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
The Truth About Elizabeth Warren's and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Wealth Tax Proposals
Who would they affect?
There has been a lot of recent buzz about the idea of a "wealth tax" in the United States, particularly since Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York appeared on "60 Minutes" and laid out a plan that would tax the richest Americans at a rate as high as 70%, nearly doubling the current 37% top rate. Additionally, 2020 Democratic Presidental candidate and Massachusetts senator, Elizabeth Warren, is reportedly working with UC Berkeley economists Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman to design a proposal to levy a wealth tax on Americans with fortunes over $50 million. While these numbers may seem difficult to grasp, the kinds of wealth taxes democrats are proposing are not only not as extreme as they sound, but already practiced successfully in other parts of the world.
Firstly, it's important to keep in mind that America operates on a progressive tax system, meaning, as Business Insider puts it, "as a person earns more and progresses through tax brackets, their tax rate increases for each level of income." So while many people balked at the idea of a 70% flat tax rate, Ocasio-Cortez clarified "Once you get to the tippy-tops, on your 10 millionth dollar, sometimes you see tax rates as high as 60% or 70%," she said. "That doesn't mean all $10 million are taxed at an extremely high rate. But it means that as you climb up this ladder, you should be contributing more." Essentially, the rich would not suddenly be destitute under this proposed plan; they would merely have to contribute an increasing amount as their fortune grew. So it wouldn't be the entirety of their $10 million fortune that would be taxed at 70%, but their 10 millionth dollar. While under Warren's proposal, the US would adopt a progressive wealth tax that would levy a 2 percent tax on fortunes worth more than $50 million, and a 3 percent tax on fortunes worth more than $1 billion, meaning billionaires would contribute amounts that are negligible in the context of their total fortune.
This would be similar to France's wealth tax policy, which is triggered at €1.3 million, but only the first €800,000 of this amount is tax free, and taxpayers pay between 0.5% and 1.5% on anything over this each year. This tax has worked successfully in France, despite it being applied to significantly lower amounts of wealth than Elizabeth Warren is proposing. Meanwhile, in Denmark, the highest tax bracket sees about 15% taxation, and citizens report great satisfaction in terms of quality of life and government services. In summary, wealth taxes are a simple and effective way to ensure that wealth does not become too heavily monopolized by a few people, while also ensuring that the poorest people are taken care of by the state.
But some don't see it that way, with many on the right reacting strongly to suggestions of an American wealth tax. House Republican whip Steve Scalise called Ocasio-Cortez's idea a "leftist fantasy program," while more moderate voices didn't react quite as strongly, but still suggested that while income tax laws definitely need to be reformed, a wealth tax is not the way to do it.
But to truly understand the argument, one has to compare what a wealth tax would mean to a real life billionaire, vs. what it would mean for the country. For example, with Warren's plan, only an approximate 75,000 families would be minorly affected, but the United States would earn an additional $2.75 trillion over a 10-year period. If you take the $57 billion fortune of Mark Zuckerberg, and apply this tax idea, he would only be taxed $1.7 billion, and then close to $0 in the following years if his fortune didn't continue to accumulate. For him, $1.7 billion is a small number that would in no way affect his quality of life. But if you think of the social services that would benefit from that $1.7 billion, you would undoubtedly see widespread effects improving the lives of the poorest Americans, making it difficult to argue that an American wealth tax would do anything but help the state of the nation.
The US Hasn't Gone More Than 5 Days Without a Deadly Mass Shooting in 2018
Last night's deadly incident is only the latest in a year of mass shootings
In the final hours of November 7, 2018, a 28-year-old white male entered the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California and opened fire. Twelve people were killed as a result.
