M
sept/oct 2016
Desiree “feminine energy is dynamic �
M Editor-In-Chief Miranda Jackson
Creative Director Chloe Jones Fashion Editor HaeMee Lee
Photographers Ornelle Chimi Miranda Jackson Alexandra Jackson James Marrow Illicit Tales HaeMee Lee Chloe Jones Lynette Lee Contributors Alexandra Jacskon Saron Bizuayehu Leticia Lacerda
2 | MASTHEAD
Calendar September 14th- 15th
Visit MASTERPIECE at the First Look Fair
17th
M Magazine Launch Party @ Nomand Yard Collectiv
19th
Catch our Business Week Presentation in Van Munching Hall
20th
First MASTERPIECE & M Mag. General Body Meeting in 1520 VMH
4th
October
MASTERPIECE Discussion Series: Is She Asking For It?
18th
Halloween DIY Session: Makeup & Masks CALENDAR | 3
Letter From the Editor Many years ago, in an effort to set a lifelong goal for myself, I made a promise that I would never again do anything half-heartedly. I would let passion drive my every effort. The moment it dries up, I have to move on from whatever it is I am doing. An aftermath hardships, struggles and challenges simply has to be endured, because I know the end of it all will leave me happier than ever before. To this day, I abide by that philosophy. I preach it to every friend. I write it in every notebook. I mumble it to myself whenever I cannot decide if something is really meant for me. Passion is first and foremost my greatest life force. M Magazine embodies such passion. This, in addition to positive energy and ingenuity, are our core values. We aim to connect a cultural community, not just within the reaches of our campus, but within our district. We aim to encapsulate how this culture is growing, who is fostering it and how you can become a part of it. Thus, no one is more fitting as the face of this first issue than Desiree Venn Frederic. She values everything we aim to promote with this magazine: empowerment, enlightenment and community. On behalf of my team, I cordially welcome you to the first edition of M Magazine. Best,
Miranda Jackson, Editor-In-Chief
4 | LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
CONTENTS 6 Man on the Street 8 Interview Style 10 Masterpiece Unplugged 18 Route 1 Bites 20 Cover Story 24 D.C. Travel Guide
CONTENTS | 5
“We just saw that the dad cap shit was trending super hard. I don’t wear them. I just can’t; my head might just be too big. My grandma lives in the Dominican Republic, but she’s been doing that knit stuff forever. We’ve been getting the dad hat since like 2001.”
“The base of it was boring shit. You know, let’s try to make a dope sports jacket. So we were like, let’s see how we can make that Nonich. The whole point of the jacket is a painting called Momento Mori. The whole thing was like, remember that we all die at the end of the day, and the only thing that lasts is your soul. That painting was the staple of the jacket. The green jacket was actually a manufacturing flaw we got from samples, and we were just like, “Ah, fuck it. We’ll make both.”
“I really just wanted to figure out something we could do that was different. How we could change the silhouette or something? When people buy these, I make sure to tell them – it’s like that crazy designer thing, I’m just like make sure they’re tied. If they’re not, I’m going to try to fight you.”
6 | STYLE
Man on the Street Nonich House is a men’s urban fashion brand originating from the DMV. Damar Bess, a co-owner of Nonich, speaks about their newest line, Col. Do, which was influenced by the political and social factors of the Affluenza case of a Texas teenager.
STYLE | 7
Interview Style Survival Guide Your guide to rocking your interview and landing the dream job.
8 | STYLE
MEN
women Business Casual for Women
Business Casual for Men
Wear a dress that is no more than 3� above the knee with straps wider than 1�.
Wear a button-down shirt (make sure your shirt is tucked in) with khakis.
OR Wear a top or blouse with long khakis or chinos.
Business Formal For Men Wear a business suit (pants and jacket match). Stick with a white, light blue or any other light-colored shirt. Wear a matching tie. Socks should go past the ankle and match the color of your suit.
Business Formal for Women Wear a business (skirt and jacket) suit, a pantsuit or a dress and jacket. Tops should be lighter than the suit and should not be bright or busy. Closed-toe leather ahoes with a one or two-inch heel.
