Category Archives: Fashion
BEZAR Cool Art and Design Stuff
Bezar connects people who design special things
with people who desire special things.
After a year of soul-searching, Fab cofounder and former creative director Bradford Shellhammer is back in the flash sales game with his forthcoming startup Bezar, an online short-term sales hub for designers who are hand picked by Shellhamm.
Sound familiar? Shellhammer admits that the site, when it launches this spring, will work a lot like the original Fab.
Although he’s not calling Bezar a flash sales site, but rather a collection of pop-up shops, “because it’s a little different from flash,” Shellhammer said. “This is not excess inventory.
What sets Bezar apart from Fab, Shellhammer says, is partnerships with more established brands, which will use the platform to sell designer collaborations and new collections.
The initiative has also collected an interesting crew of advisers and angel investors, including Whoopi Goldberg and the design guru Yves Behar. Shellhammer will act as CEO, a more operations-oriented role than he had at Fab; his founding team includes former private equity investor Justin Chen as CFO and former Fab employees Matt Baer (also of Quirky) and PieterJan Mattan as COO and creative director, respectively.
Check it out! JOIN NOW
Gay Male Models Rhodes Twins Come OUT
YouTube personalities and male models Austin and Aaron Rhodes have had a significant social media following since they began loading clips to their channel nearly six months ago.
This week, the 20 year old pair decided to start off 2015 in a major way by utilizing their platform to both come out as gay to their father over the phone while recording the event in order to share it with their followers — and the world.
This video inspires a roller coaster of emotions, as the boys initially struggle to get the words out. When they finally do, their father offers a good response to his sons: “It’s the way things are, you know? You’re grown people. You grew up in a lot different generation than me. I just don’t really know what to say — you know I love you both and that’ll never change.” – – I wish parents would not say things like, “It’s just the way it is ” – or “well it’s your choice..it’s your life….” – IT’S NOT A CHOICE. But I am sure the news caught him off guard and at least it was not a negative response.
You may remember last summer, another set of male twins, Adam and Luke came out to their family on YouTube.
Saks Fifth Avenue Transgender Discrimination
I could see WALMART doing this….but Saks Fifth Avenue???
Leyth O. Jamal, a transgender woman living in Texas, has filed a federal lawsuit against her former employer, Saks Fifth Avenue, alleging that she was exposed to a hostile working environment at the luxury department store’s Houston-area location, reports local news station KPRC.
In a statement from her attorney, Jamal describes being harassed and belittled by coworkers, being forced to use the men’s restroom, withstanding intentional and repeated use of male pronouns by her coworkers, and ultimately being fired. Following this alleged mistreatment, she filed a claim of workplace discrimination with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces Title VII of the Civil Rights Amendment of 1964, including protecting workers from sex-based discrimination. Full story at ADVOCATE.
Attorneys for the company also blatantly misgendered Jamal in court documents and alleged the retailer isn’t bound by its own nondiscrimination policy, which covers transgender workers.
BuzzFeed reports:
“Saks’ arguments are hugely concerning to us,” the director of HRC’s Workplace Equality Program, Deena Fidas, said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News. “In its court filings, Saks attempts to secure a motion to dismiss Ms. Jamal’s allegations by simultaneously calling into question the validity of its own non-discrimination policy and the larger, crucial protections afforded by Title VII.”
Regarding its Corporate Equality Index, an effort to alert consumers to pro-LGBT or anti-LGBT policies of companies, Fidas added: “The policies our CEI advances are not window dressings for any company to prop up or disregard in the face of individual allegations of misconduct. Saks is publicly undercutting the applicability of its own policies reported in the CEI and we must suspend Saks’ CEI score until further notice.”
A huge backlash AGAINST SAKS has already started.
Tom Ford Penis Cross Necklace
Oh what a lovely cross – I mean penis!
