July 2011
VAGRANT FACEBOOK TWITTER EDITOR’S BLOG
VAGRANT Editor in Chief: Tomik Dash
tdash@vagrantmag.com
Photographers: Colby Blount Joshua McKnight PR & Marketing: Melissa Monet Agency *VAGRANT is looking for creative people for future projects. Writers, photographers, hairstylists, wardrobe stylists and MUA’s interested in being involved in creative endeavors. Please send writing samples or portfolios to info@vagrantmag.com.* Cover photo by Colby Blount Cover makeup by Tedrick Lamar
CONTRIBUTORS Khalua Croft is one of Atlanta’s most sought after estheticians. A lover of all things odd, worldly, and fashionable, Khalua services a loyal clientele at Spa 29 in The Mansion of Buckhead. She loves to travel and uses the world as her playground, not just for leisure, but to acquire all of the beauty secrets of different cultures. She brings them right back to be utilized on the people who need it most. Nobody is better equipped to bring you skincare tips for this summer! Midwest born and Florida raised, writer, Pelar Jones has been writing since the 4th grade. As her passion grew she turned it into a lucrative business at Clark Atlanta where she wrote fellow students’ paper’s to support her addiction to Seven Jeans & OPI nail polish. Since then she has been in pursuit of becoming a published author with her interview for VAGRANT being her first article!
Contents letter from the editor 5 Muffy Cupcakeopia
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STRAP UP! Technicoloure
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designer spotlight Jordan R. Steede Nafeesa Ahamed
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summer skin essentials
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ferosh
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Letter from the Editor A few years ago when I started hanging out with a friend of mine, he would constantly say to me, “Oh my God, why are you wearing that? I love it, but you are not in New York or some big fashion capital! This is ATLANTA!” With a shrug, I would always respond, “This is just how I dress.” I’ve never felt like I’ve needed to adapt my style to appease the sentiments of the people I’m surrounded by. My style is bold, and putting it on mute wouldn’t only disservice myself, but it would also disservice the momentum that Atlanta’s fashion scene is experiencing. Sometimes it takes one person who has no qualms about embracing who they are to make someone else realize, “Hey, I can step outside of the box too.” The July issue of VAGRANT is all about embracing those bold statements. From the cover shoot that shows how living your life in technicolor is something that can be pulled off seamlessly, to the feature on some of our city’s coolest leather designers who show how a little s&m incorporated into your everyday wardrobe, doesn’t necessarily make you as naughty as one may think. One of my style icons, Tom Ford, has a rule of thumb that I always try to live by: “You should put on the best version of yourself when you go out in the world because it is a show of respect to the other people around you.” I challenge all of you to take a good look at yourself before you walk out the door each day. What can you add or subtract that would really put your best foot forward? I hope you enjoy the issue! Tomik Dash Editor-In-Chief
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! y a f pi f u M keo a c up by Pelar Jones
There’s more to Muffy Gaynor than meets the eye. Yes, she’s Miss Muffy Cupcakeopia, Muff Mommy, and Miss Yummy…Pop… Electric, but at the core of all the pseudonyms she is simply a woman navigating her way through the complex music industry in her quest for general acceptance, and of course... musical domination (my words not hers).
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Before our interview begins I liken it to being on a first [blind] date, wherein if the chemistry is all wrong I will have nothing good to write about. She smiles and nods in agreement. “You’ll be fine, we’ll be fine,” she says. Our food arrives; soy Chicken nuggets and squash soup for her and something I can’t pronounce and the weirdest looking “chicken” kabob I’ve ever seen for me. We’re dining vegan tonight and although I picked the spot based on her eating constraints she’s introducing me to the ultra trendy, ultra healthy, and ultra meatless cuisine.
