A new movement is erupting with vocal ferocity and an 80s twist, demonstrating that speaking out in favour of change has never been more fashionable.
Leading this change for the “We are the Future” campaign are prolific designer Katherine Hamnett -famous for her political T-shirts worn by pop bands and models in the 1980s – and creative director Ninette Murk, founder of worldwide campaigns such as Designers Against Aids and Beauty for a Better World. Together they are a force for change as social activists, in inspiring young people to vote as a part of the Samsung Global Goals (SGG) project and app, which has been downloaded on more than 220 million devices already, becoming the most widely used and accessible charity app worldwide.
They believe you should never underestimate the power of a T-shirt to get your message across very loud and very clear, especially if you use in your face block letters, as Katherine has become famous for. Some of her iconic T-shirt moments from the past include Wham wearing the ‘Choose Life’ shirt in their music video and supermodels such as Naomi Campbell wearing ‘Use a Condom’ and ‘Peace’ T-shirts. Now there is a new exciting era of slogans coming up, which are set to be just as historical with captions such as; ‘Use it or Lose it’, ‘Your Vote is the Most Powerful Tool to Save the World’, ‘Save The World’ and of course ‘We Are The Future’. They all feature a QR code which leads you to the Global Goals app or website, depending on which brand of phone you use.
In the words of Katharine Hamnett, “Our vote is our most powerful tool to create the world we want. You can use its power before you even have it because even if you don’t have it yet, you’ll be voting soon.”
Ninette and Katharine both advocate for young people to be vocal about what they don’t like in politics and make moves to change this as part of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals app and the ‘We are the Future’ campaign and T-shirts. After all, as Katherine adds: “You can tell those politicians that you’ll be watching how they act and that you won’t be voting for them next time if you don’t see them representing your views. These T-shirts are designed to help spread that message.”
Katharine Hamnett
Ninette Murk is also no stranger to being vocal to get people noticing the causes she is most passionate about. She has collaborated with fashion brands, designers and celebrities such as Marc Jacobs, H&M, Rihanna, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, Eastpak and Kendall Jenner, to name a few from the very long list.
She provides some top tips to young people on how to state what they want: “If you don’t like a political decision, or think they are not doing enough about a worthy cause such as climate action, find out who is responsible in the government and write to them. A real, old-fashioned letter, not an email. Also, join a youth group with others who have the same interests and don’t be afraid to speak up about your beliefs at school, because guaranteed there will be other people sharing that belief too. There is power in numbers.”
Ninette Murk, photo by Adam Munro
On the We Are The Future website a whole number of slogan T-shirts is available. All of them created by Katharine Hamnett and 20% of the proceeds from their sale go to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). More slogans -and hoodies!- are set to be added in the coming months and they will be modeled by some well-known, inspiring people – more information on that to be revealed soon! Also, watch the video promo with the song “We are the Future” sung by sisters Ruby Jundt (11) and her younger sister (8) which was written, recorded and produced by their father Tobias Jundt.
Gia Robles Levy, has been actively sharing her transition journey through social media since she ‘came out’ as trans in 2020. Still only 21 today, she talks to Kym Nelson, writer and comedian, about her struggles to find her identity, why she no longer has to suppress her sass and, what she really thinks about comedians who make trans jokes.
Vincent van Den Dries
You describe yourself as a influencer, how are you influencing people? Gia: “I have a story to tell about my transgender journey and I feel I have a mission and a purpose to educate. I’m still learning new things about the transition process and I want to share these findings because it’s not easy if you’re not in the LGBTQ+ community. You can’t just use Google to find the answers. That’s why I try and tell my story from my own experience. Essentially, I’m expressing my vulnerability; I love doing that. As a result, people always comment on how brave I am to open up and be so vocal about my story. The feedback is empowering. It feels good to know you are inspiring people. It can be quite a heavy topic, so I do use humour sometimes when talking about my transition.”
