Locally Fresh Pop Up Fashion Show

This past Sunday CopyWrite was invited to attend the “Locally Fresh” fashion show presented by The Classic Shoppe & Fresh Bucks Custom Designs. This show promised to bring “homegrown fashion” and stylings from several “local” brands. The effort to show that everything you need to be fresh can be found right here in MKE was proven by including not only clothing designs but sponsors like B.A.R.E. Cosmetics and KRS, Hair & Wax Studio.

The event was held at Mr. J’s Lounge (4610 W Fond Du Lac Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53216), where there was plenty of space for vendor stands, mingling, food, and drinks! Our VIP status (Thanks Marie!) came with custom grab bags filled with merch, vouchers, and snacks. Let's make this very clear, we love free things! Lol

But let's get to the fashion:

While there were several brands in the building, the ones who stood out were the ones who had there branding on point, a cohesive look selection and models with confidence.

• Our top picks include:

• The Classic. Shoppe: For the quality of styling and consistent branding (we want all parts… send merch!)

• Distinctive Designs By Tomira: For the quality of the distressed denim and the popping accessories.

• A Natural Disaster: For the unorthodox mix of patterns and worn solids.

*All images provided by designers social media accounts*

The best part of the show was seeing people come together to #SupportTheLocal fashion community and to inspire collaboration. We always say we need more of this in MKE and Marie (organizer and owner of The Classic. Shoppe) assures us that there will be more events like this. We can't wait!

A bit of advice for the next time around, slow down the pace, make us eager for more...then deliver! Get the videographer off the runway! Paparazzi in a models face can throw them off guard and off step....and let the designers speak. We want to know about the process, that makes the difference between just a graphic Tee company and a Fashion Brand.

Now...let me embarrass myself & our new Fashion Ambassador Jacob with our low quality pictures in front of the step and repeat.

All in all, we had fun. I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday!

/Lexi

88NiNE Presents - Invisible Lines: Episode One

Our partners at 88Nine have recently released a project that "is the culmination of a year of work from production team Nate Imig, Laura Kezman and Vianca Fuster", which they are calling Invisible Lines.

In this series, they hosted several listening sessions with people of color in the Milwaukee community letting them tell their stories.

Episode One: Coded of Invisible Lines, is actually in part a story from a major CopyWrite supporter, who actually appeared as the featured cover artist for CopyWrite Magazine Issue Seven: Vedale Hill and his brother Darren Hill. 

As the city helps document "new" narratives, I think it is important we all listen and see through the invisible lines. S/O to the 88Nine Squad. We think this is a super dope project.

#SupportTheLocal

/CW

Meet Brothers Darren and Vedale talking dress codes, "driving while black" and being biracial.

#WCW Ebony Haynes - Double Dutch to Dreams

My #WCW was picked for multiple reasons. The first being that she’s been popping up on my timeline a lot because she’s on the countdown to get married and I’m definitely a sucker for Black Love coming thru and shining. #Goals #LiveLoveLewis #SorryForBeingACreeper But aren’t they adorable?

When she’s not making me extremely happy for her happiness, Ebony Haynes is just an overall beautiful soul to be around. By day she’s a Program Manager at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee and by night, she founded and operates Double Dutch to Dreams. “A movement designed to inspire kids to be kids through the reinforcement of positive images, healthy fun activities and community building [with a] focus on life skills and personal values training.”

@amandaevans.photography

Ebony has “always been passionate about working with youth and over the past few years she realized the many disparities hindering their growth. She wanted to find a way to engage youth and young adults to help keep them active and growing to their best selves. Double Dutch was one of many ways she remembers having fun, being active and in the community growing and building with one another.”

I definitely was more of a turner but I definitely would step in the cords when I was feeling brave enough hahaa.

@amandaevans.photography

Overall, I can’t get enough of her positive energy, wisdom and the honest glow that radiates from this lady. She has a huge heart that literally shows by a simple conversation and we’re taking a second to appreciate it.  

Follow our #WCW on Instagram @ehayneslovely. 

Learn more about Double Dutch to Dreams and how to donate to the movement at doubledutchtodreams.com.