STYLE | 9
Introducing 2016-2017 MASTERPIECE Executive Board
Oru Wonodi
12 | CAMPUS
HaeMee Lee Ariel Tseng Miranda Jackson
CAMPUS | 13
14 | CAMPUS
HaeMee Lee Chloe Jones Miranda Jackson
Cheyenne Fogg Aysia Morton Ciara Kyler Bryana Madison
Chioma Agbaraji Nia Parks
CAMPUS | 15
LaRen Morton Chloe Jones Chioma Agbaraji
16 | CAMPUS
Aysia Morton Cheyenne Fogg Oru Wonodi
CAMPUS | 17
1 E T U RO
S E T I B
Ten Ren’s Tea Time
In the mood for some bubble iced tea? Ten Ren’s Tea Time has just about any flavor you could desire, from mango green tea to vanilla chai milk tea. Need substance too?
18 | FOOD
Their chicken nuggets and beef stew noodle are crowd favorites, and pair perfectly with any tea on the menu. Their Japanese inspired dishes are also a hitbeef bowl, eel with rice, takoyaki and fried calamari. Come in on 9/17-9/18 and try Ten Ren’s new waffles, which comes with chicken nuggets, mangoes, strawberries, peaches or red bean with green tea ice cream.
Aroy Thai
Aroy Thai is a family owned and run Thai restaurant right across from The Landmark Apartments. The restaurant is so well known for its pad thai and drunken noodle that it won The Golden Grub Award from GrubHub in 2013. It is only fitting that the name itself means “delicious.”
Bagel Place
Around the corner from Aroy Thai is the breakfast spot Bagel Place. The bustling coffee and bagel vendor is run by a group of family and friends. They’re open early, so make like the locals and grab a coffee and a bagel before your 8 a.m class. All for less than $3! FOOD | 19
“the woman woman is is go g “the
goD” od”
Artist ,
Curator
Philosopher Desiree Venn Frederic by: Miranda Jackson
D
esiree Venn Frederic and I met last November, when I had the pleasure of listening to her speak on a women’s panel. It still is not clear what enchanted me so much about her—whether it was her height, her slight Sierra Leonean accent, those killer heels she had on—perhaps it was everything. Nevertheless, ther power laced in her charm was undeniably strong. After pushing through years of immigration battles and establishing a life for herself in the United States, Venn Frederic opened the doors to Nomad Yard Collectiv, a vintage store near the edge of D.C. It sits humbly above Union Market with fading blue doors, but don’t be fooled. Inside is a wondrous world of artifacts that have been collected from over 160 countries. The greatest artifact, however, is Venn Frederic herself, who holds more knowledge than your average sage. We recently caught up post-photo shoots at her store and spoke politics, femininity and entrepreneurship.
COVER STORY |21
D
Miranda: First of all, how are you doing?
Desiree: I am magical. I really am. It’s an exciting time. Magical is the word of the year for me. Everything [is] manifesting. The vision I’ve had for—I believe, before I was even conceived… It’s tangible, I can touch it, I can share it, I can live it. And I can grow with it. M: What specifically has been happening lately?
D: I am continuously realizing that I have some incredible power, and that is terrifying and exciting at the same time. Power sometimes has a really negative connotation…but I view power as self-actualization and agency. It’s the power and ability to direct one’s life course. In this time, as I am defining it as magical, I finally have agency, and that agency is affording me the opportunity to really birth and create the experiences I always wanted… …The business is finding its rhythm. Everyone who should be a part of it is a part of it, and those who shouldn’t are not, and that’s a beautiful place to be in. M: So what is changing, what is in the works? D: We’re launching a podcast on September 1st, to really share and be transparent about the experiences of a creative entrepreneur,
22 | COVER STORY
the experiences of a female entrepreneur and the experiences of a woman of color. Entrepreneurship is romanticized. When you’re an entrepreneur, you do not do exclusively what you want; you do what your community needs you to do. That’s something we need to understand. It’s about serving a community. Everyone participates in your experience, and if your experience isn’t supported by them or reflective of them, then it’s for nothing. M: I was curious, what was the developmental process like for this place? D: There is a very spiritual and metaphysical level to my work that is not very technical. As an entrepreneur, I think it’s important to have that conversation. Because, too often, we’re taught you go to college, you learn the trade, and then you apply these systems and processes. Yes, you can do that, but you fall very much into a purposeless or fruitless existence, and that will never be fulfilling to any human being. What we do here is [communicate] the reality that art is life. You live it. You don’t have to go to a gallery or museum to experience art. Your home can be art. Your way of dress can be art. The things that you are aesthetically drawn to can be art. The things you create, the music you listen to, the scents you digest, all of those things. It’s expanding the narrative of what art is. It’s like writing a song, I imagine. You fall into this rhythm and you’re moving on this wavelength, and that’s literally what happens when I’m in this space creating this environment. So until all of the verses are in place, there’s no song, and we can’t sing it. No one sings half-written songs. They don’t get produced. M: You are a very busy person these days. How does that affect your personal life? D: [That is] what I’m seeking now: people who are sympathetic to the fact that I don’t have 50 minutes to listen to them talk about B.S. If you can’t get to the point in five minutes, I’m ending the conversation, because I have other things to do. My days are 20 hours long, 7 days a week. It requires some level of sympathy. I’m getting more and more comfortable with showing flaw. I’m understanding that Desiree,
you’re human, and someti see the so-called imperfec yet, the process. And the p like crap.