Vincent Van den Dries
Talking of humour…how do you feel about comedians such as Ricky Gervais making jokes about transgenders? Gia: “I feel that he’s not in a position or privilege to joke about the trans community because they are our topics. It’s our struggle. These are the type of things people commit suicide over. I mean how can he go on stage as a privileged straight man and mock us. It’s disgusting. You get people saying; “Oh you don’t have a sense of humour, it’s comedy.” No! If a transwoman had made that joke then it’s funny because she understands, she went through it. It’s like white people using the ‘N’ word. You can’t say that, you’re not allowed to say that word. They don’t know the struggles for black people.”
Vincent Van den Dries
How would your influence bring more understanding about the trans gender community? Gia: “I would love to go to schools and educate children and teenagers about this. At school I was bullied and there was a lot of gay shaming. I didn’t know what gay was, while I was being called a faggot on the playground. I would love to stand up in front of a class now and give lessons from my perspective as a trans woman.”
Vincent van Den Dries
“I wish I had discovered the possibilities and opportunities sooner, then I wouldn’t have had to struggle this hard to find my identity.”
Vincent Van den Dries
Did you struggle with your sexuality? Gia: “I did from the age of 15, when I started questioning my sexuality after I realised I was attracted to men, but I could fall in love with women. But at the age of 15 you don’t really know what love is and that is why I was stuck. Then I started coming out as gay but it was a confusing time because I was still struggling with the sexuality part and still questioning and asking myself why am I not interested in men who are interested in me? And I was questioning why can I not be a regular homosexual like all the other guys? I was also really scared to go to bed with someone, I couldn’t imagine giving myself intimately to another guy and I couldn’t understand why I was thinking like that until I was 20.”
Vincent Van den Dries
Was there anyone you could talk to about your conflicted feelings? Gia: “I thought I was falling in love with a female friend, who is my soul mate. I was able to talk about my feelings for her, with her. She was asking me questions like; “Why do you feel like that?” She felt it too but her opinion was that sometimes you don’t have to be romantic with someone, sometimes friendship is good enough. So I thought about that and also discussed my confusion about my sexuality with other friends.”
Vincent Van den Dries
When did you start to make sense of your identity? Gia: “Because I didn’t understand what I was feeling I talked more with people who knew about sexuality and gender identity. Then a friend suggested that I might be gay because I was attracted to men but also bi-romantic (when you’re romantically attracted to two different gender identities) and gender-fluid (being flexible with the sex with which people identify). Suddenly, I was relieved that I had a label for myself, that I could finally have some structure in my head about who I was. While I was telling people about how relieved I was about having these labels, another friend asked me; “Have you ever thought about being trans?” During that conversation I suddenly understood why I wasn’t attracted to gay men, because I felt like a straight woman.”
“It got to the point where I had to give myself a label. I know that many people dislike labelling themselves, but for me, knowing that I could do so to remove these question marks was really reassuring.”
Vincent Van den Dries
How long did it take for you to ‘come out’ as trans? Gia: “It took me 2 years to ‘come out’ as gay but when I discovered I was trans, it took me just two weeks to tell everyone because I didn’t want this to be a secret. And whether they were comfortable with it or not, I decided that was not my problem, it was theirs.”
What was your family’s reaction to changing your gender? Gia: “They were so supportive! Their attitude has always been about whatever makes me happy, makes them happy. So I’m really lucky. Obviously you expect questions, but I was surprised by some of them. For example, my half-brother, who is 16 years old, asked, “Isn’t the transition really expensive?” Then after that he was like; “Fine, I guess I’ll have a sister then!” My older brother (25) was more curious to learn what transgender meant, because he had no idea.”
“I began to see that the gender with which I was expressing myself with was more fitting than the gender I was born with.”
When did you start transitioning? Gia: “As soon as I discovered I was trans, a week later I joined the Ghent hospital’s waiting list to get myself on hormones. Four months later I made the decision to go private, since I didn’t want to wait for the hormones. My Mum was really supportive and got me private therapy as soon as possible since I was still in puberty and I wanted to prevent it. I was like a ticking time bomb. I was already seeing hairs on my chest, so I couldn’t afford to wait another year.”