/Syn

#WCW Nicole Acosta

“You can’t be what you can’t see.” - Marian Wright Edelman

This quote often holds true when thinking of career paths for people of color. Often seeing people who look like you in the same types of jobs over and over again.

This was me as a creative in Milwaukee’s advertising community.  

For the company I worked for I had quickly became the only creative of color (female too) and throughout Milwaukee’s (WHOLE) creative ad community, I knew of one Black Interactive Art Director, one Asian copywriter and about five to six graphic designers that were of color (non-white folks). This left me feeling isolated and alone for most of the beginning of my career but very disappointed in the lack of diversity and inclusion in the region.

Leading to a lot of questions: Why? Why were there no people that looked like me? Was this just a Milwaukee problem? Why did I work at an agency of 250+ people and there was only four people of color? Why don’t more people of color know that they NEED to be in advertising/marketing? Just why?

My main answer came back to the quote “You can’t be what you can’t see.”  And though it’s not that simple; Learning about new career paths and seeing people who look like you and come from similar backgrounds like you, can often change your path in life.

Now enough with me, but into showcasing people that are doing their thing to change the game. **drum roll please**

Our #WCW this week is Nicole Acosta, a Chicana-first generation Mexican-American. Born and raised in Milwaukee, WI with indigenous roots in Mexico. Nicole has made it her life’s mission to preserve cultural practices and traditions and activate safe spaces in her hometown where people can connect to their cultural identities. Whether through dance, visual art or written word, most of Nicole’s work reflects movement, oral and visual storytelling and identity. A lover of travel, Nicole seeks to learn from the origins of where our cultural practices were birthed.

Nicole holds a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Management from Alverno College with a minor in Elective Studies and is also a dedicated student of Puerto Rican Bomba dance at the AfriCaribe Cultural Center in Chicago, IL. She is a proud graduate of the Milwaukee High School of The Arts, and prior to her transfer to Alverno, spent years at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and Milwaukee Area Technical College studying photography.

As an intersectional artist, Nicole’s work has been exhibited throughout the city of Milwaukee, published locally and nationally; and she has performed spoken word and dance. In most recent years Nicole has devoted her life to art education for Milwaukee Public Theatre, Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, Latino Arts, providing hands-on teaching and creating original curriculum focused on the restoration and preservation of Latinx cultural experiences. Her next career move will be in the summer of 2018 were alongside her partner they launch Botaníca Creative, a marketing-branding-photography & design agency! I’m excited.

Campaign sample photos of Pascual and young girls: Creative Direction and Photography: Nicole Acosta, Graphic Design: Jazmin Delgado 

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Also in honor of being a WOC in advertising I asked her to answer the following questions to get a different perspective of advertising life in Milwaukee.  

1. How does being a Latinx creative influence your work in advertising?

"Being a Latinx creative first and foremost automatically suggests that I will create from a place of culture or of my ethnic upbringing. Which is true to a certain point. This is where being a Latinx creative in the advertising/marketing industry becomes a challenge. When I was in my final year of college at Alverno where I earned my degree in Marketing Management, I researched agencies in Milwaukee specifically seeking POC in the industry. The results were not very surprising as you can imagine. This is where I saw an opportunity to pursue marketing and advertising, I had a niche. I could reach specific target audiences that a lot of these agencies could not. I am Latinx, bi-lingual, I stay relevant with socio-cultural trends and I take pride in being a Millennial. I consider myself a hyper-intersectional artist, meaning I have studied multiple art forms and have taught and worked hands on in some capacity throughout the years as this artist but never really knew how to make a career out of it. I binged watched MadMen for an entire month and fell in love with the idea that I would one day I would be the Latinx version of Don Draper because this is exactly how I could channel my creativity. So I befriended my partner Jazmin Delgado, a graphic designer and together we began to envision Botaníca Creative, an agency that specializes in assisting clients through the creative process resulting in visual dialogue aka visual communications. We were intentional about our branding, that we plan to launch this summer. We want to be taken seriously, as as women of color in the creative industry without our culture being at the forefront defining our work because this is not the expectation for non-woc. Although our Latinx culture is extremely important to us. We want our work to speak for itself. Being Latinx influences us creatively no doubt, and we see this in the authentic relationships we build with clients, and most importantly representing Latinx in the creative industry, we hope more young Latinx women/girls pursue careers in marketing, advertising and graphic design!"

