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Model: Louise Chantàl MUA: Niasia Stylist: David Mansion Brand: Kyra Clothing Photographer: Ayodale Savage Creative Director: Louise Chantàl
CONTENTS
6
Breyona Holt
12
Courtney Garvin
18
Mark Aghatise
24
Nneka Ibeabuchi
30
Autri and Yani
36
Dennis Elliot
43
Anthony Tran
46
Dessy Hinds
52
Youhry Samy
58
Edoulia Stroud
64
Samuel Omare
72
Morocco
78
Imani Clovis
84
Chioma Nwana
90
Olya Anikina
96
Louise Chantal
102
Project 96
108
Boby Rogers
114
Flo Ngala
118
Alston Watson
122
Elizabeth Wirija
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r t
EDITOR’S LETTER “Versatile eye, minimal aesthetic” Th s magazine has changed my life in ways that I can’t even begin to explain. To the people that pay attention to detail, people who appreciate simplicity in all aspects. That is all SVGE is about. Finding beauty in knowing that less is always more. I take pride in the quality and consistency in not only my work, but the work that refl cts the reason I started this magazine. Every single photographer, model, designer, and artist in general that we feature is chosen so particularly. We love to branch out and fi d things out of the ordinary, all while staying true to the style we work so hard to maintain. I’m so thankful to any and everyone who has participated their time into this issue. Although the big picture started with me, our team is what made it doable. I would be nowhere without them and the magazine is better for it. I know that everyone who is loyal to SVGE will soon realize why it was worth it. Thank you to ALL of our fans and supporters. We do it for you. — Founder & CEO Ayodale Savage
Models: Katie Klasing & Cole Hansen Photographer: Breyona Holt Makeup Artist: Maya Thurston
Models: Ruth, Abigail, AshantĂŠ, Dronesie, AdĂŠ & Devanie Photographer: Courtney Garvin Creative Directors: Ann Wynn, Princess Aurum & Courtney Garvin Brand: Pink Plastic Swim Collection
at d
Ut pulermiume
Model: Cleave Liam Styled by: Taylor Simmons Photographer: Mark Aghatise
Model: Nneka Ibeabuchi Styled by: James Brisbane Photographer: Chioma Nwana
Models: Autry and Yani of Major Models NYC Stylist: Ayodale Savage Photographer: Ayodale Savage
Models: Sydney & Lena Stylist and Fashion Designer: Rachel Lanne Creative director: Rachel Lanne & Dennis Elliott Photographer: Dennis Elliott
Model: Carlos Rodriguez Styled by: Anthony Tran Photographer: Anthony Tran
Model Dessy Hinds of Pro Era Photographer: Chioma Nwana
DESSY HINDS Who is your biggest music influence? I know you had mentioned DMX as one of your favorite rappers when we last shot, but I wanna hear a couple more names. DMX, you know, he is rap. But if I were to talk about my biggest musical influence, I wanna say Tupac because of his way of expressing himself musically. He was someone who, from album to album, gave me music. He didn’t just give me singles, and he didn’t just give me the regular stuff that everyone does. He gave me content. He gave me enough content for me to say, “Ok, this is the way to make music.” To me, music is emotion and feelings, and I got all of that with Tupac. Tupac is there with Michael Jackson – he’s iconic as a musical artist. If I had to say one more, I would defin tely say Andre 3000. I learned from Outkast, but after a while, I started to see Andre as a music maker. I love Andre’s storytelling abilities and his different vocal cadences, and things that people in rap weren’t really doing in terms of creativity. So tell me about how you found yourself in Pro Era. How did I get into squad? Man, I had to get jumped in. Nah, Joey and I knew each other in junior high, but we didn’t become friends until high school. It was then that we started making music together. It took a minute for him to really be cool with me because at that time – around 2010 and 2011 – he and STEEZ were establishing the collective. They were figu ing out everyone’s positions. It wasn’t until late 2012 that Joey personally asked me, but I was so solo and such a free spirit that I couldn’t see myself joining a group. Joey asked me about three times, but it really didn’t click until one time I saw STEEZ when I was coming out of H&M. As I was on my way out of the store, I locked eyes with STEEZ, even though he was already outside. We locked eyes, and we already knew what it was. Joey may have asked me, and I don’t even remember how I answered him, but seeing STEEZ that day was the confi mation. I said, “Yeah bro, I’m gonna be down with squad.” So yeah, Joey asked me, and STEEZ was the confi mation. Tell me a little bit about what it’s like being a part of Pro Era. It’s a lot of us just being us. We get to be a side of ourselves that a lot of people don’t see. A lot of people don’t get to see the sides of us that come out when we’re together. That’s real special. That’s how I know – aside from the music and when we’re being creative. Not saying that we don’t show our true colors with everybody else, but normally people only get to see one side of us and they get to hear the other sides by listening to our music. If we’re all together, you’ll be seeing such genuine reactions. It’s a lot of goofi g around. A lot of plotting. Plotting the Execution – PE. That’s a lot of what we’re doing. We’re always trying to execute something. It feels like a mafia.