Vincent Van den Dries
What was the process with the hormones? Gia: “Once you get the all-clear from the psychologist you can start hormones. But before that I had to freeze my sperm because I found out from a friend -not from the medical profession-, that hormone therapy makes you sterile. So although the assistance provided to transgender persons in Belgium is excellent, you really have to conduct your own research, because I learned more from my peers than from the medical community.I took estrogen in gel form which is like a hand sanitiser which you rub into your arm and then the hormones go straight into your bloodstream.”
Did the transition affect your mental health? Gia: “It did when I started using testosterone blockers which helps with breast growth but they have to go through your digestive system which makes them very strong and dangerous and can mess with your head. That’s why you hear trans women say they feel mentally unstable. I have always been secure in myself, strong, stable and confident but one month on these hormones, coupled with a heartbreak, made me crash down. I was feeling depressed. Ever since then I have not felt myself. I’m about 50 percent of where I used to be.”
Has it been an issue being trans within your community? Gia: “I feel lucky to have so many friends from the deeper queer scene as opposed to the superficial queer scene, which we have in Belgium. So, for me and my friends we don’t always feel safe in queer parties because there is still discrimination. For example from white gays to black gays and from gay people to trans women. In the superficial queer scene you can be gay, lesbian or trans. But in the queer scene I’m in now you can be trans feminine, trans non-binary, binary trans, people with different genders, different pronouns and different sexualities. So much freer and it makes me feel amazing to be around people who truly understand. But I do see how other people struggle and how lucky I am.”
Do you feel people don’t see you as normal? Gia: “All the time. I meet men who look at me as if I’m an experiment. They have an interest in me, but they want to keep me a secret because they’re ashamed to be with a transgender woman. That’s why they’re never going to commit to someone like me.”
Vincent Van den Dries
How do you think we can change attitudes towards transgenders? Gia: “Change is starting to happen. I see thatwith images and reactions changing towards my community within mainstream media. It’s certainly changed since that film the Hangover 2 which portrayed trans woman as being freaks. I remember watching a scene where the men go to Bangkok and they look horrified to see a trans woman as her towel drops off and say; “What the fxxk was that?” I remember watching that movie and I thought they had that reaction because they were looking at a freak – a woman who had surgery to put a penis on her. It’s scenes like that that creates an impression as trans women being freaks. Now we have more understanding about trans woman who are being portrayed more positively in films, such as Laverne Cox and Indya Adrianna Moore. They are invading this world with their presence and steering the transgender community towards this radical change.”
Are you happy with your body now? Gia: “I am very happy with my body, as you can see from the photos!”
“It’s gender affirming for me to be able to walk on the street with a sass that I don’t have to supress anymore”
How do you want people to approach you? Gia: “The most respectful thing you can do is ask a person’s pronoun. It’s very well known in the queer world that this is a very respected question rather than assuming. I’m very happy to tell people that I am she/her, it means you address someone in the right way.”
Vincent Van den Dries
What question do you hate to be asked? Gia: “Tell me your worst traits. I mean why would I want to think about those things? Are they trying to make me feel insecure?”
Do you have a song that is your personal anthem? Gia: “ ’Break free’ by Ariana Grande. She’s my inspiration. It’s such an empowering song.”
What advice would you give to others who want to make the transition like you? Gia: “Don’t hide yourself for anyone. Look around, see what situation you are (for instance, if you’re in a safe space to come out as trans, do you have people you can trust in?) and only invest energy into people where you feel the energy is being reciprocated.”
Who are you becoming? Gia: “I’d like to say a better version of myself, but it’s not true. I’m not a better version than I was last year. But I have evolved and I have learned. I guess I’m becoming more authentic.”
Vincent Van den Dries
Find out more about Gia on her Instagram page @giarobleslevy. She will also be selling T-shirts on behalf of clothing brand Essentiel Antwerp at Antwerp Pride from 10th to 15th August.
Shining a light on the stories of millions of young refugees across Europe is Little Amal, a 3.5-metre tall puppet deemed to be one of the most innovative and adventurous public artworks ever attempted.