Campaign sample photos of Pascual and young girls: Creative Direction and Photography: Nicole Acosta, Graphic Design: Jazmin Delgado

2. If you could change one troubling aspect you’ve experienced in the advertising community into a positive outcome, what would it be?

"I would say the lack of women of color in the industry. It’s such a disappointment. Most times it’s because women of color don’t have access to the same opportunities as non-woc. I feel like agencies should see this as an opportunity to recruit from local colleges such as Alverno (shameless plug) or at least offer internships. A little outreach and authentic community building goes a long way."

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Nicole continually inspires me to keep working and developing my craft so that these conversations become a lesson from the past.

Follow our #WCW Nicole on Instagram @MOSSCROWNMUJER @BOTANICACREATIVE

And if you have a story you want to share about our #WCW or an experience in advertising; let me know in the comments.

Keep creating. /Syn

Snap Shot Press Release: Whats The Word on Milwaukee Hip-Hop Week?

Scrolling through our social media feeds, we often find things that interest us, whether it is a status from some old soul dropping gems, pictures of a dope new shoe collabo, or the flyer to an event hosted by any of our local favorites. There is always something to explore. But when a post stating, “Hip-Hop Week MKE...Common Council Support” (or something of that nature) flashes before your eyes, you stop everything!

“Who is responsible for this!?!”

Has the “culture” really found its way into City Hall? Is this actually a “real” thing, or a scheme? 

CopyWrite sat down with Milwaukee’s 7th District, to get the word, on what’s really going down with Milwaukee Hip-Hop Week and what the initiative means for our community as a whole. 

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Putting Milwaukee Hip-Hop Week on the agenda is a no-brainer from Alderman Rainey’s perspective. As a fan of Hip-Hop, he claims that having conversations about it and understanding the culture is indeed “a part of the lifestyle.”

Some have heard the news, and it has left them a little standoffish about government being involved in its cultivation. Rainey cues us in on the slight politics that will aid in Milwaukee Hip-Hop Weeks hopeful success:

“Well the only involvement the City of Milwaukee really has in regards to the politics of it is, it has to go through an actual approval process by the common council to create an (official) week in the city.” Making it an official city week engages the community and grants more opportunities to highlight hip-hop culture as it is celebrated.

Ald. KR: “We want to celebrate the culture. We understand for some who may be ignorant of what hip-hop is or some who may rely on what the mainstream media presents hip-hop as, they may have a misconception of hip-hop. But for those of us who are a product of hip-hop, have experienced it, and have been inspired by it, we want to give them an opportunity to learn [from it].”

For Milwaukee Hip-Hop Week, which is scheduled to begin on August 27th, 2018, there will be a focus on three major tenets, to cultivate the thematic opportunity of cultural knowledge exchange: Financial Literacy, Health, Civic Engagement.

Ald. KR: “What I envision is creating a framework within the context of hip-hop, where we can have some really important conversations.”

Ald. Rainey mentions that in regards to health, the age of the hip-hop community now includes members in their 50’s. This means the spectrum of health risks, including but not limited to obesity, colon cancer, and high blood pressure, is in fact hampering the lifestyle of many. He notes that there has been a cultural shift, where major hip-hop industry influencers like Jermaine Dupri, Slim Thug, Common, and The Game have been documented parting ways with destructive health choices and promoting positive alternative lifestyles. (Check out the documentary, Feel Rich: Health is the New Wealth (2017) narrated by Quincy Jones III, to catch that perspective.)

Ald. KR: “As a culture and generation, we went from cats talking about drinking 40’s and smoking on the corner to cats actually meditating and being vegan. Still flowing though. You know what I’m sayin’? It’s been an evolution. People have grown as hip-hop has grown.”