Yes – Tom Ford is selling Penis necklaces! Handmade Penis Pendant Necklace 64 cm Chain Length Cross 29X19mm Vintage Gold Plated Brass Galvanization Made In Italy.
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has taken issue with a Ford-designed piece of jewelry called the “penis pendant necklace.” The $790 piece, which is available in gold and silver, looks exactly like the name suggests and comes in sizes small, medium and large.
The controversial Catholic League considers the piece offensive, however, because the pendant appears to be in the shape of a cross.
“When we learned of this item, I said to the staff that I bet this guy Tom Ford is a homosexual,” Bill Donahue, the Catholic League’s president and CEO, is quoted as saying in a press release. “I was right. He even thinks he’s married.” (Ford is married to journalist Richard Buckley.)
The 53-year-old fashion star debuted the necklace at his spring-summer 2015 show in London over the summer. At the time, Esquire noted the possibility that the penis cross may be an allusion to the phallus-shaped fascinus charms worn by ancient Romans.
Fashion Week Groupies Who Know Nothing
Why do people lie when they know nothing about a topic of conversation?
As Fashion Week was wrapping up in New York City Jimmy Kimmel sent a crew to Lincoln Center and asked people about designers, trends and events that do not exist. (Chandler Bing, Betsey Ross, Bartles & Jaymes, Teddy Ruxpin, Antonin Scalia, and Phil Robertson).
Somehow that didn’t stop them from giving their opinions in this special Fashion Week Edition of #LieWitnessNews.
Many of people were gay and made fools of themselves!
WATCH NOW
Barneys Has Bruce Weber Turn His Lense to Transgender for Upcoming Catalog
I am really surprised this has not happened sooner. New York Times reports, Arin Andrews and Katie Hill (left photo) do not look out of place in the new Barneys
New York campaign.
of six feet tall and aren’t yet old enough for a legal drink. But
there’s one marked difference between them and the models you ordinarily
see on runways and in the pages of Vogue and Elle: Mr. Andrews, 17, was
born a girl, and Ms. Hill, 19, a boy.
Weber who will appear in the new Barneys catalog and magazine campaign,
wearing clothes from designers like Ann Demeulemeester, Balenciaga,
Lanvin and Manolo Blahnik.
World AIDS Day and Margo Manhattan
December 1st marks the
25th observance of World AIDS Day. This year’s theme is fittingly “Shared Responsibility:
Strengthening results for an AIDS-free generation.” More than 1.1 million people are
infected with HIV in the United States and 20% more may be infected without
knowing it. An
interactive map details reported diagnoses across
the country according to race, economics, gender and age. STD testing, prevention and education is
key in the fight against this epidemic.
ribbon lapel pin for AIDS awareness. This furthered Margo’s reputation
as a visionary, socially aware and iconic jewelry designer. Margo’s
sleek, versatile designs are elegant with an edge, captivating and sexy.
Her passion for inventiveness and signature “of the moment we live in”
comes through eloquently in every aspect of her jewelry. Visit
the new Margo Manhattan boutique on 88th and Madison and explore her
collections or commission a special piece for you or your loved ones.
The History of New York Nightlife
is a first-of-its-kind publication, documenting the new forms of
nightlife practitioners to emerge since the turn of the millennium.
Through profiles of over 30 artists, including the royalty of Manhattan
nightlife like Susanne Bartsch and Ladyfag; hybrid forms like Xtapussy
and FCKNLZ; the continuation of minimal wave and goth communities
through Pendu Disco; and the vibrant queer scenes of JUDY, Frankie
Sharp, and My Chiffon is Wet, THE FUN documents the rich
contemporary cultural activity keeping NYC as weird and innovative as
decades past.
voices in the nightlife, including artists Rob Roth and Genesis
P-Orridge, curators and critics Claire Bishop and Jake Yuzna, as well as
journalist Michael Musto providing both historical context and
contemporary understanding of nightlife as a vital artistic practice
that has been marginalized by the arts sector for hundreds of years.
from the explosion of large and small discos throughout the 1970s like
Studio 54, which paved the way for 80s megaclubs; the candy-colored club
kid movement of Michael Alig and the Limelight in the early 90s; the
parallel expansion of the boundary shattering merger of drag,
performance, and music in downtown venues such as the Pyramid Club and
Mother; the rise of Brooklyn as a new focal point in the 2000s with the
emergence of Luxx, Secret Project Robot, Silent Barn and other hybrid
arts/music/nightlife venues; and on into the many vibrant forms found
today.
