M
Summer Camp 2017
ISAAC
M Editor-In-Chief Miranda Jackson
Creative Director Chloe Jones Lifestyle Editor Laura Spitalniak Copy Editor Asia Hester
Fashion Writers Antoninette Biafore Aamir Khuller Lifestyle Writers Pearl Mak Veronica Proudford Photographers Ornelle Chimi Chloe Jones Aamir Khuller
2 | MASTHEAD
Table of Contents 6 Enemies 8 Femme Flashback 14 Summer Camp 16 Cover Story 24 DC Travel Guide
TABLE OF CONTENTS |3
Letter From the Editor
Regretfully, I am long past the years of summer camp adventures in upper Maryland. Past the smell of charred marshmallows dropped into the campfire, past the deafening sound of crickets as I fell asleep in a shared yurt, past the name badge that poked me every time I refastened it. Summer camp was everything that was easy about childhood. I woke up when I was told to, ate what was offered to me, did the activities they arranged for me, and repeated it all the next day. The mosquito bites were far from enchanting, but I loved not having to figure anything out for myself. At nearly 20, I am in this weird limbo of life phases. I am close enough to my childhood that I can still picture it like a storybook; to this day, the smell of Dial body wash still makes me feel like I’m washing up in the pool’s bathhouse at Conowingo. Yet I am also so deep into my adulthood that I’m paying my own rent, cooking my own meals, and even learning how to handle my taxes (pretty unsuccessfully, I might add). It’s as though I have a choice—to live forever as the child I was no more than five years ago, or to accept the forward moving nature of life. I can’t lie. I miss not having to care. I miss the laidback, towelsby-the-pool, bug-spray-in-my-hair, ketchup-on-diner-fries experiences I had growing up. I miss how eternal summer used to feel. This edition is a torn page from the diary of my life, sketched over with the red pen of reality. Let it live here as a reminder of what was, as a reminder of how it all changes, as a reminder of what it means to move forward. Sincerely,
Miranda Jackson, Editor-In-Chief
4 | LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
6 | FASHION
Doyle Doyle By: Aamir Khuller
Though Doyle Song’s brand, Enemies, has only been in existence for slightly under a year, it had its foundation laid long before last September. Long before its inception, Song got his start working retail at numerous stores and boutiques in the area, eventually coming to the conclusion that he ought to try his hand at it. As he puts it, “I was always a walking billboard for everyone else, so why not try it yourself. If it sucks, you just try again.” At age 35, he has been in the game long enough to have seen fashion change form from a regional to global uniting force, yet young enough to navigate and leverage internet culture in ways other brands still have not quite
grasped. Enemies is a form of self-expression. Song said it draws inspiration from within, that “it comes from always feeling like the bad guy, not really accepted by society all the way...I was being myself the whole time, and I’m finally winning being myself, and it’s really validating. It’s like Enemies is us, we’re going to go by our own accord, we don’t have to play by the rules.” By virtue of having experienced fashion as the shape-shifting business and art form that it is, with the trends, colors, and aesthetics that come and go year in and year out, Song has carved out a space for himself as a new wave classic streetwear brand, while also taste-
fully dipping into pop culture, seen particularly in a set of the brand’s Street Fighter-inspired tees that feature Ian Connor/A$AP Bari and Floyd Mayweather/Connor McGregor matchups. Meanwhile, the OG Enemies logo appears on various designs of shorts, hats, crop-tops, hoodies and tees, as well as on collaborations with fellow local creator Jung Woo’s brand, Sample. In such a short span of time, that same logo has appeared at UBIQ locations in Georgetown and Philadelphia, as well as The Block in Annandale. The longterm goal, Song said, is to someday see that logo in the international sphere of fashion. FASHION |7
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femme flashback By: Antoninette Biafore
FASHION |9
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FASHION |11
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FASHION |13
太정 田희 準철 彦정 太희 田철 準정 彦희 太 철 田 정 準 희 彦
철
16 | COVER STORY
SMMR 17 /A I J 4C 5
iSAAC jeong By: Miranda Jackson
Name:
Isaac Jeong Age:
Isaac Jeong may have cracked the code for dressing like a Hypebeast model on a broke-as-hell college student budget.
22 Born:
Seoul, Korea Raised:
Korea, Sweden, The Philippines, Germany, Germantown, and Salisbury (son of a missionary) Ethnicity: Korean and Japanese Languages Spoken:
English, Korean, German (barely) Number of Siblings:
5 brothers Number of Tattoos Or Piercings:
0
Belts Owned:
1
Shoes Owned:
Who’s counting?
