Snacks – a hood editorial

Designer and Fashion enthusiast Nareasha Willis, is notable for coining the term, “Ghetto until proven Fashionable”, and while there have been heated debates in her comments about the use of the word “ghetto”,  WE couldn’t agree more with the phrase. For decades, urban or cultural garb has been stolen, remixed, renamed, and thrown on runways by colonizers. And if you don’t believe me, google the $45 durag, check out the persons’ name who begins with a K’s “Bo-Derrick” braids, Gucci’s replication of Dapper Dan’s work, and the list goes on and on. 

I’m not sure what type of balls you have to be totting to believe ripping off an entire culture is ok, but it happens— often. And like the resilient people we are we find a way to reclaim the features, clothes, or accessories we were taught to hate by the people who grow to love them. “Everybody wanna be black, but no one wants to be black.” So, my only question is what the hell is next? 

I could go on about this for days but I’d like to spend more time celebrating our culture and the gems that come from it. In effort to do so, a dream team was assembled, to include: Photographer Jasmine Durhal, Stylist Leticia Hunt, Creative Director me, and model Tarie Elegele. The team captured a monochromatic photo story exploring the relationship between things considered “hood”  or “ghetto” to editorial fashion, with the use of ‘Snacks’. Snacks are enjoyable until they are consumed and then their remains are discarded. Familiar? We’ve seen many brands and fashion houses reference black culture while not including a person of color in the creative, this is not that. You WILL NOT enjoy and then discard our culture!

This series highlights various snacks commonly found in black houses paired with an editorial setting and is black through and through. Enjoy the ‘Snacks’. 

write up: Leticia Hunt and myself (More Leticia because Im terrible LOL)

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