978-1-57687-659-6, $39.95)
from Paris Hilton and Lydia Hearst to the Backstreet Boys, Foxy Brown
and Gwen Stefani was drawn to their taste for sparkly streetwear glam.
“The clothes were attention getting and fun,” Heatherette’s longtime
friend and muse Amanda Lepore remembers. “They had a distinct look,
which at that time — everyone wanted it. David LaChapelle was using it. All the
celebrities wanted it. It was in demand.” (from Paper Mag).
while Rich is set to launching two fashion lines this spring: Rich
& Warr, a mens line, and a womens, Chantilly Rich, with Chantilly
Lace designer, Chantelle Warr. Although busy, Rich still has his eye on
the club scene. “It’s been fun watching the new generation of kids. When
I moved to New York I was ‘the new’ to the old nightlife generation,”
Richie says. “Now it’s fun to see all the new kids coming on the block
and dressing up. I feel like the style is coming back. Who knows, maybe
Heatherette will too.”
ES Addicted Mens Clothing Line Expands this Year
I first became a fan of ES underwear and swimsuits in 2010, when I found their stores in Barcelona. Now ES Collection
has ventured beyond underwear and swimwear.
Already they launched their
athletic wear collection and now there is also casual wear. Jeans,
shirts, shorts. Yes even awesome colorful sneakers and cool hip belts. Wrestling singlets and backless undies, running pants, t-shirts and tanks…You simply have no more
reason to not wear ES Collection. In fact, you can fill your entire closet with
complete ES outfits!
Fierce is a collection for
an energetic man, bold and without any complex.
Remarkable colors,
new fabrics and the genuine ES Collection
designs on the new jeans will not leave you indifferent.
ES
Collection’s Spring/Summer collection 2013 couldn’t have been more
blazing.
And of course ES Collection always guarantees
that same superior quality we all know so well from their swimwear and
underwear in this new exciting collection as well.
GORGEOUS Kirill Dowidoff already posed for ES before. In fact, his work with ES
Collection back in 2012 was an enormous boost for his modeling career,
and the handsome Russian has been offered many gigs ever since. But not
forgetting who made that all happen, Kirill agreed once again to
collaborate with the popular Spanish brand for their new Fierce campaign.
ES COLLECTION
Sexy Eric Ducharme is a Hot Merman
who flip-flaps around in a Florida natural spring three times a week
wearing a mermaid tail of his own creation. “It’s a lifestyle — it’s my
lifestyle. It’s the path in life that I have chosen.”
Dolce & Gabbana Owe $440 Million in Taxes!
Good thing Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana just became
billionaires–because the designers may have to fork over a good chunk
of their fortune to the Italian government.According to WWD, Italy’s Tax Commission is fining the designers a
whopping 343.4 million euros, or $440.2 million at current exchange,
plus interest, for alleged tax evasion.Dolce and Gabbana are accused of omitted and unfaithful earnings
declarations, specifically related to the 2004 sale of the Dolce &
Gabbana and D&G brands to the designers’ Luxembourg-based holding
company, Gado Srl. According to Italy’s Internal Revenue Agency, Dolce
and Gabbana moved the majority of their wealth to Luxembourg, a
well-known tax haven, with the sole purpose of avoiding higher corporate
taxes in their home country. The designers, for their part, deny all
charges.The sentence comes after years of yo-yo court decisions. The duo were
first charged in 2010, after the Italian government accused them of not
reporting over 840 million euros ($1.1 billion) in sales. However, the
charges were dropped by a lower court due to lack of evidence.But, in 2011, Italy’s Supreme Court re-opened the case and also ruled
that tax avoidance, or tax mitigation, on an earnings declaration is a
criminal offense under the law, and would justify a heftier fine and/or
jail time. The $440 million confirms this charge, and denies an appeal
Gabbana and Dolce filed with the court.”
