If you aren’t familiar with SSENSE, it’s the online epicenter for buying luxury brands and high-end streetwear. Founded by the three Atallah brothers, the goal was to take away the obstacles and headaches that could arise from purchasing high-end fashion and democratize the latest, coolest brands.
More than any other platform right now, SSENSE does curation right. They’re painfully aware of which pieces from new collections are a fit for their audience. They show you what’s relevant and hot right now — prioritizing pieces you’ll genuinely like rather than what’s just being pushed by the brand. Now, SSENSE carries brands of all price points from Adidas to Versace.
Another highlight: SSENSE is known for its brand diversity. They often highlight Black-owned brands and showcase collections from people of color and lesser-known designers. To close out Black History Month 2024, SSENSE is teaming up with none other than ESSENCE: a pairing that makes perfect sense.
ESSENCE, the lifestyle publication geared towards Black women, is helping feature three designers and artists: Bianca Saunders, Mowalola, and Stanley Raffington. The series will showcase their designs and tell their story.
According to SSENSE’s site,
“The two brands are turning ESSENCE’s “In The Studio” print franchise into a video series hosted by Lynette Nylander. The series will spotlight the achievements and creativity of Black designers who have significantly impacted the menswear realm. With three episodes, each featuring a distinguished designer, the series offers exclusive insights into their creative processes and journey,”
Meet The SSENSE X ESSENCE Feature Designers
Bianca Saunders
Bianca Saunders
British GQ
Bianca Saunders’ clothing embraces masculinity in womenswear. Her jackets will always be a bit oversized, or the style will mimic a classic streetwear bomber that could have been borrowed from boys like Jeremy Allen-White and Jacob Elordi — a girl can dream.
“The essence of Saunders' clothing lives in the details, which point to how she subverts ideals often associated with menswear.”
Finding the intersectionality between workwear and streetwear, Saunders clothing is genderless and trendy. Some of her signatures include layered shirts, tucked waists, and somewhat minimalist designs.
@babyboyflame Buying Black: @Bianca Saunders #streetwear #menswear #blackownedbusiness #fashion #fashiontok #fashiontiktok ♬ Oldschool - Cookin Soul
Mowalola
Mowalola
Joyce NG
Mowalola, a highly sought after designer whose pieces have been worn by the likes of Rihanna and Naomi Campbell, is a bit of an icon in the fashion world. Her mantra for fashion is “do what you want to do” and that’s exactly the kind of energy Mowalola’s clothes give off.
Much like Bianca Saunders, Mowalola is known for her gender bending designs. Inspired by cinema, many of her collections revolve around movies. And this is on full display at her cinematic runway shows.
She brings an edge to her designs through textures like leather and intentionally placed cutouts. She’s not afraid to make public commentary on race and gender, making her runway shows incredibly popular.
“The British designer has shifted the cultural zeitgeist with her boundary-pushing collections inspired by the world around her.”
@i_d Replying to @JAC So are we! #ferragamo #maximiliandavis #tiktokfashion #mfw #mowalola ♬ original sound - i-D
Stanley Raffington
Stanley Raffington
ESSENCE
In a world where the Chanel black-and-white aesthetic hails ever-popular, especially amongst those emulating Old Money Style and Sofia Richie’s closet, it’s hard to find designers who aren’t afraid of a bit of color…enter Stanley Raffington.
Often incorporating Rastafarian colors of red, yellow, and black as an ode to his Jamaican roots, Raffington isn’t going to shy away from any hue. He quickly rose into fashion prominency when Madonna and FKA Twigs attended his show, which included 3D printed accessories.
Constantly inspired by his Jamaican roots and the nostalgia of past trends, you will see lots of Y2K nods in Stanley Raffington’s clothing. He’s embraced tech in the fashion world by utilizing 3D printing in many of his designs and runway shows, and he’s not slowing down now.
@yungstanz Process behind my 3d printed curve bag. Taking inspiration from the architecture of Zaha Hadid, mixing new technology with natural materials and craft. Available now exclusively at @SSENSE ♬ Never Lose Me - Flo Milli
Saudis to Confirm Jamal Khashoggi's Death
The Saudi government prepares to confirm that the journalist died during "an interrogation gone wrong."
On a Tuesday afternoon, a Turkish woman's fiancé walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in order to confirm their wedding plans for the following day. Two weeks later and after international outrage over his disappearance, the Saudi government is reportedly preparing a statement that confirms his death within the government building, according to CNN.
The ominous disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, 60, a well-known dissenter of the Saudi government, has resulted in taut political tensions between Saudi Arabia and western governments calling for a "credible investigation" into his whereabouts. The journalist was captured on CCTV entering the Saudi Consulate at 1:12 PM, as his fiancé, Hatice Cengiz, waited outside at a distance. He was not seen again.