Th t’s why you got jumped in, right? [Laughing] Yep, that’s why I got jumped in! We all got jumped into squad at one time. What is one unique thing that you bring to Pro Era? I think I bring sensitivity. That’s a thing that a lot of people miss. Because being sensitive allows you to emotionally embrace the things that people often overlook. That’s always been me, even before squad. Like I hung out with two of my best friends from high school. One was passive aggressive, and the other was super mellow, and I was just sensitive. Sensitive in a “down-to-earth” way. Like “Yo, Des can talk to anybody.” Being mellow, you can talk to anybody, but sometimes you’re too mellow for the person. Being passive aggressive can make you rub off on people the wrong way. But when you’re sensitive, you can emotionally tap into anybody, whether they’re aggressive or anything else. What is the most exciting thing about the rap game today? I love that you asked that question! I would say there are no boundaries and there are no limits. There’s no exact way that things have to sound anymore. There is no specific or precise way to do things. I love that. I also feel like people are beginning to lean towards the artistic side of rap. Rap is becoming an artistic interpretation of anything that people want to speak upon. I think today, hip hop and rap for this time period is almost at its peak. It’s probably the most dominant genre today. For that, we defin tely have to thank artists like KRS-1 and Mos Def. Those are the pioneers who gave rap a voice that you couldn’t ignore. What makes you get up in the morning and continue to get on the mic? Knowing that God has blessed me with certain talents. Everything that I do is through God. There is God is all of us. It’s not an accident. I didn’t just wake up and decide to start rapping. Th s was something He genuinely gave me a love, a passion, and an understanding of what my responsibilities are. God is the answer. All glory to God. What is one piece of advice that you would give to anybody aspiring to be a rapper? Be yourself and stay true to yourself. That’s more important than fitting into any label or any group of people. With Pro Era, I never had to “fit in.” None of us did. We were always ourselves. We stayed true to our sounds. Stay true. Build a sound. When you develop your talents to build a consistent sound, you can then gain a following. Lastly, build a good team that can give you different perspectives. You need different ears to give you feedback on your music – that’s what a team is for. You play your music for them and they tell you how they really feel. From the shoot, I observed that you’re an accessory type of guy, but I just have to ask. What’s your favorite part of any outfit? What makes the outfit? I want to say confide ce, but if I had to get more specific, I’d say the upper body area. My choice of shirt. My choice of fabric and material. You have to combine things. You have to see what plays off f what.