One idea is to use this same ideology here in MKE, where there are true health issues like high obesity rates, and where food deserts have created a disconnect with healthy eating to show documentaries (like the one mentioned above) and host conversations to improve the hip-hop community’s wellness.

Talking Financial Literacy, Ald. Rainey notes one of the points he brought up at the Community & Economic Development Committee meeting (where CW was in attendance).

Ald. KR: “...mumble rappers or super lyrical rappers, it does not matter how they rap, they are talking about money. We are talking about being prosperous, comin’ up. One way or another that type of mentality is infused and weaved into your rhymes.”

With that being a part of the hip-hop “mantra”, Rainey believes that setting up opportunities where we can discuss “money moves” like cryptocurrency (a growing market in the eyes of hip-hop advocates like Nipsey Hussle) and stock markets with brokers can increase the quest for wealth, which is vital to this community’s future success. Here the importance of even exposing the community to local resources, like Kiva, can elevate the opportunity for small business (yes, the ones that are a part of the hip-hop community) to level up the grind.

The third tenet, Civic Engagement, covers a wide spectrum, but one of the most important components Alderman Rainey would like to address is voter registration.

He notes that hip-hop artists as of late, have been very vocal about their political perspectives, especially on the presidency. This creates an opportunity for others to express their voices.

Ald. KR: “Right now is the time that we galvanize the people...and share these outlooks and say let’s do something about it...let’s take that same energy and connect it to things going on locally as well.”

#SupportTheLocal

The Civic Engagement tenet also opens the door to have major conversations about violence in our community, where the platform for young people and the institutions who are working on these peace incentives have an open forum discussing the issues (pushing the people and not just the numbers).

Ald. KR: “Milwaukee Hip-Hop Week has the opportunity through civic engagement to effect change socially.”

Just the conversation of having Milwaukee Hip-Hop Week has prompted members of MKE’s growing “underground” hip-hop community to come to the table. At the same Community & Economic Development Committee meeting mentioned before, rappers, producers, videographers, non-profit organization leaders, directors of public offices, artists, press, and the like, showed up to city hall to voice their support for the week and its future impact.

Ald. KR: “It’s an important opportunity to assemble something that brings together people...a bunch of people who were in there had never been to city hall before and that’s powerful to me...I think we have to create more opportunities for the unusual suspects to [be a part of the conversation]. To tap into people who are a-political and make them excited and engaged.”

Side Note: This year in Hip-Hop, a freestyle session broke out in MKE city hall and we have the footage! #ForTheCulture

Even though the week allots for conversations about heavier topics, Ald. Rainey assures us that the five elements of Hip-Hop (MC’ing, DJ’ing, graffiti art, B-boy dance and knowledge), will not be ignored.

Ald. KR: “I just want to have a whole lineup of activities. I want you to look at Hip-Hop Week and be like ‘Damn I missed something.’ But I also want you to break your neck to get to everything too.” He laughed, insistently.

MKE Hip-Hop week is on the theoretical tract to making major waves. In hopes of getting everybody in on the action, planning will highly consider every side of the city, so all communities have access to the celebration of one of the most influential cultures, worldwide. (Look at Nielsen’s 2017 music report...Hip-Hop is out chea’.)

CW: “So you have covered a lot of things here and all of these things sound great. So how are we making sure we include our local artists (and Hip-Hop movement contributors) into the mix? They want to be a part of this and this is their city so they should be.”

Ald. KR: [Following that the week is officially passed by the Common Council, which as of just yesterday February 27th, 2018, it was approved unanimously] “...after that, we have to set up some kind of advisory board that includes people in the community who have value” - And insight into what’s going on out here? *wink wink*

So Milwaukee here is the moment we have been waiting for. Here is the opportunity to shine a positive light on the scene and have some conversations that are way overdue. Where the revolution may not be televised, we guarantee it will be publicized. (Corporate America and the “other” will have their hand in this too. Local big business will be asked to partake...and of course, it is in their best interest that they do.) *This is the moment where we are supposed to digress...Ha!

As Ald. Rainey has become the “spokesperson” for this important initiative, he holds the scrutiny of its authenticity in his hands.