M: What is the feel of the in D.C.?
D: As women, we know e I’m not just saying we kno We know everything. The create everything. We can We can destroy everything
This idea of femininity be soft and meek is unreal, b nine energy is dynamic.
I also have the understand [I] already have such pow presence. I mean it literall from my height—I’m 5’11 well as] from the way I ch dress, which is not norm. intentional. It’s the power fashion as a tool and as a
I have a research paper in that I plan to publish soon really talking about how f tool. The best opportunitie have come to me because dress...I’ve met the Peruvi because of the way I dress M: Are you kidding?
D: It was very random. I h on that was Peruvian, and my gosh, I didn’t think an side of my country!” And
I go to galas and events in me wrong; Washington ha dressed people. [However myself making a statemen assimilate well. I’ve never
I’m just going to ensure th myself, and the people wh resonate with me, will, an won’t. That’s my protectio supposed to like you.
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sterpieceatumd.com
COVER STORY | 23
DC TRavel Guide:
Union Market A ten-minute walk from the NoMa-Gallaudet U stop on the red line or a twenty minute drive to the edge of D.C. will lead you to the hole-in-the-wall treasure of Union Market. Essentially a cleaner, revitalized version of the Lexington Market concept, Union Market is perhaps one of the most thriving parts of the rising D.C. scene. It holds its roots in Centre Market, which was initially built in D.C. in 1871 and went through a long series of tear-downs and revivals until around 1967, when the last rebuild was conducted. Today, it is a bustling epicenter for food, entertainment and relaxation for the people of D.C. Here are some quick things to know if you plan to visit.
24 | TRAVEL
FREE STUFF There is free parking in the lot directly in front of the market. While the parking seems abundant, it can get rather full on the weekends, particularly when the weather is nice. The same can be said about the lunch hours of the workday. The market also has free wifi! Super simple to join and sans time limit.
FOOD
Union Market is first and foremost a food emporium. The warehouse space is chocked full of nearly thirty pop-ups or permanent food stops, so there is something for every taste bud out there. Popular favorites are Takorean, which is essentially the magical hybrid of Korean and Mexican food. It is as incredible as it sounds. The Fish Wife is a favorite for its locally sourced seafood, and you absolutely must try the vegan Ginger scones from Teaism. Some of the newer spots include Toli Moli, which vends Falooda, a common street market dessert across Southeast Asia. Grab a plate of the good stuff and pop outside to the abundant outdoor seating. It’s raining? No fear; there is plenty of places to sit inside, as well.
THE SHOPS
On top of the abundant food spots, there are a few other places to claim things besides a memorable meal. There is a local produce market near the far back corner of the warehouse that sells some of the best fruits and vegetables in the district. Next door to the market is an Asian food store, which sells items from
Sriracha-flavored seaweed chips (a personal favorite) to the Kimchi produced from and for Toki Underground, a Taiwanese ramen spot in Northeast. There are also cosmetic pop-ups and a home furnishing store scattered around the warehouse space.
EVENTS
If you haven’t already been sold on the food and shops alone, there are many other things to consider, including their Sunday Farmer’s markets operating from now until the end of September. From July to August, they screen movies every first Friday of the month right outside of the market. October 7th is the last one of the season. At sunset, the building will light up with a screening of the 1984 classic Ghostbusters. On the upper floor of the warehouse stands Dock 5, another layer of warehouse spaces used for the Market’s larger events, such as Tuesday yoga. Trivia Nights, Test Kitchens and Wine and Cheese tastings also litter their seasonal calendar.
PLAN A VISIT
The market is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Set aside a couple of hours for your first visit. There is a lot you will noT want to misS. TRAVEL | 25
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