Do you have any pieces in your close that you would call your favorite item? I’m a flannel guy. I had this one flannel that I’d been wearing all summer. I know it was hot, but so I didn’t get to wear it as much, but if we’re talking about fall or winter, my go-to is flannel. Favorite sneaker? I’ve recently become interested in different sneakers, but favorite sneaker right now? Easy. My Adidas Stan Smiths. Adidas is making a lot of my favorite sneakers right now. As a matter of fact, not only the Stan Smiths, but the Adidas NMDs, baby! The all-white joints. I gotta switch it up for the fall season, though, because I love boots. But I gotta get off Timberlands. I’m from Brooklyn. I wear Timberlands everywhere. If you ask anyone in the studio who wears the most Timberlands, it’s Des. I have five pairs of Timberlands. But after a while I realized I can’t wear Timberlands everywhere. My choice of boots – and sneakers – kind of evolved as my style evolved. What’s something we should be on the lookout for? What’s something that Dessy Hinds has coming for us? Defin tely my solo project. I’m working overtime on that right now. Look forward to that and a couple of singles. Everybody has been hounding me, and I’ve been like “I got you!” It’s coming. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Model: Youhry Samy (JR) Photographer: Ayodale Savage
Model: Rahquise Bowen Styled by: Rahquise Bowen Photographer: Edolia Stoud
SAMUEL OMARE Who are you? I’m Samuel Omare. I’m a man, a student, a brother, a son, a friend, and a person who is learning and growing on the daily. What got you into photography? Back in high school, my friend and I would take pictures on our phones for MySpace. We kept at it through the beginning of college. I fi st got a Nikon camera to take pictures of him and of myself, and then I just kept going. I also interned at an art gallery for a little bit, and the person I interned for became my mentor – Richard Beavers of Richard Beavers Gallery. He saw my work and said I had an eye for photography, so I continued with it. Who are your favorite photographers? Jamel Shabazz is my favorite photographer right now. He was a pioneer of street and documentary photography. He captured the feel of people. Another photographer is Flo Ngala. She is so talented. I wish I could shoot like her. I love everything that she does. Her work is beautiful – so rich, so strong. Everything is so clear. All of her photos are so real, almost like they’re stills taken from a movie, and I really appreciate that. I really love her work. Gordon Parks is my all-time favorite photographer. I feel like I’m very much like him because he’s also a musician, and so am I. He did much more than just photography, but all of it was to help other people, and that’s what I aim to do with my work as well. So Gordon Parks, Jamel Shabazz, and Flo Ngala. You mainly or almost exclusively photograph black women. Why? I always get this question actually. I photograph black women specifi ally because there is such a lack of appreciation for black women in art and in the world in general. I feel that as a black man, it’s my job to uplift other black people, starting with black women. Society never cuts them any slack, and they are degraded on the daily, so why shouldn’t I put them on a pedestal? Why shouldn’t I make people see them as beautiful? I’ve also started to shoot black men. We are rarely shown in the media in a positive light. I want to show people our beauty as well. What wakes you up in the morning and carries you through the day? My family keeps me going. Just the idea of getting to a better place for myself so I can get to a better place for them helps me to continue through hard times. My brothers inspire me to be the best I can because they’re watching me. If I can make them happy, I think I can make anyone happy.
Models: Ibrahima Sow & Ababacar Diop Styled by: Samuel Omare Photographer: Samuel Omare
Where do you see yourself with your photography, or even in general, in ten years? My goal with my photography is to always do better than I did last. So it never stops. It’s a continuous goal. In ten years, I hope to create work that cannot be surpassed. I want to create work which captures the beauty of life. I want to be able to touch a lot of people in the next ten years. I want to have my work in art galleries. And in general, I defin tely want to be happy. How would you describe your style of shooting? And how would you describe your personal style? I can’t really describe my style of shooting. I want to say it’s minimal, but then again, it’s really not. I mean, I love negative space in my work. My style of shooting is like a black girl picking out her afro. She starts really small – I come up with an idea. In the same way that she picks out her hair, I keep picking out the idea until it gets bigger and bigger. My idea becomes a “huge fro” because I’ve picked it out so much. It’s all about the growth. My style of shooting is also very black. I want it to represent who I am. I never want my color to go away from my work. And my personal style? I’m like a fly construction worker. That’s how I dress. I usually look like I could either be going to a fashion week event or I could be going to fix a uilding. What is your take on the idea of inspiration within the photo realm? Where do you draw the line between inspiration and idea stealing? There is a difference between inspiration and imitation. Inspiration is someone giving you a feel or a mood or tone for you to go off of. Let’s say I give you the color blue. Let’s say I do a blue-on-blue shoot. You see the color blue, and you get inspired by it. You put your own spin on it and decide to do a blue and yellow shoot. The ideas are totally different, but your idea stemmed from seeing my blue on blue shoot. That’s perfectly fi e. Inspiration should never be reproducing something that you saw someone else do. That happens sometimes in the photography world – people confuse the two all the time. Photographers begin to imitate other people’s works and styles. It’s dangerous when it comes to social media. It gets hard to figu e out who did it fi st or who the original creative director was, especially when the original photographer is not as big as the person who copied their idea. People are more likely to believe the big name. So that’s the difference. But for those who do imitate, there should be credit given, always – “this idea was given to me by another person.” All an artist has is their their work. For someone to take that is disrespectful and hurtful to the original artist who put in the time and effort to create the work. To be inspired is to take a piece of someone else’s work and make it into your own. What is your go-to item of clothing? And what is an item of clothing that you think everyone should have in their closet? My go-to item of clothing is anything orange. Orange shoes, orange hat, orange anything. If I can’t wear orange, I wear black a lot. But if we’re being specific, my go-to is an orange hat and white sneakers. As for what everyone should have in their closets, I’d have to say everyone should have a nice, comfortable, soft, warm hoodie. Hoodies are essential. It’s that one layer that can keep you warm but not too hot.