Ald. KR: “I would love for someone to come challenge me on my hip-hop validity. We live this.”

AND WE DO TOO!

/CW

Help us continue the conversation about Hip-Hop by following us on facebook.com/copywritemag and right here on copywritemag.com in the comments. 

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Share this post or share the PDF of this release here.  

Check Out: 9 Round Milwaaukee

Is your New Year's resolution to get fit? Maybe workout a tad more? Well, maybe checking out 9 round Milwaukee will get you amped to do just that! It’s never too late to get started! 

The first class is free to try and see if you like, the staff is very personable and the music is actually really good. (It’s hard to work out to a sucky playlist.)

9 Round is just that, 30 minutes and 9 rounds of cardio and core that will give you a good workout and the ever so gratifying sore feeling afterward. It was pretty great!

Its located in the Grand Avenue Mall where the old Radio Shack was located before they went extinct. Make sure to stop in and get your free class. If you choose to sign up, the sooner the better!

9 Round will be opening a new location as well, which we know is exciting for 9 Round Milwaukee owner Delia!

Check it out and let us know what you think! Don't forget to tell them CopyWrite sent you!

/The Intern

#WCW Aja Janay of Heal + Glow

“Close your eyes. Then breathe in; breathe out.

Take a moment for you.”

This is why I love yoga and meditation. It’s not about anyone else other than yourself. It’s a time to be selfish; to check in with yourself and to remind yourself of how you’re feeling at that moment.

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This is why this month’s #WCW is Aja Janay; the creative director and founder of heal + glow. She “began making candles during my time as an undergraduate to relieve [her] … stress, anxiety and moments of deep depression. During those really dark moments of sadness, the flames of each [lit] candle reminded [her] that there's always a little bit of light in a space full of darkness. This light did not come easy. [She] had to fight for the light.  [She] was forced to journey into the crevasses of my being to find what was there.” 

Photo by FreakishNerd for Papyrus and Charms

heal + glow is a candle line but it’s also more than that. They use their online and social platforms to discuss and share self-love and self- care along with visual arts, literature, performing arts, and the latest in fashion and beauty.

But back to the candles, their packaging is beautiful. The scents are magical and their perfect “to add to your meditation practices, your alters for rituals, or to your relaxing baths.” A FreakishNerd favorite is the Egyptian Amber; because well, who doesn’t love Amber candles? And I'll be buying some new additions to my candle collection soon. :) 

Follow Aja at @ajajanay or heal+glow’s Instagram @healglow. Read their amazing blog for some motivation and Black girl magic then buy a candle so your practice, home and bath are on point here.                                                                

Thanks for being beautiful inside and out Aja. 
 

Local2Local - Natural Mystic Co.

My Local2Local this month, has Black Girl Magic sprinkled all over it and it will keep your glow from never dimming a wink.

So meet Natural Mystic; an Austin-based (but Wisconsin started) company skincare line. Their products are “handcrafted in small batches to ensure that each one is created with love + good intentions.” Owned and operated by Nyesha Lashay (@nyeshalashay), this graduate student is not only enhancing the skin you’re in but promoting self-love along with bringing forth your inner natural mystic. #WeWokeUpLikeThis

But in reality, your skin changes when you move across country. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst. It has to do with a lot of changes happening to not only your life but in general, the water and climates your body is use to are different. So usually you have to change up your face cleaning regimens to keep your skin in the best shape. For me, I’ve finally have my new skin regimen down packed and that includes a lot of masks and deep cleaners...i.e. why I had to try out Natural Mystic’s products.

Syn’s review of The Elements Pack:

What it includes: The Moroccan earth mask + the zen hydration jelly ($30 + shipping)

The Moroccan earth mask: It smelled great and had the texture of a deep cleansing scrub with the color of brown clay (hence the Moroccan earth haha). It was smooth to apply and dried in about 10 minutes. I prefer to leave my masks on for the time it takes to watch a full episode of a cartoon (20/30 minutes). The mask made my face feel tight and rejuvenated right away.