Male Model Ciudad Real photographed by Andrés Ramírez
I love in ads when you are not sure what is being sold! These are underwear ads.
Photographer: Andrés Ramírez (www.andres-ramirez.com)
underwear & swimwear brands: AussieBum, Joe Snyder, Amu, Barcode, Modus Vivendi, Es Collection and Petit-Q.
with new hot Stunning model Ciudad Real (Spain). He’s 21 years old, is 1.78 and weighs 78 kg. Promises and aims high to be one of the best models of Spain. 21! and body to die for! WOW!
Versace Mens Spring Summer 2013 GAY GAY GAY
I am not sure I get it….
Signora
Versace took the season by its proverbial balls and swung them over her
head in victory!
This is a collection that starts out looking like it
is for the WWF set.
I mean 12 minutes long.
WATCH
Chicago’s JoJo Baby and Sal-E topic of new Art Book….Getting Into Face
Legendary club kid, doll maker, makeup artist, costumer, and penis-sculpture enthusiast JoJo Baby costars with his clubbing companion, Sal-E, in Bernard Colbert’s lush new 12″ x 12″ coffee-table book Getting into Face: 52 Mondays Featuring Jojo Baby and Sal-e
(Schiffer).
For 17 years, Bernard has been perfecting his craft, working in the field of commercial and advertising photography.
‘In the vibrant community where I live and work, I find what I have
always been searching for- a sublime energy. Nightlife activity blends
with the arts and diversity of self expression abounds. Here, I can
freely pursue my dream: to document and celebrate that spark within,
which defines the unique nature of our human experience.’
performance artists JoJo Baby and Sal-E use their bodies as canvases to
become inspired and whimsical conceptual characters, executed with
expert skill using original, theatrical makeup and costumes. In more
than 100 portraits, photographer Bernard Colbert rigorously captures
these two performance artists in genius moments as psychedelic Hindi
gods, comic book villains, fantastical creatures, astronauts, and much,
much more.
Colbert’s stunning portraits document these delightful
transformations over a five-year period and are the same body of work
featured in the Clive Barker documentary titled JoJo Baby. Through
Colbert’s collaboration with JoJo and Sal, viewers can experience a
front row seat to an ongoing show which has been entertaining club goers
in Chicago for two decades. This is a portfolio for the visually
adventuress and fans of true creative vision.
Every Monday night, JoJo Baby with friend Sal-E have gone to work as
hosts of Chicago’s largest and longest running house-music dance party,
the Boom Boom Room, which is currently on hiatus from its usual location
at Green Dolphin St., 2220 N. Ashland Ave., while the building
undergoes renovation. It took the duo hours to prepare, and Colbert was
there every week to capture the endlessly entertaining process. He said
he usually only had 10 to 15 minutes to photograph them before they went
on stage.
“Sometimes they would show up and I would look at what they were
wearing and try and quickly comprehend what they were up to, because
sometimes it’s high concept and it’s not obvious right away,” Colbert
said. “It’s interesting right away, but it’s like, ‘What the heck is
going on?’ So I scramble and try and make it happen.”
Colbert, who took courses in commercial photography at Columbia from
1989–1991, said he loves portrait photography and has been drawn to
performers such as models, musicians and athletes—people who are both
interesting and like being photographed.
The combination of unplanned imagination and spontaneity kept Colbert
continually inspired. He said the most successful images captured an
indescribable magic that would often occur.
“It was something that would elevate it from an interesting time to
really high art, and it’s something that fascinates me,” Colbert said.
