out across beauty and lifestyle media since she set foot in New York City around the turn of the millennium. Marnell released her addiction memoir How to Murder Your Life this winter, with an audio version of her own narration. In the most contrarian, upbeat, and thoroughly millennial tone, Marnell lays out her gritty story of pervasive drug addiction, masked for years by fake tans and “float-y” Miu Miu dresses, as she would call them. The story arc is essentially: Marnell grows up in a perfectly manicured suburb of Washington D.C. with a psychiatrist father and psychotherapist mother, she gets her first Adderall prescription from her father while away at boarding school (gets pregnant, gets a second trimester abortion, gets expelled), moves to NYC, begins working at fashion publications (NYLON, Teen Vogue, Lucky), grows her drug habit, goes in and out of rehab, rockets to stardom with her xoJane writing and Vice column “Amphetamine Logic” all while nursing a worse drug habit, gets a book deal, spirals further intro drugs and blows the advance on the memoir before writing a word, goes to an addiction treatment center in Thailand and finally starts writing How to Murder Your Life.

Listening to Marnell’s memoir is an important exercise for those of us who identify as extremely type-A. Marnell’s narrative forces her readers to live in chaos—locked into her desk chair at Condé Nast’s offices trying to type an article while in a speed-haze, bulimic episodes of all night binging and purging, keeping the company of addict graffiti artists, and manically doctor-shopping for psychiatrists ready to prescribe on the Upper East Side. It’s a saccharine, disorienting account, akin to shot-gunning Froot Loops flavored vodka and then getting strapped into a neon-colored, high-speed spinning teacup ride. At the core of Marnell’s memoir is the struggle between her ambition and her addiction. As she describes groggily clawing at her own front door during an overdose and pounding a gallon whole milk to come down from angel dust, we see Marnell spiral down to her lowest points. The final blow for Marnell comes when her addiction finally overpowers her ambition and she stops showing up for her job at Lucky—a stepping-stone in her dream career at Condé Nast. It’s crushing to watch the girl, who painstakingly assembled a fashion zine in her childhood bedroom and struggled through fashion closet internships in her early-twenties, finally lose it all.

life. Book review by Becky Aydin The book is also largely a love letter to her former boss, beauty director of Lucky magazine Jean Godfrey-June. JGJ, as Marnell calls her, employed, supported, and inspired Marnell through years of addiction at Lucky. Though her life is a mess, Marnell never loses her tone of respect for the world of fashion and beauty editing. Magazines are, she emphatically contends, her first and one true love. She even turns up her nose at online fashion media at first. But, when she finally does finally sign onto xoJane.com as its unhealthy health and beauty editor, she writes the defining article of her career, “On the Death of Whitney Houston: Why I Won’t Ever Shut Up About My Drug Use.” Her stint online doesn’t last. Marnell is famously quoted in the notorious New York Post’s Page Six saying, “Look, I couldn’t spend another summer meeting deadlines behind a computer at night when I could be on the rooftop of Le Bain looking for shooting stars and smoking angel dust with my friends and writing a book, which is what I’m doing next.” Why are we obsessed with Marnell? Furthermore, is it exploitative to be obsessed with Marnell? At some points during the memoir, it begins to feel like we’re spectating a gruesome car crash. (I felt this most poignantly when she describes making a video for xoJane of her snorting bath salts at the office.) In the wake of her memoir’s release, article titles have all held the same tenor; Rolling Stone wrote “The Nine Lives of Cat Marnell,” and New York Magazine bluntly published “Cat Marnell is still alive.” Are we just egging on addiction by waiting, with bated breath, for what Marnell will push her body to do next? How to Murder Your Life ends without certain resolution: Marnell does not succeed in (or even fully desire to succeed in) kicking her drug addiction. We learn that Marnell has actually written and recorded her book with a bottle of Adderall on hand, her “mostly companion,” to quote the precocious children’s book Eloise. What is there to say? The unconventional epilogue simply fits the girl whose second column for Vice was titled, “Nothing Is Wrong If It Feels Good.” She wouldn’t be media-sensation Cat without her ghosts, and she’ll continue to be idolized as a downtown disaster for as long as her body will let her.

