oh hello,
Thanks for taking the time to open this and even more thanks for reading this. In case you haven’t noticed, this is SWEETEST Magazine, the latest authority in all things fashion, music and culture with a feminist voice.
You may be wondering even more: ‘Just what is SWEETEST anyway?’ SWEETEST has multiple definitions. Being SWEETEST is inner strength, beauty and intelligence. It’s being the odd one out of the group. Being kind when no one else gives a damn. It’s loving you in a society that tells you you shouldn’t. It’s simply being you. In this small, but powerful little issue you’ll find everything that I wish young women’s magazines were and then some. As our cultural values change, let’s foster a generation of strong, independent, stylish women out to change the world as we know it. Only for the sweetest, Taylyn
m ts fro o h s s . scene his issue.. e h t t d behin making of some e th
editor in chief
TAYLYN WASHINGTON-HARMON
fashion editor
DORIS HUANG
features editor assistant editor staff writers
photographers
KIMI SKOKIN NISHA STICKLES ALANA BROOMFIELD CARLIE CASAS DARRIEA CLARK CAITLYN COHN KIM JACKSON JASMINE JOHNSON KARINA LAURENCEAU ALEXIS RODRIGUEZ SARAH VALENZUELA TIFFANY GOMEZ MARGARET LIN
issue 00.
#FASHION | AMIRA RASOOL: THE STYLE PIRATE p. 4
#FASHION | THEY’RE BE-YOU-TIFUL p.8
#CHANGE | NOT JUST A WOMAN p. 18
LAST LOOK p. 20
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the style pirate.
e stopped.
ool can’t b s a R ira m A r e n w o p e thrift sho
Blogger & onlin
4
By Darriea Clark t obbie Austin’s Close Photos courtesy of B
A
mira Rasool claims that she started in
Amira’s independence is one of her many driv-
the fashion industry by “dipping her
ing factors, she declared, “I want to be able to
toe in,” but her resume shows that
clean up my own mistakes.”
she took clear and strong strides. The New Jer-
sey native holds titles such as “entrepreneur”
fashion entrepreneurship course and worked
and “fashion director,” as at only 18 years old,
hard to take in as much as she could. After
she is the founder of Midnight Marauders, an
her experiences with the internship, she used
online thrift store specializing in fashion for-
the notes from the class to make her LLC at
ward and eccentric trends.
only 17 years old. Working on the store, she’s
able to shop for interesting clothing, style it
Amira started her career with a fashion
Prior to Cynthia Rowley, Amira took a
merchandising class her sophomore year of
to portray an idea or trend, create concepts
high school. Later, she landed an internship
for photo shoots, and share her favorite
at fashion house Cynthia Rowley, and in her
pieces by reselling them to a bigger audiece.
words, “once you get one internship, it’s easier
Wanting to be a fashion editor when she
to get others.” This statement holds true, be-
gets older, Midnight Marauders gives her the
cause positions with Women’s Wear Daily and
independence and creative freedom to do
Marie Claire soon followed.
everything she loves doing.
In addition to that, she has a blog, Bob-
So why are her services and the practice
bie Austin’s Closet, for which she interviews re-
of thrift shopping important?
cording artists such as Justine Skye, reports on
“I think a lot of people are turned off to the
the latest in fashion and music, posts spreads
idea,” Amira said, explaining that there’s still
featuring some of her creative outfits, and goes a stigma against thrifting. “It’s not clothes to glamorous events such as brand launch par-
from your grandmother’s closet. It’s really cool
ties, art shows, New York Fashion Week, Teen
clothing.” She admits that the practice can be
Vogue Fashion University, and Independent
tedious, but her goal with Midnight Marauders
Fashion Bloggers conferences. She’s a living
is to modernize thrifting and cater to the
example that true passion and perseverance
consumer who doesn’t enjoy it. Her service
will get you to your dreams.
allows customers to avoid the sometimes grimy
thrift stores altogether and score eccentric
The idea for Midnight Marauders came
as Amira was interning in the e-commerce
items. Amira does the grunt work by sifting
department of Cynthia Rowley. She used the
through the racks, taking the clothes to the dry
gig as a learning experience, but in the end,
cleaners, and sometimes even hand washing
wanted to experiment with the trade herself.
them herself.