There is no broadly-accepted definition of a mass shooting. A 2013 federal mandate defines a mass shooting as a single incident that results in the death of three individuals. The Gun Violence Archive uses the barometer of four or more people shot and/or killed during a single incident.* By this measure, there have been 307 such incidents in 2018 alone. The longest span of time between mass shootings this year has been five days. This is 2018 in mass shooting casualties:**
Date | Location | Add'l Injured | Killed |
January 1 | Huntsville, AL | 3 | Adrian Jashawn Porter, 21 |
January 4 | Brinkley, AK | 3 | Xavier Parker, 33 |
January 7 | Union Springs, AL | 5 | Unknown Victim |
January 11 | St Robert, MO | 2 | Jonathan Graham, 24 Sherry Gann, 53 |
January 12 | Nashville, TN | 2 | Samaii Daniel, 5 Sammarre Daniel, 8 Robert Payne, 70 |
January 14 | Eutaw, AL | 4 | Mandel L. Pearson, 36 |
January 17 | Washington, DC | 3 | Jasmine Lashai Light, 23 |
January 23 | Benton, KY | 14 | Preston Ryan Cope, 15 Bailey Nicole Holt, 15 |
January 28 | Indianapolis, IN | 3 | James Ratcliffe, 50 Deron Gray, 24 |
January 28 | Reading, PA | 0 | Jarlyn Lantigua-Tejada, 20 Joshua Santos, 20 Juan Rodriguez, 23 Nelson Onofre, 23 |
January 28 | Melcroft, PA | 1 | William Scott Porterfield, 29 Seth William Cline, 21 Chelsia Lou Cline, 25 Courtney Sue Snyder, 23 |
February 3 | Cleveland, OH | 5 | Michael Jones, Jr., 22 |
February 5 | Colorado Springs, CO | 4 | Deputy Micah Flick, 34 |
February 7 | Lake Worth, FL | 3 | Edvin Milkevic, 29 Nicole Novak, 27 |
February 10 | Paintsville, KY | 0 | James Wayne Nickell, 75 Arlene Nickell, 70 Lindsay Vanhoose, 41 Patricia Vanhoose, 57 |
February 11 | Detroit, MI | 3 | Patricia Williams Wilson, 62 Barbara Williams Cynthia Williams |
February 13 | New Orleans, LA | 3 | Byron Jackson, 21 Jamar Robinson, 26 |
February 14 | Parkland, FL | 17 | Scott Biegel, 35 Martin Duque Anguiano, 14 Nicholas Dworet, 17 Aaron Feis, 37 Jaime Guttenberg, 14 Alyssa Alhadeff, 15 Christopher Hixon, 49 Luke Hoyer, 15 Cara Loughran, 14 Gina Montalto, 14 Joaquin Oliver, 17 Alaina Petty, 14 Alexander Schachter, 14 Carmen Schentrup, 16 Meadow Pollack, 18 Peter Wang, 15 Helena Ramsay, 17 |
February 16 | Oklahoma City, OK | 3 | Aubry Johnson, 66 |
February 17 | Kansas City, KS | 7 | Kevin Forman, 28 |
February 23 | Palm Beach, FL | 3 | William Burgess II, 28 |
February 26 | Detroit, MI | 0 | Cierra Bargineer, 26 Raphael Hall, 60 Kristen Thomas, 21 Jaymon Thomas, 22 |
March 3 | Brooklyn, NY | 3 | Unidentified Adult Male, 20s |
March 4 | Rockford, IL | 3 | Theodore Daniel, 31 |
March 7 | Hurtsboro, AL | 2 | Donald Hughes John Williams, 74 |
March 9 | Wadesboro, NC | 1 | Jacques McBride, 22 Mareco McNair, 33 Unidentified Adult Male |
March 11 | Champaign, IL | 3 | Montrex Vonner, 34 |
March 29 | Plano, TX | 3 | Quintarius Young, 29 |
April 1 | Mobile, AL | 4 | Anesa Baker, 15 |
April 2 | Houston, TX | 3 | Unidentified Adult Male |
April 4 | New Orleans, LA | 2 | Ryan Massey, 25 Carlos Rodrique, 33 |