The refugee puppet started her journey in July, travelling through Turkey, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France and the UK, following the route that a child migrant from Syria might take. Her walk highlights the plight of millions of refugee children – many unaccompanied and separated from their families – who are forced to undertake harrowing journeys under life-threatening conditions. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made their situation even worse.
This travelling festival of art brings a powerful message of hope and raises awareness of displaced children worldwide. In every city, crowds (often in their hundreds) have welcomed Little Amal, including the Pope, keen to be a part of this momentous journey. As well as see how the puppet interacts, which registers all kinds of emotions such as happiness, anger and occasionally pain – all the feelings that a nine-year-old child-like Amal might experience.
Amir Nizar, Artistic Director of The Walk, says “The purpose of The Walk is to highlight the potential of the refugee, not just their dire circumstances. Little Amal is 3.5 metres tall because we want the world to grow big enough to greet her. We want her to inspire us to think big and to act bigger.”
Find out more about this extraordinary story and where she is on her journey at: www.walkwithamal.org
What happens when you take refugee children, give them an old analogue camera and ask them to start exploring their surroundings and imaginations? The answer, in the words of photographer and Syrian refugee, Serbest Salih is; “A world of spontaneity, fun and magic.”
It’s in South-eastern Turkey, less than 30km north of the Syrian border, in Mardin where Salih, along with Turkish photographer, Emel Ernalbant, began the Sirkhane Darkroom, a mobile darkroom travelling from village to village teaching children how to shoot, develop, and print their own photographs.
For many children, the project has not only been a means to express themselves, but also develop new ways of thinking within their difficult circumstances, especially for children who have witnessed violence, poverty and war. It’s also helped build friendships between Syrian and Iraqi refugees and with their new neighbours in the Turkish province of Mardin, which has seen an influx of refugees fleeing instability and persecution in the region.
So far, close to 400 children have taken part in photographic workshops, twice a week over three months. Practising first with a filmless camera, and then with a camera complete with a black and white film. The decision to use film is all part of the process to encourage the children to be selective with their shots and to connect more deeply with their subjects.
Often the children capture private moments at home, playful encounters with friends or quirky selfies. Indeed, Salih is often surprised with what they capture, often offering an unusual perspective, he says; “Children use their imagination to create and catch moments that even a professional photographer couldn’t do.”
The project even became a crucial lifeline during the coronavirus pandemic, especially for children living in remote areas and lacking in resources or cultural opportunities.
“These aren’t the photographs adults expect to see from children who have grown up surrounded by conflict; they aren’t photographs of trauma or sadness,” says Salih. “Instead, they are a testament to the resilience of the childhood imagination, the healing power of photography, and the enchanting perspective of childhood.”
A selection of photographs, from the project has now been published in a new book called, ‘I saw the air fly,’ published by MACK. All the images have been selected by the children themselves and celebrate the child’s-eye view, in showing how everyday moments are not marked by sadness or grief, but by curiosity, play and love for their friends and family.
All proceeds from the sale of i saw the air fly will go to the Her Yerde Sanat-Sirkhane charity, whose aim is to provide a safe, friendly and embracing environment for children caught up in conflicts.
A dynamic new project is challenging designers to elevate their vision within sustainability in “The Upcycling Challenge”. The objective is to showcase the infinite possibilities within the use of recycled materials and transform them into innovative stylish clothes and accessories.
Photo: Vogue Italia
The initiative is organised by CONAI (National Packaging Consortium), in collaboration with Vogue Talents(a project of Vogue Italia dedicated to the international scouting of creatives and designers from the next generation), which aims to open up opportunities for young creative talents to create a capsule collection of sustainable clothing.
With the growing trend towards sustainable living, the project has the potential to drive this change even further. And with so much choice available for recycled materials to use, the issue might be what not to put in the collection. There are no limits with steel, aluminium, paper, cardboard, wood, plastic, biodegradable and compostable plastic and glass, buttons, hangers…anything goes.
Each capsule collection will be judged on:
Level of sustainability
Actual use of recycled materials
Innovation and style
Communicability
Feasibility of the collection.