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So, how does it feel to be able to be googled?” I ask while pushing my plates aside and tackling the most familiar thing in front of me, my glass of wine. She giggles. “It feels funny, I don’t know…I mean you can almost Google anybody but it does feel good. It gives me a certain amount of cred and admiration; I deserve it,” she says. And she does. She’s been in the music industry for five years and along the way has worked with some top notch industry people including Waka Flocka, Gucci Mane, Bangladesh, and Jeffery Star and has managed to take the Atlanta underground music scene by storm with breakout hits such as Sweet, and Drop. Well on her way to becoming famous, especially since many artists today have launched their careers via networking sites she boasts almost seven thousands followers on the people worshipping Twitter, five hundred Facebook fans (for a fan page she didn’t even create and wasn’t aware she had until recently), twelve thousands fans on MySpace and almost 200,000 views for her Youtube page, and with all that
she still doesn’t include that in her definition of success. “My definition of success doesn’t include fame. Just being able to establish a surrounding where I would be able to do my music and still support my livelihood and support having kids. One of my dreams is to have a really big family since I’m an only child. The fame part is whatever, the money part is definitely important since I plan to have seven little vegan girls.” This ‘first date’ is going well thus far minus the food… on my part at least. I watch thoroughly amused as she chows down on the fake chicken nuggets. I also take the opportunity to take in all that is Muffy Cupcakeopia. Her style musically and fashion wise is eccentric. Tonight she’s wearing a mixture of things. An ultra feminine piece: a black and white flowered sequin top; a hint of masculine: the amazing black and white Stacy Adam’s retro dapper Madison boots, the kitschy: a black cat eared head band, a crown for the mass of Shirley Temple curls on her head, and a lil’ rock and roll via a chain earring that dangles from her left ear which is a perfect match to the small
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silver ball she has pierced in the center of her bottom lip. Seeing her in the flesh is surreal like looking at a Salvador Dali painting. There are so many different points of interests and as you stare you can’t help but to think how did she put all of this together and make it look so good. This also describes her music. With everything that’s going on in her songs, from speaking Japanese, clever double entendres, the charming bubble gum pop hooks, and beats that make you just want to get up and dance one has to wonder where does it all come from? She equates her style to a certain ‘audacity’ that comes from within and her humble beginnings growing up having to find things to be cool and still look fly. And as for her approach to her musical journey my guess is as good as hers. “I’m not going to front; my journey, my musical journey has been all over the place so the pictures, the videos, the things that are out there on the internet of me are all over the place because that’s definitely how it’s been going. But I do ultimately wish for a team that can nurture all my styles, because in this industry they [execs] want you to keep a distinct look and sound for a while so that people can get used to you and with my looks and music being all over the place it’s harder for people to get used to me. As much as people try to deny it we all tend to think in a small little box, so maybe I really will have to promote one of my styles for a while so that people can catch on.” Adding to the ‘challenge’ of her innate distinctiveness enter her status at her label. Muffy is newly signed to Mizay Entertainment as the ONLY pop artist male or female amongst all rappers. But as with everything else that has happened in
her life she takes this experience as another notch on her growth belt. She smiles genuinely as she takes a sip of her Pinot Noir. “Thus far being at Mizay has been different because I’m not so sure they get me. Brick Squad and everyone else are like my family, so as far as that goes I love them and I love collaborating with them. But music wise I’m not sure if they really understand me or get me; she pauses to let out a muffled giggle; especially since we’ve already established that I’m all over the place.” Even my friends have said “people always try to figure you out so hard, but once they’ve figured you out they realized that there was no figuring you out.” She shrugs. We transition into desert, and Muffy begins to rave about the vegan carrot cake, but to ‘our’ dismay they are all out of it for the evening. She decides not to try anything else but insists that I have to try it one day. I nod of course and smirk. We both know I’m not coming back for the carrot cake. “How does it feel to be associated with the ‘underground hipster’ scene?” I ask her while the waiter is cleaning our table. She lets out an almost deafening laugh. “Shout out to my friend Grip Play who said ‘F*that hipster sh*t!’ But I don’t feel like that… I feel like hipster is a term that we took and ran with in Atlanta but to me to be a hipster is like an honor because I was watching an old school movie from the seventies and they were talking about how the hipsters were coming up with the new stuff. I think that I am a hipster but it’s not like I’m trying to be one. I don’t think being labeled a hipster will hinder my success. I feel that in order to get that platform that I want to get along with being marketed right it will just add to it. She shrugs, “…and then again some people
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don’t see me as a hipster at all, I look at people like Big Sean and Kid Cudi and I think if they weren’t rapping they’d probably be considered hipsters too, but since they are more commercial its different so that’s how I kind of feel. I’m like a chameleon. I fit in everywhere and nowhere at the same time.” She’s in good company whether she realizes it or not when I ask her about her musical influences. “The people who musically inspire me sound nothing like the music I make,” she insists. Listing Billie Holiday, Kanye West, for the emotions he shares with his fans, Bjork, Pharrell (and them), and Bangladesh . “But I absolutely love Erykah Badu she’s my number one and we have the same birthday!” She makes it a point to mention. I catch a glimpse of unabridged sincerity in this moment while she stares pensively into her half empty wine glass before sipping. “I know my music has changed so much since I started five years ago and that’s definitely a reflection of the different teams I’ve worked with because they’ve had
influences on my writing. I feel like my music hasn’t reached its pinnacle as far as the sound. . I would like to be able to go back and say this is exactly what I wanted. And I haven’t gotten there yet because I feel like I’ve shuffled around from group to group kind of like an orphan. And obviously I’ve grown but it would be a much easier transition if I was in a more stable environment with people who were working with me to develop my skills because every time you switch groups you have to allow people to learn you and relearn yourself.” “But what I do know is this year coming I want to make the music that is really in my heart.” We end our dinner and head over to a nearby cupcake shop for a real dessert. On the short drive over I realize that I’ve met one of the most intrinsically deep people that I’ll probably ever meet in life, then as we glance at the last two chocolate raspberry almond cream cupcakes she smiles real big. “So, what makes you smile?” I ask. “Cupcakes!” she replies. When she says that I laugh to myself as I hear No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” playing in my head. Her friends may be right after all… maybe there isn’t anything to figure out about her at all.