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE

Interview with House of Future CEO, Stuart Ahlum

Photographed by Ryan Jae Modeled by Colby Williams, Yusef Ferhani, Hamzeh Daoud, Chineye Ogbonnah

The freshest kicks are being produced by the up-and-coming footwear label House of Future. Guided by a minimalist aesthetic, they produce recognizable sneaker silhouettes with updated materials such as micro-leather, micro-suede, and tyvek (a synthetic yarn), all of which are ethically sourced, sustainably produced, engineered to perform. MINT chatted with company co-founder Stuart Ahlum to peer into the Future.

MINT: What was your inspiration for founding House of Future? SA: Ultimately, we looked at the footwear space. We looked at our own wardrobe, and [found] what we were wearing was increasingly more sneakers, and more leather sneakers. But the sneakers were like a dichotomy in my wardrobe, where it was high-end leather sneakers that I never really wanted to wear out because they would get ruined, and then the low-end, mass-market stuff like Chuck Taylors, Stan Smith Originals, and things like that. We wanted something that sat in the middle. We began looking at what was out on the market and wanted it to be designed at this high-end so it would feel premium—and [for customers] to have this luxury experience when you get it—but still be attainable. I felt like it was ridiculous that price and quality, luxury feel should be mutually exclusive…That’s how it got started: a hole in our wardrobe wasn’t on the market, and we realized we could deliver something better. MINT: Significance of the label’s name? SA: The idea is that this is a look forward in footwear. We also wanted to pull from this concept of the design house. It’s not that the future of footwear has to be space age. I think it has more to do with circling back around and questioning some of the conventions of the industry and the use of leathers and non-sustainable textiles. Always forward-looking but with the idea of pulling luxury from a design house, and having design be something that sits at the forefront too. MINT: How did you set out to make House of Future distinct from other sneaker brands? SA: We took a survey of what was out there before we started. Also, it was what our strengths were. None of us were technical designers. As creative directors, we curate and we have pretty good taste for what we lean on.

We essentially took the best of what was out there and boiled it down to what the silhouette is now, a high-top and a low-top, the point of differentiation. It wasn’t overly planned. It was an amalgamation of things we cared about and things we prioritized and were interested in: the sustainability, the modern textiles, the minimalism. We began to infuse that with our line. It wasn’t cooked in a laboratory. It was a lot of hours spent talking with one another and spit balling to see what was out there, and seeing higher-end brands do some really cool stuff and taking some of that inspiration and running with it. MINT: Lots of brands create items without acknowledging the life of the product after use. What was the impetus for sustainable fashion and using non-traditional materials? SA: It started as a thought experiment that two of my co-founders did with another footwear project. They used wonky textiles, more industrial textiles in the shoes, just because they could. Then, we parlayed that information and realized that there was more that we can do. We’ve incorporated some of that, but really wanted to take that a step further and make it less of this quirky thing and have it be something that was more directly applicable, easier to use, and easier to relate to. We also saw a bunch of cool things that other brands were doing. Stella McCartney obviously at the high-end of that with responsibility and sustainable fabrics. Adidas has done some really cool stuff with Parley, using recycled sea plastics. Just seeing those happen really resonated, especially coming off the heels of the fast-fashion bubble, where people bought things on the cheap for the season and just threw it away. We wanted to do stuff with sustainability and, liking fashion and liking retail, but also realizing I need to be accountable for the things we were producing. MINT: Who is House of Future’s main audience? SA: Our target demographic is 18 to 35. At the risk of sounding cliché, it is a millennial demographic, by defini-

tion. But, it’s people that are more urbanites and in-theknow suburbanites. People that wear sneakers on a daily basis. They typically have job roles that allow them to wear sneakers to the office, and [therefore] are more able to transitions from work to after hours to going out on the weekends…So, less the heritage route, more modern.

up in your head and how you imagine it’s going to be quickly executed, but it does take time. The hardest thing has been to be patient with what you envisioned for both the collection and the brand itself to materialize, both in the creative way and from the business point-of-view, and watch the business mature.

M: How long has it taken to get House of Future off the ground? And what was the biggest challenge?

MINT: MINT is featuring your spring/summer ’17 collection “Remote Reaches,” how did you come up with the inspiration for this line?