“It feels elusive, but when you find that you can do it time and time
again, it’s really fun to keep trying to do it.”
Getting into Face: 52 Mondays Featuring Jojo Baby and Sal-e
Nick Gruber to share…What Came Between Me and My Calvin
Surprise! Calvin Klein’s 22-year-old ex-boyfriend is writing a book
about his two-year-long relationship with the designer, and, according to the Daily News,
“after just days on the market it’s incited a bidding war in the
publishing world.” Gruber already has two offers to consider and is
expecting a third. But the man behind the celebrated Facebook post “I just had such amazing learning experience from Rehab” enlisted some help this time around:
Gruber has tapped a well-known author to develop the book as they
begin to flesh out the structure and chapters. The writer spoke with us
anonymously, and called the content that will be revealed “beyond
shocking.”“This is the only way he can get closure,” he said of Gruber on the
phone from Los Angeles. “He has a lot of secrets about Calvin and he has
the right to tell people.”According to the New York Daily News, a private dick is follwing Nick – and new beau, John Luciano (nephew of mobster Lucky Luciano). THE PI even confronted the pair at a party on Monday in New
York’s Meatpacking District, shouting about Luciano’s supposed Mob
connections. According to the Daily News’ Confidenti@l column, the snoop
also appeared at Gruber’s hotel room.“Calvin can hire goons to follow John and I all he wants. We have nothing to hide,” said Gruber, 22. “I’ve moved on.”
(Nick and John see here kissing in LA)
Well, at least it’ll make good fodder for Gruber’s upcoming reality show.
Canada Launches The Pin Button Project Online
As GAY PRIDE month comes to a close, The Pin Button Project, an interactive website and gallery exhibition will launch this Friday June 29, 2012 at the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
(CLGA).
The project is an online gallery exhibition that features pin buttons from the archives’ vast collection, and invites visitors to share their personal stories and interact with the hundreds of pin buttons collected over the CLGA’s history.
For decades, buttons have symbolized political statement pieces worn by the masses to spread
awareness during specific campaigns worldwide. Since its original design patent in 1896, the simple
communication abilities of a single button have survived the test of time. Specifically for the LGBT
community, buttons have been used for a variety of reasons ranging through forms of protest, to
conveying messages without use of the spoken word. Creator William Craddock comments, “The Pin
Button Project is about sharing history through the display of photographs of pin buttons that represent
a range of causes, events, organization, and identities from our various pasts. It’s about provoking
memory and inviting individuals to share their memories with others. It’s a place for discussion about
the past – and about the present. And it is, of course, a place to look at and enjoy all of the visual
appeal that these buttons from the past have to offer.”
The CLGA has a history of providing ground-breaking innovative exhibits to the Toronto art scene: The
Pin Button Project marks a new online initiative to spread awareness and content. Dennis Findlay, VP
of the CLGA remarks: “I have two major hopes for the site. First, that its existence allows these archival
objects and the discussion around them to extend the reach of the CLGA across Canada, and even
beyond. Given the limitations of access to the CLGA by individuals outside of Toronto, it’s important
that we work to extend channels of communication and engagement with our fellow Canadians. My
second hope is that the project, by engaging visitors in telling their own stories and sharing their
opinions, that we will collect a wealth of diverse histories and ideas that help us to better know and
remember the past. Our history books and documentary films are often filled with colourful accounts by
our communities’ prominent figures, but I hope this website opens up these accounts to the stories of
everyone else, those who weren’t necessarily on the front-line on a rally, but who may remember
carrying a placard in the back of the crowd.”
The Pin Button Project launches on Friday, June 29th, 2012 with a public reception at the Canadian
Lesbian and Gay Archives (34 Isabella St., 3rd Floor) from 6:00 to 9:00pm. Complimenting the launch
will be interactive button design stations and social media integration – providing a true multiplatform
experience for all guests. For more information, visit Pinbuttons.ca.
