BlackStyleFile

Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def and others celebrate peace and show pride in Sierra Leone

 

If you hear the name of the West African country of Sierra Leone and instantly think of Kanye's lyrics from 'Diamonds' , you are not alone. Images of child soldiers and the war torn country have been depicted in not only songs but in movies like Leonardo DiCaprio's "Blood Diamond" and books like A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. The struggles that they have had over the years are the only associations many in the international community have with the nation. The President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and ambassadors of the country are aware of this and they are on a mission to change this perception.

BSF was honored to be in attendance at the 50 Years Forward - Celebrating a New Sierra Leone event held November 21st, 2010 at an exclusive reception at the Tribeca Cinemas in New York City. Famed Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning Actor Jeffrey Wright was introduced as the Sierra Leone "Peace by Piece" Ambassador and the premiere of the compelling documentary Sierra Leone: Road to Change, produced by M3 Films was screened at the theatre as well.

The intimate event, hosted by award-winning journalist and political commentator, Jeff Johnson, was sponsored by VeeV and included more than 100 international key influencers, such as Ambassadors to Sierra Leone and the UN, Mos Def, and Best-Selling AuthorIshmael Beah (A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier). There were also performances by Sierra Leone's most prolific Hip Hop group Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew and by R&B singer/songwriter Carolyn Malachi.

The highlight was hearing Wright recount stories and memories of his 14+ trips to the country. In a melodic love letter to the country he talked about about the food, the people, and the countryside and the reasons he keeps going back. It was his affinity and dedication to the country that led him to the Peace by Peace campaign.

Those in attendance and others have pledged to join Jeffrey Wright, to serve as host committee members on behalf of the "Peace by Piece" campaign and to spread Sierra Leone's good news to at least 50 people in honor of their "50 for 50" campaign and to help attract long-term investors and sponsorship for the momentous occasion. The theme of the celebration is "50 Years Forward - Celebrating a New Sierra Leone." April 27, 2011, will mark fifty years of independence from British rule.

For more information about Sierra Leone and its 50th anniversary celebrations, visit www.sierraleoneat50.gov.sl

 

Model Scout: Shena Moulton

Following in Jeniel Williams footsteps, this Jamaican beauty and NY newcomer may not be a household name but she already has a pretty decen resume under her belt. After modeling as a side hustle (2nd only to her high school studies),  Shena is taking on the fashion world full time. There's no telling where you'll see he next. NY Fashion week anyone?

Who: Shena Moulton

 Age: 16

Hometown: Jamaica

Gigs: Calvin Klein,Teen Vogue, Vogue Russia, Pop, Gap, & Bennetton,

 Agency: Muse Management

Fashion Rules the Night in New York City

   

As if you needed a reason to shop  - Vogue,  NYC & Company, the City of New York, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America are gearing up to give you about 700 reasons more.

In an effort to lift the consumer spirit and boost the fashion industry locally and globally - the fashion capitols of the world  along with thousands of fashionistas will gather for a night of celebration coined Fashion's Night Out.

Everyone from Bergdorf's to Bebe, and Patricia Field to Payless will throw open their doors for shoppers to spend what they can, no matter what the price point.

As Vera Wang stated  "To put it bluntly, if people don’t shop, people lose their jobs."

Pop up stores such as Rachel Rachel Roy will be open for the special night which also happens to kick off New York Fashion Week - so you know the celebrity quotient will be in full effect.

Diddy, Pharell, the Olsen twins, Hugh Jackman, Joy Bryant, and Cindy Crawford top the list of participants so be sure to keep your eyes open and your camera phones ready for pics to tweet to your closest followers!

As if it couldn't get any better - as part of Fashion’s Night Out, a citywide Clothing Drive will take place, encouraging New Yorkers and visitors to donate new and/or gently used clothing. The donated clothing will be given to the NYC AIDS Fund, which is administered by the New York Community Trust. The collected clothing will then be distributed to approximately 24 AIDS-related charities throughout NYC’s five boroughs.

Shopping with a purpose - what better way to take the "guilty" out of the pleasure! Tres Chic!!

For more visit Fashion's Night Out.

Gap Features Pop Illustrations by Kari Moden in (Product) Red Campaign

Bringing unique style and diversity to the perfect t-shirt, Gap introduced original designs from 12 artists for its fall (PRODUCT) RED Artist Edition T-Shirt collection.

The featured artists range from the established to the up-and-coming and include James Jean, Geoff McFetridge, Non-Format by Kjell Ekhorn and Jon Forss, Deanne Cheuk, Keiko Itakura, Kari Moden, nomoco, James Joyce, Stephen Kelleher, Stina Persson, David Hollier and Celia Calle.

Swedish illustrator Kari Moden is a BSF favorite. She is inspired by pop art, fashion, and South American poster design. With a great sense of color, she uses her bold and expressive style to mix simple shapes with type.We love her illustrations that feature brown girls awash in pop colors like pink, purple, green, and blue.

Thanks to Gap for bringing her work to our attention and to continuing to give back to Africa in such creative and innovative ways.

Go (Product) Red!

Global Chic by Iman

Iman and HSN have collaborated on a collection of jewelry and accessories which the model will sell exclusively via the television retailer as well as online.

The Global Chic collection is inspired by Iman's world travels and jet-set lifestyle. For showtimes visit HSN.com

Brazilian Prostitutes Fashion New Line of Work

Two German photographers have been named the 2008 recipients of the Sony World Photography Award in the Fashion category. Their photo-series “Prêt-á-porter from the Brothel” is a story about three women who are prostitutes from Rio de Janeiro and have created a flourishing fashion-label. "Daspu" - which means "Das Putas", or "from the whores".

"Our photography documentation accompanies the "Daspu women" privately at home, at the work in the brothel, on the street prostitution... on the other side it also shows their "new life" as a model-in a fashionshow, as well as presenting the new summer collection in the poor suburb of Rio de Janeiro "Campo Grande" where the fashion designer and the seamstresses live." said journalists Valeska Achenbach and Isabella Pacini.

The international exhibition tour showcasing their work and all the winners of the competition began on June 26, 2008 and will run until 24 August 2008 at BOZAR Centre of Fine Arts, Brussels. It will travel to the most prestigious galleries in countries across the world, including the US, Asia, Australia, Eastern and Western Europe, Africa and South America.
Tour dates www.worldphotographyawards.org/globaltour/

The winning images were chosen from a total of 44,641 professional entries internationally
In June 2008 Sony World Photography Awards launched The Global Tour: Discovering a World of Images, an international touring exhibition of the winning photographs from this year’s competition. The winners competed in categories such as fashion, documentary, sport and nature

View the winning photo story and learn more about the Sony World Photography Awards.