Fashion Inspirations:
Dean & G-Dragon Favorite Thing In Your Closet :
My collection of long coats
Between consuming a Costco bulk diet (mostly chicken), knowing how to work an outlet mall, and splitting rent between his five roommates, Jeong rocked Anti Social Social Club and All Saints to class before he graduated from the University of Maryland in December. Now he rocks the same fresh looks on his days off from lab work at Walter Reed. The biology major launched his fashion blog, Hee and I (a play on two of his three names), in March—around the same time he initiated the red tape of dental school applications. He created the blog to do something holistically creative for the first time, and there are talks of starting his own clothing line soon. Jeong and I sat on his couch for three hours recently and discussed religion, music and inspiration. Read our interview below.
丁 熙 哲 丁 熙 哲 丁 熙 哲 丁 熙 哲 丁
COVER STORY |17
regardless of how much it paid you, what would you do? IJ: I would want to do something creative. MJ: What do you define as “creative”? IJ: Something in fashion. MJ: Can you draw?
Miranda Jackson: Where are you from? Isaac Jeong: I was born in Korea. My dad was a missionary so we moved around a lot. When I was two-years- old, we moved to Switzerland and we lived there for a year. I don’t remember any of it. And then when I was three we went to the Philippines. We were there for three years. That’s where I first learned English. And then when I was six, we moved back to Korea. I went to first and second grade there. And then when I was eight, we moved to Germany for a year. I was fluent [in German], but I’ve forgotten it. In 2003, I came to America, to Germantown. The story goes: we came here with seven bags and 700 dollars. We were dirt poor. All seven of us lived in the basment of a family friend’s house, a church member. We were there for a year, and then we moved out to Salisbury, 18 | COVER STORY
right by Ocean City. MJ: And then you came to the University of Maryland after finishing public school? IJ: Yeah, UMD class of 2015. I was a biology major. To be frank with you, school was really hard. Sophomore year I tried the nutrition major. It was not what I wanted to learn. I wanted to know how food affects the body, but they were teaching us how food gets processed.
“700 dollars and seven bags"
IJ: I can’t draw. Well, I’ve never really tried. I think I’d do sales, marketing, putting together a team, the business end. I have thoughts of starting something; I just need to find a team to do it with. MJ: Where do you work right now? IJ: Walter Reed Research Center. I’m working on a PTSD project. We’re working with rats— we don’t test on humans. We’re testing out drugs to see if we can reduce anxiety. It makes me feel like I’m doing something important. MJ: Do other members of your family do lab work?
So I dropped that and did computer science with a business minor. I didn’t go through with that. Finally I settled on bio, and got my degree in that. I’m applying for dentist school now [for graduate school], but we’ll see how that goes.
IJ: My second youngest brother is doing a lot of stuff with social media. And my oldest brother—he just got an office job, but is really trying to get more into photography. And my second oldest—he’s not really involved in our family anymore. In our family, and especially in our religion, it’s frowned upon to date people before marriage, in the way that normal people would do it.
MJ: If you could do anything,
MJ: What religion do you prac-
tice? IJ: It’s called unification. Have you seen those pictures of thousands of people getting married at once together? That’s my church. We don’t promote arranged marriages, but we want marriages where the parents are involved.
what he’s doing—we don’t really keep in touch. He’s in Rochester.
My brother had a secret girlfriend, and confessed it to my parents. So he’s not really in the picture anymore. I’m not sure 20 | COVER STORY
MJ: Do you consider yourself very religious?
And the story with the youngest one—[my parents] gave [their] sixth child to a family who couldn’t have kids, so he’s part of another family. I haven’t seen him in a couple of years.
IJ: I would say I’m like medio-
cre. I don’t go around preaching. I don’t think that’s the way to approach it. I think the best ways to teach people about morals and values is to show them through your actions. Family is a big part of my life. One of my life goals is to build a very loving and caring family of my own, and through that teach my morals. MJ: You’re half Korean, half Japanese. That’s interesting, con-
MJ: So your church is okay with that?
MJ: What do you consider your style to be?
IJ: Yeah we’re all about interracial marriages. It’s something we promote. MJ: Do you talk to both sides of your family?
IJ: Honestly, it’s changed a lot. In sophomore year of high school, I wore a very preppy, frat-y look. I used to wear a lot of shirts with graphic patterns. I used to be way more into quantity, not quality.
IJ: Unfortunately my grandparents are Japanese, and I don’t speak any Japanese. They were English teachers, so they speak only a little bit of English. My mom, when she joined the church, she was cut off from her family for 20 years. Her parents were Shin Taoists. At that time, there was a lot of hate against our church. Everything my grandmother was reading in the newspapers was against our church. The Japanese culture still is against our church—it’s just more subtle now. MJ: What music are you into lately?
sidering Korean and Japanese relations over the lastcouple of centuries. How does that blow over in your family? IJ: When my parents got married, there were 6,900 other couples getting married with them. The idea behind that weing was to unit Korea and Japan. So there are a lot of kids like me, half Korean, half Japanese.