About The Pin Button Project:
The Pin Button Project is an online interactive exhibition and oral history project featuring pin buttons
from the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives. Viewers engage by asking questions, stating opinions,
and sharing their own stories.
About Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives was established to aid in the recovery and preservation of
LGBT histories. Its mission: to acquire, preserve, organize, and give public access to information and
materials in any medium, by and about LGBT people, primarily produced in or concerning Canada. To
support this function, the Archives also maintain significant non-archival collections, which include a
research library, international subject files, and an international collection of queer periodicals. It is the
CLGA’s mandate to make this information available to the public for education and research. Over the
years, the CLGA has helped hundreds of people – students, artists, journalists, lawyers, filmmakers
complete numerous projects inside and outside of the LGBT community.
Website: Pinbuttons.ca (official site launch: June 29, 2012)
Twitter: @PinButtons
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ThePinButtonProject
Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier for MDNA
Jean Paul Gaultier, Jeremy Scott, and Arianne Phillips were hired by Madonna to create her various looks, for the upcoming tour. Is it just me, or hasn’t that costume above already been done?
It is said Madonna will wear a combination of dramatic lingerie-inspired looks (of course, yawn), Joan of Arc nods, and a Drum Major costume.
See more, from the very disappointing collection, at the Kelly Green Blog.
Vidal Sassoon Changed The World of Hair. Dead at 84
Vidal Sassoon—
arguably the world’s first celebrity snipper, whose name became
synonymous with cutting-edge cuts and, later, slapped on shampoo
bottles, a staple of a suburban woman’s grooming regimen — died
Wednesday of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. He was 84.
“Vidal Sassoon totally changed the world of hair and beauty. He was a
complete maestro,” says one of the heirs to Sassoon’s celebrity stylist
title, Oscar Blandi.
“When I was in school learning the trade, I always took from his work
to improve my own methods of styling. He was truly the most
revolutionary person ever to enter into the industry. He paved the way
for the celebrity stylists of today. … He had no fear.”
Gucci, Versace, Marc Jacobs,Designer Clothes $1 ?
Well, maybe.
In celebration of Earth Day, Buffalo Exchange locations nationwide are marking down a selection of merchandise to only one dollar.
That’s right, $1.
All proceeds go to the Humane Society to help save marine life.
Last
year’s sale, which raised $35,000, saw some crazy stuff for a buck,
including Altuzarra pants, Elizabeth & James blouses, and Marc Jacobs collection heels.
Jean Paul Gaultier Makes Diet Coke Fashionable, Again
Jean Paul Gaultier
is going to make
Diet Coke fashionable!
Diet Coke recently named French designer
Jean Paul Gaultier as the brand’s new creative director. And the first
campaign launched under Gaultier’s command proves his creative mettle
remains firmly intact.
In images shot by award-winning
photographer and director Stéphane Sednaoui, portraits of the
60-year-old’s impish face are strategically placed over those of
(presumably) female models dressed head-to-toe in Gaultier gear, thus
continuing his long history of blurring gender lines with light-hearted
humor. gaultier’s limited edition bottles of Diet Coke will be available
in nine countries in Europe from April.
But the outré eye candy does not end
there. Gaultier can also be seen on screen with chic French marionettes
in episodes of The Night & Day Serial Designer, a new series of
short films promoting the iconic beverage.
We must recognize, as always, we love the
work of Jean Paul Gaultier. His printing has brought a touch of humor
and originality to the American brand, don’t you think?
The New Diet Coke bottles look a lot like his sexy torso-shaped perfume bottles.
The designer’s part-creepy, part-charming Diet Coke ads (in which he
provides much-needed makeovers to hapless puppets) culminated with a bigparty in Paris last night, where he unveiled his limited-edition Diet
Coke bottles.