April 6 | Virginia Beach, VA | 3 | Rakel Ramel Mason, 41 |
April 8 | Miami, FL | 2 | Rickey Dixon, 18 Kimson Green, 16 |
April 8 | Hickory, NC | 3 | Antonio Knoshjun Watts, 20 |
April 18 | Asheville, NC | 3 | Erica Nichelle Smith, 32 Keithan Whitmire, 15 Harmony Smith, 13 |
April 20 | San Francisco, CA | 5 | Unidentified Adult Male |
April 21 | Philadelphia, PA | 2 | Viktoriya Manasyan, 20 Rashawn Tahir Miller, 21 |
April 22 | Antioch, TN | 3 | Taurean C. Sanderlin, 29 Joe R. Perez, 20 DeEbony Groves, 21 Akilah Dasilva, 23 |
April 22 | New Orleans, LA | 5 | Lil' Ricky Goins, 38 |
April 25 | St Louis, MO | 1 | Timothy Solano, 20 Brandon Stephenson, 36 Melissa Tierney, 40 |
April 29 | West Palm Beach, FL | 3 | Kassandra Yamileth Morales, 24 |
April 29 | Monroe, NC | 3 | David Duncan, Jr., 22 |
April 29 | Seattle, WA | 2 | Deondre Cabine, 24 Charles Ray Justice, 35 |
May 2 | Brooklyn, NY | 4 | Unidentified Adult Male, 18 |
May 2 | Chicago, IL | 4 | Nakia Bailey, 21 |
May 6 | Memphis, TN | 4 | Dejuan Hill, 18 Deandre Doyle Rogers, 18 |
May 13 | Los Angeles, CA | 2 | Lamarion Upchurch, 15 Unidentified Adult Male, 25 Unidentified Adult Male, 25 |
May 13 | Stockton, CA | 2 | Joe C. Lor, 22 Gina Xiong, 22 Kayleen Lor, 5 |
May 16 | Ponder, TX | 1 | Seth Richardson, 29 Drake Alexander Painter, 4 Caydence Nicole Painter, 6 Odin Tyler Painter, 8 |
May 18 | Santa Fe, TX | 13 | Glenda Ann Perkins, 64 Sabika Sheikh, 18 Cynthia Tisdale, 67 Christopher Jake Stone, 17 Shana Fisher, 16 Angelique Ramierz, 15 Jared Conrad Black, 17 Aaron Kyle McLeod, 15 Kimberly Jessica Vaughan Christian Riley Garcia, 15 |
May 20 | Hazelhurst, MI | 7 | Jonathan Miller, 26 |
May 27 | Aurora, CO | 3 | Dejon Andre Leon Williams, 37 |
May 31 | Timmonsville, SC | 2 | Cheresse Lutricia Jackson, 39 Breyanna Priscilla Jackson, 11 Nykerria Shanyia Jackson, 14 |
June 2 | Omaha, NE | 6 | Jasmine Harris, 20 |
June 3 | Chicago, IL | 3 | Ari Armour, 35 |
June 5 | Jacksonville, FL | 1 | Trevon Bullard, 18 Jercoby Groover, 19 Royale D'Von Smith, Jr., 18 |
June 9 | Philadelphia, PA | 4 | Kameron Gilfillian, 21 |
June 10 | Chicago, IL | 5 | Tyrone White, 39 |
June 10 | Bloomington, IL | 2 | Steven Alexander, Jr., 18 Taneshiea Brown, 20 |
June 10 | Indianapolis, IN | 4 | Daron 'Manny' Johnson, 14 |
June 10 | Bradenton, FL | 5 | Gabriel Conde, 39 |
June 11 | Orlando, FL | 1 | Dove Lindsey, 1 Aidan Lindsey, 6 Lillia Lopez, 10 Irayan Lopez, 12 |
June 14 | Westminster, CO | 3 | Vaughn Bigelow, 13 |
June 14 | Buffalo, NY | 4 | Unidentified Adult Male, 38 |
June 14 | Tracy, CA | 4 | Emilio Gerardo Enriquez Almanza, 15 |
June 17 | Macon, GA | 3 | Calvin Bernard Harvey, 16 |
June 18 | Chicago, IL | 3 | Shalonza E. McToy, 22 Erin Casey, 17 |
June 18 | Bloomington, IL | 1 | Corey D. Jackson, 22 Nathaniel A. Pena, 22 Juan C. Perez-Macedo, 33 |
June 21 | San Bernadino, CA | 3 | Alize Ross, 20 |
June 22 | Homestead, PA | 3 | Jazmere Brianna Custis, 19 |
June 23 | Chicago, IL | 4 | Michael Sutton, Jr., 50 |
June 24 | Gary, Indiana | 3 | Jazaniel Davis, 19 |