CNN
Khashoggi has been presumed dead after Turkish officials alleged that he was tortured and murdered at the hands of Saudi agents; what's ensued is international condemnation of the Saudi government's lack of transparency. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini spoke for 28 foreign ministers after meeting on the matter: "There was full consensus around the table on the fact that we expect transparency, we expect full clarity from investigations to be done by the Saudi authorities together and in full co-operation with the Turkish authorities," she said. Over the weekend, President Trump vowed there would be "extreme punishment" and directed Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo to immediately travel to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
CNN
Turkish officials were admitted to the building, alongside a Saudi team, to investigate after unsubstantiated claims that Khashoggi's torture and murder were recorded by his Apple Watch and transmitted to his iPhone were widely publicized. While the Saudi government initially claimed that he exited the consulate safely on October 2, Turkish authorities have insisted that the journalist was brutally attacked by as many as 15 Saudi men who'd recently arrived in Istanbul in a coordinated government plan. To date, their investigation has not uncovered substantial evidence.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Saudi government will propose that "rogue" dissidents within the regime murdered the journalist, acting under their own power and not under any governmental orders. President Trump echoed the sentiment on Monday after a phone call to King Salman, stating, "It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers," he added. "Who knows?" The Saudi's report is expected to allege that Khashoggi died as a result of "an interrogation gone wrong," but disavow a premeditated plot against the outspoken critic.
Khashoggi and CengizCNN
Khashoggi's fiancé is still demanding information from the Saudi government. Cengiz has taken to Twitter in both English and Arabic to implore a response: "I request #SaudiArabia to officially respond to the status of my fiancée #Jkhashogji who entered the #SaudiConsulate in #Istanbul. 10 days ago and his whereabouts are still unknown to date. @JKhashoggi #whereisjamalkhashogji." Prior to Tuesday, she'd shared her plans to throw Khashoggi a surprise party for his 60th birthday, which passed this Saturday.
Meg Hanson is a Brooklyn-based writer, teacher, and jaywalker. Find Meg at her website and on Twitter @megsoyung.
Seven NYPD Officers and 40 Others Arrested in Prostitution Bust
Earlier today, seven members of the NYPD were arrested, one of whom is a retired vice detective. The vice detective, who is married to a prostitute, teamed up with his wife to start two brothels, one in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and one on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. As a result, there are 30 other officers currently under investigation by the Department of Internal Affairs.
The investigation began over three years ago as an FBI probe and started "after a member of the department suspected illegal activity by other members of the department and reported to Internal Affairs" according the New York Post. During today's busts, Internal Affairs raided the NYPD's 72nd precinct in Sunset Park and confiscated the electronic devices of the entire staff in search of additional evidence. They also stormed the precinct's locker room, clipping the lock on Det. Manuel Rodriguez's locker and going through his possessions. Despite his only having been in the 72nd precinct for about 5 months, Internal Affairs placed Rodriguez on modified duty.
While most of the action went down in Sunset Park, other arrested officers came from 109th and 84th precincts, as well as Transit Bureau Investigation and Evidence Collection. "Today, those who swore an oath and then betrayed it have felt the consequences of that infidelity. The people of this Department are rightly held to the highest standard, and should they fail to meet it, the penalty will be swift and severe," said NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill in a press conference. Details regarding who was involved in what portion of the illegal activity and to what extent, have yet to be released.
Those arrested include:
Sgt. Carlos Cruz, 69th Precinct Det. Squad
Sgt. Louis Failla, Queens Evidence Collection Team
Sgt. Cliff Nieves, Transit Bureau Investigation
PO Steven Nieves, 84th Precinct
PO Giancarlo Raspanti, 109th Precinct
Det. Gionanny Rojas-Acosta, Criminal Investigation Division Training
Det. Rene Samiego, Brooklyn South Vice.
The two detectives placed on leave were:
Det. Rafael Vega, of the Criminal Enterprise Investigative Section
Det. Manuel Rodriguez, of the 72nd Precinct
Profiles in Courage...and Not So Much.
Some people do the right thing. Others do the easy thing.
In 1957, John F Kennedy won the Pulitzer Prize for his book Profiles in Courage, a biography focused on eight Senators who served their country with distinction. These men were legislators who stood for their beliefs against overwhelming opposition and JFK's writing about them comes with the understanding that America is better for their stubbornness. It's in this spirit that we've compiled a list of six current members of Congress in a modern (very abridged) take on JFK's famous book. Three of these members of Congress are deserving of their very own Profiles in Courage, and their acts while in office have been nothing short of patriotic. The other three...not so much.