Model: Morocco Stylist David Ward of MANSIONHOMME Photographer: Ayodale Savage Brand: Y-3
Graphic Designer: Imani Clovis Model: Lisa Lutgen
Model: Danielle Murray Styled by: Shinobi Robeson MUA: Ashley Munro Photographer: Chioma Nwana
Model: Olya Anikina of Major Models NYC Stylist: David Ward of MANSIONHOMME Photographer: Ayodale Savage
LOUISE CHANTAL Describe your sense of style in one word. whimsical If you could choose your purpose for being put on earth, what would it be? To be an agent of light and truth in a world of darkness. What do you think is the one epiphany you need to have to know you’ve found the absolute one. To know that I am accepted and seen as perfect because of imperfections. How did you get into singing? My love for music always moved my spirits into a higher place. I knew that I wanted to be on stage from age 5. The years that followed were about me figu ing out what it was exactly that was going to commit to pursuing. I enjoyed dance classes, I enjoyed acting, but singing I clung and committed to at age 12 because it freed me in a different way. There was thus fi e that was always burning inside of me. Songwriting and singing gave me the voice to say what I absolutely needed to say. To this day I feel so misunderstood by people but in my music I feel free. What is WelcometoAranbi? What is the meaning and purpose? Aranbi is a world I created in my mind, a place where I could escape to cope with the pain, a fantasy land where I could wear my heart on my sleeve and scream my unfiltered truths from the mountaintops and bear no judgment from anyone. In my debut project, titled Welcome To Aranbi’ I am sharing that world, my world, with all of you. Sonically, the R&B and world music genres inspired me to create this work and politically, feminism drove me lyrically to be bold enough to say what I said. Do you have family back home in the U.K.? How much of your family lives here with you? Half of my family is British, half of my family is Guyanese and Bajan. Almost the entirety of my British family still lives in London, my siblings, my dad, etc. Many of my Guyanese and Bajan family members have migrated to the US, UK, and Canada. I grew up with a unique family structure. Distance was a factor I had to become accustomed to and accept from a very young age.
Model: Louise Chantàl MUA: Niasia Stylist: David Mansion Brand: Kyra Clothing Photographer: Ayodale Savage Creative Director: Louise Chantàl
How do you think your child hood has helped or hurt your personality today as a grown woman? I see myself as a survivor. I won’t say that everything I experienced in my childhood was positive, but it all helped me to become the woman that I am today. It is because of the negative things that I experienced that I can now offer support and words of positivity to young men and women that are fi hting to overcome some of the same obstacles I’ve faced whether it be abuse or depression. If you could trade places with one of your inspirations, who would it be and why? If not Aretha Franklin or Whitney Houston, Beyoncé. I feel as though I could learn so much about the industry and the way life works from their experience. If you could have one designer, design your shoes for the rest of your life. Who would it be? I would design my shoes in collaboration with Fendi. How does it make you feel to have been mistreated by your peers at a young age, yet so loved by everyone you come across now? What do you feel changed? I don’t feel as though tables have turned, or changed massively. I still feel as though I was loved and hated then and I’m loved and hated now. Some days I focus a bit more on how much I’m hated because online bullies often drive me crazy. But I try to just focus on the love. Love is the only thing that can sustain me and heal the world. I don’t ever want to stray from that.
Models: Shanique Johnson & Naseem Muhammad Brand: Project 96 Photographer: Ayodale Savage Stylist: PetahJay
Models: Michael Amofa, Valentino Emwin, Mimi Giek, Seth Aryee & Ayi Doumassy Photographer: Bobby Rogers Creative Director: Michael Amofa
Model: Flo Ngala (self-portrait) Photographer: Flo Ngala
Model: Alston Watson Photographer: Chioma Nwana Brand (T-Shirt): DAMAGED
Model: Luxsi Young Stylist: Elizabeth Wirija & Luxsi Young Photographer: Elizabeth Wirija Creative Director: Elizabeth Wirija