June 24 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL | 3 | Timothy James Frederick, 19 |
June 24 | Sanford, NC | 6 | Travis Jamarian Mclean, 27 |
June 27 | Oakland, CA | 3 | Derick Alexander, 18 |
June 28 | Annapolis, MD | 0 | Wendi Winters, 65 Rebecca Smith, 34 Robert Hiaasen, 59 Gerald Fischman, 61 John McNamara, 56 |
June 30 | Ashburn, GA | 6 | Za'quavia Smith, 21 |
July 2 | Buffalo, NY | 2 | Yvette Johnson, 54 Kyrie Johnson, 1 |
July 3 | St Louis, MO | 5 | Stanley Sparking, 40 |
July 4 | Atlanta, GA | 3 | Curtis Lamar Wright, 25 |
July 4 | Gary, IN | 3 | Jessie Brown, 29 |
July 5 | Lima, OH | 5 | Carrington Lott, 23 |
July 5 | Los Angeles, CA | 3 | Unidentified Adult Male Unidentified Adult Male Unidentified Adult Female |
July 7 | Wetumpka, AL | 2 | Charlene Ann Orsi, 44 Cadence Rose Orsi, 12 |
July 9 | Orlando, FL | 4 | Edgar Rivera, 20 |
July 9 | Wilmington, DE | 0 | Julie Burton Edwards, 41 Jacob Edwards, 6 Brinley Edwards, 4 Paxton Edwards, 3 |
July 13 | Richmond, VA | 3 | Terrance C. Peters, 46 |
July 16 | Philadelphia, PA | 4 | Tyree Bates, 14 |
July 16 | Washington, DC | 4 | Mikiyah Wilson, 10 |
July 16 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL | 4 | Norriesha L. Hills, 22 Jamal Forrest, 21 |
July 20 | Sunnyside, WA | 4 | Unidentified Adult Male, 23 |
July 21 | Chicago, IL | 5 | Tavish Harris, 30 Kevontay Montgomery, 22 |
July 26 | Oakland, CA | 2 | Unidentified Adult Female, 21 Unidentified Adult Male, 19 |
July 26 | Cleveland, OH | 6 | Cortez Ruffin, 27 |
July 27 | Robstown, TX | 0 | Thelma Montalvo Ernest Starry, 85 Isaiah Starry, 13 Roel Mireles, 41 |
July 28 | Los Angeles, CA | 4 | Juan Lopez, 23 Unidentified Adult Female, 19 |
July 28 | New Orleans, LA | 7 | Kurshaw "Twin" Jackson, 38 Jeremiah "Zippa" Lee, 28 Taiesha Watkins, 27 |
July 29 | Phoenix, AZ | 4 | Jessuh Williams, 37 |
July 31 | Gardena, CA | 3 | Delores Sanchez, 28 Francisco Rafael Montes, 28 |
August 4 | Chicago, IL | 3 | Donald Norris, 19 |
August 5 | Chicago, IL | 5 | Jahnae Patterson, 17 |
August 5 | Chicago, IL | 4 | Charles Green, 32 |
August 8 | Philadelphia, PA | 4 | Averill "General Reezy" Davenport, 34 Niesha Cooper, 32 |
August 11 | Thornton, CO | 3 | Brenda Martinez, 37 |
August 11 | San Francisco, CA | 4 | Gerson Romero, 19 |
August 12 | Clearlake, CA | 1 | Unidentified Child, 2 Unidentified Child, 4 Unidentified Child, <1 |
August 20 | Cleveland, OH | 3 | Jaylin Glanton, 26 |
August 20 | Jackson, TN | 4 | Braxton Watkins, 20 |
August 25 | Nashville, TN | 4 | Mansfield Rutherford, 22 |
August 26 | Wichita Falls, TX | 3 | Davonta Jason Combs, 26 |
August 26 | Jacksonville, FL | 9 | Taylore Robertson, 27 Eli Clayton, 22 |
August 27 | Pine Bluff, AK | 3 | Antonio Brown, 36 |
August 31 | Aurora, CO | 3 | Anthoni Readus, 26 Wayne Carter, 19 |
September 1 | Ft Lauderdale, FL | 3 | Dwayne Smith, 34 |
September 1 | Cleveland, OH | 7 | Theresa Goldwin, 29 |
September 2 | Paterson, NJ | 2 | Daryl Tann, 48 Nykeema Kersey, 33 |
September 6 | Cincinnati, OH | 2 | Richard Newcomer, 64 Pruthvi Raj Kandepi, 25 Luis Felipe Calderon, 48 |