She had a safety net from her supervisor, but as
In her opinion, there are also oxymoronic
Amira sorts through a collection of vintage garments.
factors of individuality and connectivity in
“RIGHT NOW, I’M INSPIRING MY PEERS, BUT IN THE LONG RUN, I WANT TO INSPIRE MY GENERATION.”
thrifting. According to Amira, you could walk down the street with a shirt from Urban Outfitters or H&M, and there could be three other people with the same shirt. Shopping at Midnight Marauders will give you more assurance that no one else would have the items. But on the other hand, thrifting puts yourself in the shoes of other people. “Thrifted clothes have more of a story,” said Rasool. “You never know who’s worn them.”
Describing her personal style as eclectic
and nostalgic, Amira seems to have cultured a special relation with the generations before her. “I pay homage to the past, but I want to be ahead of my time,” Amira said. “Some people think I dress like a grandma,” she laughed. “But I trust my senses. A lot of people didn’t understand my clothing until two
years later.”
Her junior year, Amira fostered a
fascination with old school hip hop. One day, she watched Beats, Rhymes & Life, a documentary about the 90’s group A Tribe Called Quest, and was hooked. “I downloaded every album they ever made,” said Amira. She
especially liked their mix of jazz beats, hip hop,
working on making a stronger connection with
and timelessness. In her eyes, the group was
their fan base. “We want to let people know
from a completely different world and era, but
who we are.”
was totally relatable. She eventually got the
name for her store from A Tribe Called Quest’s
being driven by the will to become the next
third album.
June Ambrose or Anna Wintour. She plans to dominate the fashion
“I lived my days
Amira is determined to be noticed,
world, going down in
through Midnight
history as innovative
Marauders,” said
and smart. “Right now,
Amira. While looking
I’m inspiring my peers,
up the definition of
but in the long run,
“marauder”, she
I want to inspire my
found that it means
generation.” Spoken
plundering, like a
like a true go-getter.
pirate. “That’s what
I’m doing while
people that you can
thrifting. I’m going
come from nothing.
on a treasure hunt,”
Those limitations
declared Amira. When
you set for yourself
she’s shopping late at
become non-existent
night and listening to
when you want
Midnight Marauders,
something.” There is
she imagines the
much anticipation to
customers of her store
see what this head
listening to it as well.
strong and motivated
Currently, Amira is hard at work
“I want to show
Amira sporting an all vintage ensemble.
fashionista will
for her store: creating lookbooks, making
become, as Amira Rasool is definitely a name
YouTube videos, generating a stronger social
to remember.
presence, and collaborating with big thrifters.
She has a team of some of her closest friends
thrifting, visit shopmidnightmarauders.com.
To see some of the hottest clothes in
helping her, and they make up some of the most talented photographers, videographers, models, and artists of our time. The team is
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THEY’RE
4 GIRLS. FANTASTIC STYLE. UNRETOUCHED.
BE-YOU-TIFUL
PHOTOS BY DORIS HUANG STYLING BY TAYLYN WASHINGTONHARMON MAKEUP BY TYLER BARNES WANQUE GREEN HAIRSTYLING BY ZHANÉ SOUTER
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NAME: ERIN MILLER AGE: 19 CITY: PINOLE, CA ADVERTISING STUDENT, CEO OF OUT THERE PRODUCTIONS @ERINTHEMILLER
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“
FASHION STARTS WITH YOUR OWN PERSONALITY & YOUR OWN CLOSET.
”
OUTFIT: ALL MODEL’S OWN ACCESSORIES: STYLIST’S OWN
NAME: ASHLEY SIU AGE: 19 CITY: YORBA LINDA, CA BROADCAST & DIGITAL JOURNALISM STUDENT @ASH_SIU
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“
THERE’S A WAY TO FEEL CLASSY & FREE.
”
OUTFIT: ALL MODEL’S OWN ACCESSORIES: STYLIST’S OWN
NAME: KAMEELAH POINTER AGE: 19 CITY: CHICAGO, IL PRE-MED PUBLIC HEALTH STUDENT @FENDIMARTINI
14
“
MY PERSONAL STYLE IS VERY ECLECTIC, BUT I’M BY FAR NO FASHION GURU.