myspace.com/muffymommy
STRAP UP! photographer: Joshua McKnight stylist: Tomik Dash models: Steven Showalter of Click Models and Manny Torres
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Leather chained hood by Mechanical Nature Fringe necklace by BEAT DREAMS
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Chained epaulet and necklace by BEAT DREAMS
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Leather chained bolero by Mechanical Nature Belt by BEAT DREAMS
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7-Strap Harness and bracelets by BEAT DREAMS
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Leather Assymetrical by Mechanical Nature Fringe necklace & body harness by BEAT DREAMS
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3-piece leather vest by Mechanical Nature Bracelets by BEAT DREAMS
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designer spotlight Jordan Richardson Steede of BEAT DREAMS
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dgy, bold, and disciplined, yet free, educated and witty. These are the traits that designer Jordan Richardson Steede says his target customer embodies. Yet they are also traits that are not far off from that of his own personality. VAGRANT caught up with this local talent and picked his brain to find out about his passions, inspirations, and what’s next for his amazing accessory line, BEAT DREAMS.
designer spotlight WHERE ARE YOU FROM? I was born and raised in Bermuda. I moved to Atlanta in 2009. what is your favorite season? My favorite season is Winter. Most of my designs are inspired by the Winter and I love the use of layers and textures. WHAT IS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR COLLECTION? My collection was inspired by culture and religion. The romance of Spain and the discipline of Russia and China. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNER? Right now would have to be between Trussardi and Givenchy. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT WORKING WITH LEATHER? I love the contrast it has against my use of metal. Leather is a material that I can really get creative with, using heating tools to shape and stretch, knives and sand paper to play with texture. WHAT’S NEXT FOR BEAT DREAMS? I plan to release the AD campaign for the next collection during NY Fashion Week in September. I am introducing a few new accessories in the coming line, that people may not be expecting.
