The Black body at ease is a radical act.
Last Saturday I had my 15 minute slot to make a key choice of what chain I wanted to cop from Homer. As a top percentile Frank Ocean stan, I’ve been looking forward to this appointment for a while.
I wasn’t rocking a crazy fit when I pulled up. Lately I’ve been sporting a Yeezy Season 6 hoodie, because I just love the color so much. Dark mineral energy. I paired that with my Jacquemus cargos & ALD x New Balance collab sneakers I’ve been beating to hell. A solid fit, but nothing crazy.
Waiting outside the store listening to Donda, an entourage rolls out. Racks in hand, a couple Prada bags (snagging the last of the Homer collab) and dip into a suburban. It got very real very fast at that moment.
There’s nothing quite like a solo luxury experience when you know you’re going to buy something.
But then, there’s nothing like this luxury experience. Produced by a Black man. With all Black employees working. Walking in, fully realized.
I didn’t want our work to be any less expensive than Cartier…
— Frank Ocean
I walk in and Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) is hanging at the counter about to check out. Following behind me is Kerwin Frost with (who I assume was) his assistant.
Turning to the employee behind the counter I ask, “is it always…” — “yeah it’s like this everyday”.
Kerwin asks me what I’m copping and I point to the chain, mentioning how I like the playful form and ball-chain. He looks and then points to the one next to it that’s three times the size and probably 30x the cost.
Word my G, it’s like that lol
But it is like that, and it should be like that. This is where the culture is at. This is where the culture has always been at.
Black luxury is important. Full sentence. Full stop.
The Black body as something to be adorned.
As both the primary drivers of cultural creation and consumption, it’s been a long problem that we haven’t necessarily held the highest agency over the construction of our talismans.
But this is changing incredibly rapidly, and not full recognized in the broad sense. Which we saw before with “streetwear” — and we saw the repercussions of how it absolutely redirected the fashion industry.
To build Black luxury is to re-contextualize the Black body in America. To tell narratives not rooted in reaction to previous oppression or struggle, but in present pleasure and future legacy.
Once again, the Black body at ease is a radical act.
I could write so much more on this subject but I wanted this to stay on the shorter side. The timing of this purchase as I wrestle with questions of cultural production within the wider technology landscape has me on very interesting/personally satisfying consumption paths. But everyday I’m reminded of the beauty in Blackness, and a renewed love for who we are.
I don’t do edits really, so excuse typos and things that don’t make sense.
Thanks so much for giving me your attention. I hope it was worth it, if not… unsubscribing will not hurt my feelings, and will give you back time you literally cannot have back.
Much love.
Live in the light