”
OUTFIT: ALL MODEL’S OWN NECKLACES: STYLIST’S OWN
NAME: SARAH VALENZUELA AGE: 20 CITY: QUEENS, NY BROADCAST & DIGITAL JOURNALISM & POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT, ATHLETE @SARAH_ISABELVEE
“
HAT: STYLIST’S OWN TOP: FOREVER 21 BOTTOMS & JACKET: ALL MODEL’S OWN JEWELRY: STYLIST’S OWN SNEAKERS: NIKE
FASHION IS ALWAYS ON THE GO.
”
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NOT JUST A WOMAN
INTEGRATING INTERSECTIONALITY INTO YOUR FEMINISM
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BY KIMI SKOKIN
I
n the gender equality movement, a woman is a woman is a woman. Most of us have some combination of breasts, periods, childbearing capabilities, and we’re presumably all on the same side. A woman is a woman is a woman. Except it shouldn’t end there. Every individual, and all women no less, has much more going on. There are gay women, straight women, pansexual women; cis women, trans* women, genderfluid women; rich women, poor women, middle-class women; Latina women, Asian women, Black women, white women. Feminists of every race/gender/ sexuality/socioeconomic combination exist - but although we all share the concept of womanhood, our individual identity in other domains, in so many more ways than the ones mentioned, define the way we approach our own feminism. There are different pertinent issues involving home country, past experiences, belief systems, and that’s the tip of the iceberg. The point is that the issues people think of when they think ‘feminism’ (abortion, fair wages, slut shaming) do not hold the same value in all women. In fact, these cookie-cutter causes, important as they may be, are highpriority to only a subset of all women. It is the sad truth that American, straight white middleclass feminism is the most popularized, and because of this, the vast majority of women who don’t fit this bill shy away from identifying as feminists because they can’t relate to this highly subjective type. If this third-wave feminist movement is to make any future impact, it has to be inclusive. Intersectionality is the notion that politics of race, gender, sexual orientation, and other demographic factors are all
interconnected, and that making change in one section requires advancement in all. This begins with acknowledging that feminism IS STILL NEEDED. There are women in the world who struggle to fight off sexual violence, minimal freedoms, and even threats of death while the West is preoccupied with assigning superiority either to girls who wear makeup or girls who don’t (hint : this quibble is worth no one’s time). Extra solidarity is needed for women of color and women in the LGBT community, who are exploited and terrorized on multiple levels.
INTERSECTIONALITY IS THE NOTION THAT POLITICS OF RACE, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AND OTHER DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ARE ALL INTERCONNECTED... A disclaimer here is that the folks to whom cookie-cutter feminism applies may not be able to relate to intersectionality, because it is something so individualized towards women facing more than one form of oppression. If you’re someone engaged in the futile debate of painted face vs. fresh face, just take a step back and ask yourself, “is there a better cause I could be lobbying for?” In most cases, yes. There’s promoting AIDS awareness, donating to women’s education in the Middle East, there’s publicizing women of all colors and creeds who have achieved success in a man’s world with their extraordinary talent. Any woman can, and should, act with intersectionality in mind. Because a woman is never just a woman, she is an individual with a hundred different identities.
last look.
What’s your style like in the US compared to back home?
Back home my daily style revolves around a dark pair of jeans paired with a thin shirt and ballets. Over here, in the summer/spring it’s usually a bright dress with some flip flops or shorts and a loose tee if I’m feel in lazy. I tend to bundle up a lot in the winter - I usually wear a dark sweater, colored scarf and booties. Yeah, my style is different in that I usually don’t wear dresses or shorts when I’m back home - this is because of the structure of Indian society - if I were to go outside in shorts a thousand eyes would glare me down. That doesn’t happen here so I just wear dresses all the time.
NAME: EASHAA PAREKH AGE: 20 CITY: MUMBAI, INDIA ECONOMICS & HISTORY STUDENT @EASHAA16 UANG PHOTOS BY DORIS H
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