Courageous:
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren has endured an onslaught of insults from our president, who's given her the nickname Pocahontas and recently made her the butt of an uncomfortable rape joke. While the decorum Warren's shown during the Trump presidency is probably enough to get her on this list, her tireless effort to help those in need is what really makes her stand out as a Senator. She's currently working to scale back Trump's tax cuts and is attempting, with Senator Bernie Sanders, to pass a bill to alleviate Puerto Rico's debt. Unlike many Democrats, she isn't just paying lip service to standing up to president Trump either and has voted with him on an astronomically low 9.2% of all bills passed since January of 2017. If the Liberal #resistance is looking for a hero, they need look no further than Elizabeth Warren.
KamalaHarris
Kamala Harris is the junior member of this list and has only been in the Senate since January of 2017. That said, she's already using her position to help get more progressive candidates elected, and it seems as though she has the magic touch. In California's primary elections this June, 20 out of the 27 candidates that Harris endorsed came away with a win. On top of this, Harris is leading the defense against Trump in California, fighting to stop him from revoking California's Clean Air Act. She's also supporting a tax relief bill for renters in the Bay Area. Right out of the gate, the freshman Senator is already so involved in the Democratic Party that many are wondering if she'll try for President in 2020. One look at her record as DA of San Francisco and Attorney General of California and it's easy to tell that she doesn't back away from her principles. Harris, like any politician, has made some mistakes along the way, but her steely resolve is already paying dividends in Washington.
Richard Burr
Richard Burr is a hardline Republican, voting with Trump 93% of the time. That said, following Trump's meeting with Putin in Helsinki, Burr has led a group of outspoken conservatives in their denouncement of the two world leaders' relationship. The meeting, in which Trump buttered Putin up, calling him "extremely strong and powerful," occurred just day after a dozen Russian military officers were indicted for election tampering. Despite his support for Trump in the past, Burr has publicly stated his belief that "Russia conducted a coordinated cyberattack on state election systems," and condemned Trump for being soft on Putin. Democrats have been complaining about Russian collusion for over a year at this point, but Burr's willingness to disregard his party and attack the president is one of the first principled stands on this issue coming from the right side of aisle.
Not so much:
Mitch McConnell
When it comes to Mitch McConnell, trying to boil his political career down to just one instance of wrongdoing feels impossible. For example, when asked about how to address the upward trend of school shootings over the past few years, he said "I don't think at the federal level there's much that we can do other than appropriate funds." His fence-sitting alone isn't enough to get him on this list, however. Mitch McConnell showed his true colors in vivid 4K display when he spearheaded the movement to stop President Obama from exercising his (Obama's) constitutional right to name a Supreme Court Justice in 2016. Not only was this act unconstitutional, it also has long lasting implications for our federal government's stances on abortion and gay rights. McConnell's actions in 2016, were the catalyst for Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court by Donald Trump and McConnell also lended a hand when Trump was trying to decide who to replace Anthony Kennedy with earlier this summer. McConnell's willingness to disregard the law to create a more conservative Supreme Court represents a type of corruption many want removed from Washington.
Joe Manchin
In the past year or so, Joe Manchin has come out as a staunch Trump supporter, an exceedingly rare thing among Democratic Senators. He isn't very vocal about it, as this type of thing might alienate his supporters, but Manchin's actions speak for themselves. He recently voted in support of funding Trump's border wall and has been cozying up to Trump in recent months due to the fact that Republicans in West Virginia are eyeing Manchin's senate seat. According to FiveThirtyEight's Trump Score, Manchin votes in line with our president about 60% of the time, the highest of any Democratic Senator. He's obviously not part of the unified front most Senate Democrats are putting up against our president, and a cynical pundit might point out that his recent voting habits are less tied to his principles and more tied to the fact that he's up for reelection this year.
Paul Ryan
In a certain light, Paul Ryan retiring and refusing to work with this administration due to Trump's lack of decorum and the fact that he (Ryan) "feels like he's running a daycare," is understandable. What it comes down to is a difference of opinion between the Republican Party leadership of Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and President Trump. Their views overlap in several areas, but Ryan reportedly wanted to distance himself from Trump's immigration policies and racist remarks. All of this invokes a sort of sympathy. The new boss is terrible, so why not find a new job? The only problem is, "finding a new job" in this scenario equates to giving up on the fight. Rather than challenge Trump and continue to battle against the policies Ryan supposedly thinks are unfair, he's turning tail and running away. Ryan has recently stated that he's averted disaster many times by talking to the president one on one. If this is true, and Ryan is the President Whisperer, then he has a responsibility to continue preventing disasters, at least until we have a new president. It's a cowardly act to bow out only halfway through Trump's first term. Some think Ryan is trying to distance himself from Trump in order to later run for a higher office, but the Speaker has denied this. At a moment where he could define his legacy, Paul Ryan has elected to run away.