September 7 | Minneapolis, MN | 3 | Steven L. Fields, 42 |
September 9 | Auburn, AL | 4 | Evan Mikale Wilson, 20 |
September 9 | Elgin, IL | 4 | Sharpie Smith-Tate, 25 |
September 12 | Bakersfield, CA | 0 | Eliseo Garcia, 57 Laura Garcia, 31 Antonio Valdez, 50 Emanuel Contreras, 50 Petra Maribel Bellanos Casarez, 45 |
September 17 | Silver Spring, MD | 0 | Sang Yeon Kim, 48 Unidentified Adult Female, 22 Mina Kim, 11 Andy Kim, 10 |
September 20 | Aberdeen, MD | 3 | Sunday Aguda, 45 Bromdra Giri, 41 Hayleen Reyes, 41 |
September 23 | Bakersfield, CA | 4 | Jeremy Charles Littlejohn, 20 |
September 24 | Memphis, TN | 2 | Calitri Boone, 17 Jessie Williams, 30 Unidentified Adult Male, 37 |
September 28 | Philadelphia, PA | 2 | Unidentified Adult Male, 24 |
September 29 | Orlando, FL | 4 | Ruby Steplight, 83 |
September 30 | Compton, CA | 3 | Chloe Hunter, 17 |
October 1 | Chicago, IL | 2 | Steve Nixon, 31 Bruce Y. Miller, 29 |
October 3 | Philadelphia, PA | 4 | Unidentified Adult Male, 20 |
October 3 | Florence, SC | 6 | Investigator Farrah Turner, 36 Officer Terrence Carraway, 52 |
October 4 | Espanola, NM | 3 | Cameron Martinez, 18 |
October 6 | Houston, TX | 3 | Decarlo Washington |
October 13 | Taft, TX | 1 | Juan Espinoza, Sr., 62 Juan Sandoval III, 20 Jeremy Sandoval, 22 Nicky Sandoval, 20 |
October 14 | Las Vegas, NV | 1 | Susan Nash, 52 Dejona'e Nash, 20 Deonte' Nash, 31 |
October 14 | Palo Alto, CA | 2 | Eduardo Sandoval, 22 Mario Vidales Mendez, 23 |
October 15 | Columbia, TN | 0 | Kaileigh Lin, 17 Bo Li, 14 Meigan Lin, 14 Lia Li, 15 |
October 21 | Lakewood, WA | 3 | Terrence King, 28 |
October 21 | Jacksonville, FL | 5 | Robert Lee Williams, 76 |
October 26 | Jersey City, NJ | 3 | Jade Saunders, 17 |
October 27 | Pittsburgh, PA | 7 | Richard Gottfried, 65 Jerry Rabinowitz, 66 Cecil Rosenthal, 59 David Rosenthal, 54 Sylvan Simon, 87 Daniel Stein, 71 Melvin Wax, 88 Irving Younger, 69 Joyce Fienberg, 75 Rose Mallinger, 97 Bernice Simon, 84 |
October 28 | El Dorado, AK | 2 | Darrischica Rogers, 30 Aric Hall, 28 |
October 30 | Vallejo, CA | 3 | Bobby Beasley, 32 De'Angelo Quinn, 26 |
October 31 | Detroit, MI | 3 | Unidentified Male Child, 15 |
November 1 | Springfield, MO | 2 | Aaron Hampton, 23 Steven Marler, 38 |
November 2 | Tallahassee, FL | 5 | Maura Binkley, 21 Nancy Van Vessem, 61 |
November 8 | Thousand Oaks, CA | 10 | Deputy Sgt Ron Helus, 54 Cody Coffman, 22 Tim Munson, 19 Authorities have not yet released the names of the 10 additional victims |
*Because the number of injuries caused by gun violence has increased consistently in the last four years, and because a human life should not be the lowest bar necessary to surpass for the public to take notice, we will be using the GVA definition in this report.
**As the Gun Violence Archive excludes perpetrators from their definition of mass shootings, so too have we excluded the names of those responsible.
Rebecca Linde is a writer and cultural critic in NYC. She tweets about pop culture and television @rklinde.