The Zen hydration jelly: A little bit went a long way. I used about the size of a dime to apply to my whole face. However it did leave my face smelling good and my skin was soft and GLOWING.

Overall: The purchasing process was simple. I got an email when I could expect my package (It came a day earlier but I am in the Austin area.) I also liked that the website included a quick 2-step process to make sure I knew what I was doing.

It was a little more expensive than something I would normally purchase for my face but it was worth it to support a Woman of color business and get a handmade quality product.

I think I’ll be using this pairing at least once a week to make sure my skin is on point and beaming.

Support this boss lady business by following them on Instagram for some self-love and self care motivation. Or support them now by buying the products on http://naturalmystc.bigcartel.com/ I'm eyeing more products on the site as I type.

Leave a comment below and tell me your self-care secrets and other skin care regimens you love. I'm listening. /Syn

"I SAID WHAT I SAID" w/ Garahbrie: I said I'm Thankful!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to talk about why I am thankful for CopyWrite Magazine. First and foremost Dirty and Syn. You both have been motivating forces in my life, and I am so grateful for that. My internship has expanded beyond JUST work, This year has been a particularly rough one for me, but I don’t ever have to question either one of you, I know you are there to give a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, a different set of eyes on any given situation, and will have a PLOT with explicit details and timeline before I can even think to! You both advocate for me and tell me when I’m right and wrong.You both have taken me under your wing and I will always be grateful for that, I mean there’s so much more, but we know what it is. It's a business but that isn’t all. I feel good around you two, I feel welcome and wanted, I feel all the love. You both are two of the realest people I have ever met.

CopyWrite as an entity has opened so many doors for me, I have met SO many amazing souls and covered so many events that I now get ASKED to most of the events I attend. I had to learn that everyone isn’t a friend, all events aren’t worth covering, and I don’t ALWAYS have to have something to say. CopyWrite has allowed me to see the city of Milwaukee in a different light. It isn’t all about police and the constant fear of something happening to one of my loved ones, the violence isn’t all this city has to offer. There is dope music, and art; people with goals like me, and though the creative circle here is relatively small, CopyWrite brings awareness and more and more people are here with talent beyond this world! CopyWrite has allowed me to open my eyes and expand my horizons. CopyWrite has allowed me to GLOW!

...and oh my goodness I am thankful for my press pass. That thing is my BFF!

What are you thankful for? It is never too late to mend that broken relationship.

Close your eyes; imagine you are in a crisis...

WHO are YOU calling?

Now reach out to them, and tell them you appreciate them, and stick to that person. There are a lot of people out here who WANT to see you down and out, yet you would call THAT PERSON in your time of need.

That’s real.

Now GO BE THANKFUL!

/Garahbrie

#WCW Marie Carter of "The Classic Shoppe"

Keep it classic with this month’s #WCW Marie Carter the owner of “The Classic Shoppe”.

She’s an educator, a soon-to-be mommy, a business owner and did we mention she’s full of #BlackGirlMagic.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Marie decided to go to Tennessee State University after her earlier education in the suburbs. Her experience in the the HBCU taught her how to embrace and appreciate her culture but also was where she first saw Black kids taking pride in their education and handling their business. It gave her a sense of pride and made her want to inspire others to gain the same new found strength.

Marie has her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and went on to earn her Master's in Curriculum and Instruction concentrating in Reading. She’s currently teaching middle school in the heart of Milwaukee. Yes, this is part of her #BlackGirlMagic.

She started her company after realizing there was a need for this in the market. “She did not want to wear something with a band she never listened to or a face of someone that she really did not have that much in common with, just because the colors matched what was needed to complete an outfit. And when she did find a rare gem with a person or a quote with whom she could identify, it seemed like it was the same person or quote, just served up different ways.”

We all can relate to that.

The Classic Shoppe is her way of appreciating and putting her culture in the clothing she loves. Because like they said on their site:

“It all boils down to this: if we don't honor and preserve our culture, who will?”

Shop The Classic Shoppe to support the culture. Find it on there site here or follow their social media to get the newest part of your wardrobe. FB: The Classic Shoppe IG: @theclassicshoppe