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Nafeesa Ahamed of Mechanical Nature
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hether it be with cow leather or lambskin, Nafeesa Ahamed is a master craftsman when it comes to pumping out some of the finest and most original leather accessories on the market. Her pieces have been gaining popularity and are becoming increasingly available in boutiques nationwide, and when you take a look at what she has to offer, it’s no wonder why. WHERE ARE YOU FROM? Originally from Madras, South India, but I mostly grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Late Fall/Early Winter. I’m a firm believer in layering. My leather accessories are clean & bold, and can favorably accentuate an otherwise drap wooly/knit ensemble. WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE DESIGNERS? I’m most inspired by McQueen and
designer spotlight Givenchy, where the designs go beyond fashion and into artistic creations. On a more moderate scale, I turn to Alexander Wang and Phillip Lim for their classic yet bold silhouettes and accessories. WHAT’S THE INSPIRATION BEHIND YOUR COLLECTION? The inspiration stems from the folklore of the European werewolf. “Loup Garou”, the name of my collection, is actually the French derivation for werewolf. I intended for the transformative nature of the armor in this collection to allow the individual wearing the pieces to delve and adapt a bold, almost mythical appendage from each piece. Some of the pieces are reversible, and can be worn in different ways. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING One of the purses from ABOUT WORKING WITH Mechanical Nature. LEATHER? I view leather as an infinite mediumthere’s such a range of varying hides to work with- calf leather, lambskin, deerskin, and within these skins there’s further varying thickness. I like the fact that no two hides will ever be the same, each hide has unique characteristics and imprints. Everything about it is riveting! *Mechanical Nature can be found at ENVY in Little Five Points* www.mechanicalnature.com
TECHNICO
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LOURE
photographer: Colby Blount Stylist: Tomik Dash Hair: Brenda Waters MUA: Mia “Mimi” Johnson Model: Sarah Woods of Click Models
Top by Coodieranks Leggings by Love Culture Shoes by Jessica Simpson
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Dress by Coodieranks Shoes by Bakers
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Top by Coodieranks
Dress by Laura Brazil Shoes by Bakers **This makeup look by Tedrick Lamar**
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Summer Skin Essentials
by Khalua Croft
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he summer season: it’s when we let our skin take the most damage. We’re outside for longer hours while wearing fashions that expose our arms, legs, breasts, and face to the harsh elements. Unlike during the winter season when skin can be overly dry, the summer is sweaty and sticky, making us less inclined to smear protection on. Fortunately, your summer skin is naturally more alive and lubricated, and so proper skincare is actually very easy as long as we maintain a consistent routine. Unlike most other routines, for best results our approach to healthy skincare should actually begin at night, specifically when washing prior to bedtime. As we sleep, our body naturally rejuvenates the skin cells. Residual dirt, makeup, or sunscreen impedes this process, but applying
antioxidants and vitamins after deep-cleaning with water and a foaming cleanser (instead of a crème) enhances healthier new cell growth. When the next day comes, it’s time for us to shine, but damage from the winter sun or from spraytan can make your complexion appear to be dull and lifeless. So another wash in the morning helps establish a radiant summer glow by removing dead skin and letting the new skin burst forth. A body scrub can be applied either by hand, with
a loofah, or with an exfoliating mitt to help slough off that superficial top layer of unwanted dead skin. There are two different kinds of body scrubs used for exfoliation: salt scrubs or sugar scrubs. Both have excellent exfoliation properties to remove dirt that is deeper in the layers of the skin and remove nasty toxins while giving your skin a radiant youthful glow. Salt scrubs are coarser than sugar scrubs, and consequently exfoliate much deeper. In addition, salt scrubs help stimulate your capillaries and boost the
42 circulation, as well as serving as a natural antibacterial. Sugar scrubs are perfect for people with sensitive skin because sugar has a much more fine and gentle composition compared to salt. Sugar scrubs are also better for the person that likes to exfoliate on a more frequent basis. Another benefit of sugar over salt scrubs is the former’s anti-aging properties. Sugar produces glycolic acid, which is an alpha hydroxy acid that can rejuvenate skin. This is a simple way to help keep youthful skin. Now that you have invigorated your living dermis, a nourishing serum is essential to resist any new damage potentially caused by the wind and sun. Serums, such as Epicuren’s Cxc Anti-Oxidant Vitamin C Cream increase your skins resiliency by stimulating collagen production, shielding vulnerable cellular mechanisms, neutralizing free radicals, and enhancing the immuno-response against damage from UV radiation. Moisturizing is a step that many people frequently skip during the summer months, mostly due to the common misconception that it will increase the oiliness of the skin. This, however, is completely untrue. Skin oiliness results from of excess sebum particles, not from an excess of moisture. The skin still requires effective moisturizing in the summer months.
43 The best type of moisturizer to use during the summer time is something light and oil-free, and which keeps the skin überhydrated. The pièce de résistance of any summertime skincare regimen is selecting the proper sunscreen. When choosing a sunscreen for the face, look for one with Vitamin E and other antioxidants that will boost the photoprotective qualities of the lotion and also help with premature aging. A great facial sunscreen is Kerstin Florian Face Serum SPF25; it is a very lightweight lotion that feels great on the skin. An amazing sunscreen for the body is Epicuren X-treme Crème, which uses propolis (an anti-inflammatory resin made by honey bees) as its base ingredient. If you have been burned by the sun or wind, it will sooth and heal your skin. Winter’s end can serve as the beginning of fabulous skin. Be the beauty you wish to see in the world!
Vagrant June Launch Party @ Aurum
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