So, who can apply? University students who have attended their last year of courses related to creativity, fashion and art, and who have completed their training for a maximum of one year. Designers with one to three years of activity can also participate.
What you need to do. Nominations with proposals of the garments can be sent to the e-mail upcyclingchallenge@condenast.it until November 14, 2021. A special jury formed by CONAI and Condé Nast will select the three finalist projects.
The overall winner willhave the opportunity to create and produce the prototypes of their garments and accessories with tools and support provided by CONAI and with the artistic consultancy of Vogue Talents. The collection will also be exhibited at the Ecomondo 2022, the International Fair for the Recovery of Matter and Energy and Sustainable Development.
There’s no room to be indifferent when it comes to having an opinion about the most talked-about outfit at this year’s Met Gala – worn by Kim Kardashian – an all-black, body-concealing Balenciaga ensemble, complete with black face covering.
Of course, the outfit derived many (and we’re talking many) comments from observers such as bizarre, distasteful, did not fit with the ‘American fashion’ theme and, was reminiscent of a dementor from the Harry Potter film.
Making a statement But rather than looking at the outfit purely in fashion terms, what if we looked at the outfit as costume art? The Met Gala, which raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, was originally known as the Museum of Costume Art. And when you look at Kim K’s outfit from that perspective, you realise the outfit makes more of a statement than anything else on that red carpet.
Indeed, while Kanye West was rumoured to have inspired this fetish-esque outfit, the brains behind it is Demna Gvasalia, the creative director of Balenciaga who graduated from the acclaimed Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerp, He also accompanied Kim on the red carpet in a similar garment, successfully provoking the imagination with his creative body of work, and generating reactions which many artists can only dream about…even if they are mixed.
Challenging identity Of course, the outfit doesn’t initially strike a chord with the American fashion theme at the actual gala. However, if Kim Kardashian was to pose at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, she would be making a huge statement in an exhibition which, presents a diverse range of perspectives on how fashion reflects the evolving notions of identity in the US. And what outfit challenges that notion of identity more, than one which covers the whole body and face and yet, everyone still knows who it is? Not many people can pull off that trick.
And that is why the outfit stole most of the headlines this year. It has thrown up this idea of identity into the air and got people wondering; “How can we follow that?” The bar has been set very high indeed.
“Art is a wound turned into light,” said the 20th century French painter, Georges Braque. Words that so accurately resonate with our current times, as many people find the light in dark times through all forms of creativity.
The Large Trees at l’Estaquet by Georges Braque
That light Braque talked about is something that even doctors are seeing and they are now prescribing the ‘arts’ to aid in treatments for depression and isolation. In Denmark, for example, they are prescribing Kulturvitaminer (culture vitamins) for people suffering from depression to encourage them to take part in cultural activities, which is helping to develop strength of mind and resilience.
Currently trialling in four cities, it involves getting people together in small groups to experience everything from concerts to communal singing to visiting art galleries and museums. The scheme is creating a renewed desire for life in other countries too, such as Sweden, Norway and the UK, where they call it ‘art on prescription’.
Banksy
Of course, the pandemic has reminded us how good it feels for our well-being when we focus on our creative mind, even if it’s only for a brief time.
Other benefits are;
Managing emotions better Participating in creative activities reduces anxiety, depression and stress and can also help to process trauma. Painting or drawing for example helps people express trauma or experiences that they are unable to put into words.
Boosting the immune system Writing or journaling every day can increase your CD4+ lymphocyte count, the key to your immune system. But if you’re not a fan of writing, listening to music can have the same effect too.
Self-expression It’s a good way to connect with yourself as creativity encourages self-expression, a way to create something from personal feelings and experiences.
Providing a sense of purpose It allows you to process what is going on around you and discover more about who you are.
Reduces dementia Activities such as painting and music have shown to be an effective treatment for patients with dementia, helping people to tap back into their personalities and sharpen their senses.
Creativity can certainly take away the gloom and allow us to see the world in a better light -we just need to allow our mind to take us there!