SA: We really started throwing our weight behind it maybe a year and a half ago. We started to work with factories and get samples made. We gauged with different sales channels and different retailers. The biggest [challenge] for us has been to fulfill that promise of quality and luxury experience while maintaining the price point, and being able to find the right partners. Because this isn’t a high-end luxury brand, it’s not as if we have the force of an atelier behind us to guide or manufacture this handmade in Italy. We had to work hard to put the right production partners and sales force in place to understand the brand and to facilitate the right introductions. It’s one of those things in which you have this playbook

SA: It was one of our co-founders. He was looking at satellite imagery and was really struck by the idea that you can look up any place on earth through Google satellite images. We started talking about that, and how connected we are, and this ability to plug into and access these once remote areas of the world. We drew the inspirational color palette—the light beiges, the light greens, the light greys—from desertscapes and glaciers. We pulled images from satellite imagery and superimposed them to create these crazy textile patterns from these massive, zoomed out images of the earth. Thematically, we wanted to capture that space and that size and that vastness,

and also the idea of the purposeful journey. We ended up driving out to the desert in Nevada, and to the Nevada hills salt flats just outside of Salt Lake City, and doing a photoshoot out there. That became the collection, and it seemed to make sense with the lighter color tones of spring. It stood in contrast to our fall line, which was dark with a lot of basic colors—black, white, copper—and more industrial. MINT: Where are you looking to take House of Future in the future? SA: In terms of product, we’re looking to diversify the silhouettes that we have. We’re coming out with women’s SS18, which is exciting because right now it’s just men’s sizes. We’re also interested in looking beyond just sneakers and beginning to incorporate other types of footwear. There’s discussion with potential diversification in outerwear and accessories. In terms of our brand, we’re really looking to marry these concepts of performance and sus-

tainability and trying to find the best ways to thread that yield. This isn’t activism. It’s not like TOMS one-for-one. It’s just trying to approach business in a responsible way and really live up to that promise of the way we manufacture and the way we source material fabrics, even down to our packaging and the people we are partnering with. MINT: We’re thrilled you reached out to us; why should Stanford look out for House of Future? SA: For the longest time, we were an LA brand, so the proximity to Stanford was great. I also spent a lot of time in San Francisco. The biggest thing for us was that we wanted to reach the university demographic and knew that there was an interested, educated, thoughtful group of college students that were out there and interested in fashion. I think that sustainability and the idea of modern, performance driven textiles will resonate with the Stanford community.

senior SPOTLIGHT Photographed by Sydney Maples

Modeled by Eric Ballouz, Jack Weller, Richard Martinez

MINT: What have you learned from having two roommates with very different international experiences? Jack Weller: In some ways, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned more about my identity as an American. Things like my perspective on the election became less parochial and more focused on international issues as a result of having roommates from different continents and cultural backgrounds. Eric Ballouz: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been interesting to see how each of us reacted to and interacted with the Stanford community. I think a lot about assimilation and integration, and the ways a white Californian, a German-Guatemalan person, and I could fit into Stanford (and on a smaller scale our row house community) illustrated to me the flexibility of cultural identity. Also, I think Richard and I were both very curious to learn more about the mechanics of U.S. politics, and to that end, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very lucky to have had Jack (our in-haus political genius) as a roommate, especially during the election. MINT: What specific foreign affairs or issues are you interested in? JW: I am growing increasingly interested in the ways in which democracies can reflect and refract the will of the people. Germany, Lebanon, and the United States are all countries with histories of ethnic or sectarian divides built into the structure of their governing systems, and it has been fascinating to think about how history shapes institutions of power. EB: Since coming to Stanford, I found it valuable to learn about how Stanford students from the US and Europe see the peoples of the Middle East. Moreover, talking to others about the struggles of the oppressed in the U.S. and other countries led me to think more deeply about the injustices of the society I grew up in. The U.S. has developed a rich terminology to describe the struggles of minority groups. I hope that learning to define some of the struggles of people of color, women, and queer people will help me be a more critical and active member of the society(/ies) I am a part of.

SPRING

Photographed by John Liu

Modeled by Katherine Yang and Lyndon Whittaker

CLEANING

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