Jean Paul Gaultier’s history with Madonna is the stuff of MTV legend; her infamous Blonde Ambition-era
cone bras and corsets stand alone as some of the French design
maverick’s most iconic pieces. So, naturally, when he was recently commissioned as the creative director of Diet Coke, he couldn’t help but
reference the pop culture touchstone in the ads.
Gaultier’s first Coca Cola Light commercial follows up from a series of early web ads.
The extended version shows the designer engaged in a
playful, vaguely creepy fashion shoot involving dolls while a remix of
Dragonette’s “I Get Around” plays. At the ad’s end, the new bottles make
their fashionable debut: in breton stripes, bras and corsets, they are
inarguably the coolest way for a beverage to salute pop and high style
in one swoop (or shall we say swig?).
The behind-the-scenes are great!
Fittingly, Gaultier also confirmed today via Grazia that he will be designing costumes for Madonna’s upcoming world tour.
Kenneth Cole Honored by Gray Line and Announces New Aids Awareness Plans
“New
York is a wonderfully energized and creative city. I continue to be
inspired by its eclectic, diverse and accepting spirit.
I am honored
that Gray Line New York has
made me a part of their Ride of Fame campaign, and I hope to continue
contributing to what this great city stands for and stands in.”
– Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole was honored by Gray Line New York yesterday in New York City, as the tour company’s November 2011 Ride of Fame dedicatee.
Mr. Cole is the first fashion designer to be inducted in the campaign and is the only Ride of Fame inductee to design his own bus wrap.
The celebration was timed to coincide with Cole’s partnership with MTV Come Together AIDS Awareness Campaign where on December 1, 2011 (World AIDS Day) he will announce new call to action items and his newly designed AIDS awareness ribbon.
After his Ride of Fame ribbon cutting, Mr. Cole held the broken piece of red ribbon next to his chest, emulating an AIDS Awareness red ribbon.
Earlier this month, Cole partnered with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and amfAR on the reinterpretation of the iconic AIDS ribbon. Designed to commemorate the discovery of the virus 30 years ago, and to ignite a new wave of awareness about the pandemic with the next generation, the new AIDS ribbon, features a double loop, and symbolizes the coming together of individuals and the re-doubling of efforts in the fight against HIV and AIDS. In addition as part of this campaign as noted above, Cole will be announcing a call to action including the new AIDS ribbon on World AIDS Day, December 1.
Jay Z Profits from Occupy All Streets Shirts
This is not gay news –
but I feel it is important.
So many musicians focus on luxury, money and opulence. VIP this and that, Rolex, Cristal champagne, Million dollar lifestyles – that most of us, WILL NEVER HAVE. Yet, fans buy their music and attend their concerts, further lining their pockets, making the rich, richer. I for one, am making no more today than I was 10 years ago – yet concert ticket prices have doubled.
Jay-Z is currently on the Watch The Throne tour, which coincides with
Jay-Z and Kanye West’s mega-selling collaborative album of the same
name. The album has been faulted by many critics
who say that its focus on opulence is out of touch with the current
economic climate. West came under some criticism from the Occupy
movement when he showed up at Zuccotti Park near Wall Street but refused
to comment or speak to anyone about why he came.
Jay-Z appears to be trying to capitalize on the anti-corporate greed movement by
creating merchandise to increase revenue at his own corporation, his
Rocawear clothing line. Rocawear posted photos of its “Occupy All
Streets” t-shirts and told fans to get their very own “dope shirt” in
support of the movement even though the company will be donating NONE of
the money from sales to the Occupy Wall Street movement.
WTF??
A vocal protestor online named Grim put it best, saying:
“Jay-Z, as talented as he is, has the political sensibility
of a hood rat and is a scrotum. To attempt to profit off of the first
important social moment of 50 years with an overpriced piece of cotton
is an insult to the fight for economic civil rights known as
#occupywallstreet.”
As much as I think this is a cool shirt – I WILL NOT be buying one to further line his pockets. I am so sick of the rich getting richer, while the 99% of us struggle.