IJ: Mostly Korean artists. Dean, Crush, Zico, Offonoff—their music always reminds me of New York City. I don’t want to sound too basic, but I love G-Dragon. I love him as an artist. He always brings something new. MJ: Do you like anyone who sings in English? IJ: I love Tom Misch. He’s a god. MJ: Do these artists inspire you in the way you dress? IJ: Yeah for sure.
“I don't buy clothes just to buy them. There has to be a reason..." In the last year I’ve donated like ten trash bags of all of those clothes. I started watching shows like Show Me The Money and they shifted my vision of fashion. I started exploring different brands, spending a lot more money on clothes. MJ: What are the next three items of clothing you want to buy yourself? IJ: I actually bought one of them online last night at like 1 a.m.—a Kappa jacket. It’s very 90’s, like an Italian sportswear brand. I got it in white. Nowadays, I don’t buy clothes just to buy them. There has to be a reason to buy them. Most of the time I buy for blog or Instagram content. COVER STORY |21
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MJ: When did you start your blog? IJ: March. MJ: Why did you start it? IJ: One: I love shopping, so I might as well do something with that. Two: I wanted to do something that’s very different than what I did all through college. I also do enjoy writing. I don’t think I’m the best at it, but I enjoy it. I’ve slowed down recently, because I got caught up with different things. I used to do strict weekly posts on Thursdays. I plan out throughout the week how I want to craft the message. MJ: How old is your Instagram? IJ: It started in March, too. MJ: What do you want to do with your Instagram in the future? IJ: I still need to specify my niche more. There also needs to be a persona in my account. There’s like no personality. Before this, I wasn’t big with social media. I used Snapchat, but not for like this content. Right now it’s just uncomfortable for me to share like a lot of personal stuff. I’m trying to get over that and connect with my audience to provide what hey want to see. I’ve met someone who reads my blog in person, but I was shy about it. I just want to stay authentic.
太 丁정 田 熙희 準 哲철 彦 정 丁 太 희 熙 田 철 準 哲정 彦丁 희 太熙 철 田 哲정 準 丁 희 彦 太 熙철 田 哲정 準 丁희 彦 熙철 太 정
哲
COVER STORY |23
DC TRavel guide By: Pearl Mak Contributions by Miranda Jackson
24 | TRAVEL
U STREET
the district, the store is worth a visit for nothing else if not a stroll through time. Other great spots include sister stores Salt & Sundry and Little Leaf. Between the two of these little shops, you’ll find every candle, piece of stationary and potted plant your heart desires.
Meridian Hill Park
Food Ben’s Chili Bowl is a landmark restaurant in Washington D.C., known for its chili, hot dogs and burgers. The red and yellow exterior stands apart from the collection of buildings. Though not completely photogenic, its food is comforting and hearty. Pictures of celebrities in the restaurant line the walls and its booths and bar that separates the cooks from the customers give it a 50’s vibe. If you’re not really feeling hungry, turn onto 14th and head over to the Wydown Coffee Bar, home to some of the strongest coffee and best pastries in D.C. The cafe is decorated with art made from coffee splashes, and their outdoor seating is dog-friendly. Bring a laptop, bring a friend, or even bring a good story to tell the baristas. You’re guaranteed a good time here. Further down 14th leads you to Jrink Juicery, a new kid on the block serving up fresh blends of juice and acai bowls. Another local favorite is Compass Rose. There’s no better place in this city to try street food from around the world!
shop You simply cannot make a trip down to this D.C. corridor and miss Miss Pixie’s. No seriously; the building is bright pink-you can’t miss it. Filled to the brim with vintage furniture, vinyl records and perhaps the biggest collection of postcards in
If you want to walk a few blocks, take a 14-minute travel walk to Meridian Hill Park, a gorgeous landscape with an enormous fountain. The fountain spills over different steps to a larger pool of water, giving it a peaceful vibe. At nighttime, lights line up along the sides of the fountain, creating a romantic scene for an evening stroll. Steps line the sides of the fountain so you can enjoy the gorgeous display from all angles.
Street Murals
Almost every block on U Street has beautiful street murals. Everywhere you look, there will be a massive masterpiece in front of you. Each mural has its own personality and screams with color. Bring a camera and your best outfit, preferably with bright colors to match with the art. You’ll thank us for the Instagram content later.
Plan a Visit
Don’t play yourself. Take the metro. Yellow and green line stop right at the U Street African- American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metro Station. The station is directly on U Street, in the center of all the sites.
U Street also offers amazing nightlife with live music at some of the bars like Black Cat and Nellie’s (Drag Bingo, anyone?). U Street Music Hall is also not to be overlooked to catch some of the best music acts in town. Coming to the neighborhood in the late afternoon and staying until night will allow you to soak up everything U Street has to offer.
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