At 38-years-old, Claudia (her last name cannot be released for legal reasons) is riding high on life, zipping through Manhattan streets, dodging suspicious NYPD cruisers (“Oh wait, the cops are behind me…hi, oh my God I’m golden, golden I tell you, Jordan. Super,” says Claudia during her daily Manhattan drive to her office, a drive that Claw Money has to duck twice from curious cop cars). Claudia, known to graffiti writers as CLAW, to the publishing and fashion industry as Claw Money, pays no mind to potential bummers enforced by New York’s finest.

Claw Money’s first book, Bombshell: The Life and Crimes of Claw Money, will be released in April 2007, but the clever graffiti writer turned author will author another book – “I have The New York Times bestseller, kiss and tell all, but I can’t tell that for another 20 years,” Claw money says jokingly, expressing her carefree personality while flirting with the truth.

Her graffiti writer resume crowns Claw Money with street credit and equally important, her experience in the fashion industry makes Claw Money the right woman for her position as fashion director at Swindle Magazine. Multi-talented is an understatement. Claw Money is golden.

“I started buying and selling vintage on the side of my bartending gig, you know I would see a crazy outfit, buy it and resell it. I was like, oh I can do this for a living!”

Format: Please explain how your fashion career started.
Claw: In 1986 I started attending Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and I dropped out a year later and I was an assistant designer for several outerwear companies in the mid to late-80s. I always knew I was going to be in fashion when I was a kid. I was an assistant designer for a long time, a couple years. Then I started working in nightclubs and I was making so much more money in nightclubs and I was like, why do I need a straight job? I started buying and selling vintage on the side of my bartending gig, you know I would see a crazy outfit, buy it and resell it. I was like, oh I can do this for a living! I have had many incarnations of fashion jobs. I moved to Los Angeles in `95 and I started styling. I was styling, then. I was a stylist, a vintage dealer and when I moved back to New York in 1997 and I started making clothes. I made two collections in 1997 and they didn’t really go anywhere, because I was doing everything and sales wasn’t my strongest skill. I stopped making clothes and stuck to styling and vintage. Then in 2002, I started making clothing, again.

Format: Please explain the roots of your publishing career.
Claw: Swindle Magazine, I basically got that job at Swindle Magazine, because I was a graffiti writer and the guys that started the magazine, Roger Gastman and Shepard, Roger is an ex-graffiti writer and Shepard is a street artist. I have no idea why they hired me sight unseen. They knew my work, because I had a good reputation, word of mouth and that’s what happened with Swindle. Thank God I do a good job, because I still have my position. My book, Powerhouse was asking me for a longtime to do a book.

Format: How long did it take to find the materials needed to create Bombshell: The Life and Crimes of Claw Money?
Claw: Well I had all the materials need. I just went to my storage space, went through pictures with my assistant and there were so many pictures I could have made a book ten times the size! We just weeded through it and it was a huge team effort – it was me, my art director and layout.

Format: There are several writers featured in your book that comment on your persona, how did you choose them?
Claw: They’re all good friends of mine and people that know me really well, all the different people that have a different vantage point of me that know me differently, but in the same respect. I chose seven people that are extremely close to me that have had a great deal of influence and effect on my life.

Format: Please explain your concept of the CLAW throw-up.
Claw: It was the W in my name, in my book you can see that I started adding nails to my Ws and that’s basically why it looks like that.

Format: What is your real name?
Claw: My name is Claudia.

Format: Why did you assume the identity CLAW?
Claw: I’ve been in fashion for the last 22 years and the CLAW was never something that I wanted to sell or make money from. It was always this extremely special expression of mine that I would never take in the marketplace. All of a sudden all these people were like, ‘You should do a CLAW T-shirt, I would really like to see a CLAW on a T-shirt, want to do a CLAW T-shirt for my company?’ My boyfriend, at the time, was like, ‘You have to do this, because it’s ridiculous how many people are bringing this up with you.’ I was like, OK, just for fun I did a CLAW T-shirt and it wasn’t anything serious. Next thing you know they sold out of it in a week and then I had to make more, and then more colors and the demand kept growing. I think the symbol is very powerful. In the past I was so attached to that, like it’s mine, but now I don’t feel that way it is for everyone. It’s not me anymore. It’s whatever you want it to be. It’s open for interpretation.

Format: Please explain the challenges you had as a female graffiti writer, if any.
Claw: Of course I did, of course I did, but basically, for the most part I had a crew of guys that held me down and really protected me and I’m really blessed that I have a real crew that looks out for the people in it. I was very well protected. I’m all about breaking stereotypes so if someone tries to put me in a stereotype, I’m going to do everything in my power to prove them wrong.

Format: What challenges were there while making Bombshell: The Life and Crimes of Claw Money?
Claw: I do so many projects and so many professional projects that it’s just – am I saying what I want to say, am I telling the story I want to tell? It’s an extremely personal book. There are pictures of my family from the `70s and this is not to be taken lightly by myself. I just wanted to give an honest overview of who Claw Money is.

Format: How did you get started creating jewelry?
Claw: I do jewelry, because that’s the stuff I’m really into printed T-shirts, personally, I like them and I wear them – oh wait, the cops are behind me…hi, oh my God I’m golden, golden I tell you, Jordan. Super – anyway, that’s the stuff I’m into; high-end accessories so it’s just natural that I would really be into making stuff like that.

Format: Why do you specifically use the Gucci and Chanel designs for your accessories?
Claw: Lots of different things, I’m not tied to one brand. It’s not specifically those two. There are a million others that I’ve used, too. I’m a luxury brand kind of girl. That’s the stuff I wear, that’s the stuff I like, that’s the stuff I’m co-opting.

Format: The photography in Bombshell: The Life and Times of Claw Money is fantastic, how did you arrange the guest photographers and how many are yours?
Claw: There are a million guest photographers in my book! It’s not just my photography. There are a million credited, famous photographers that shot stuff in my book, so I can’t take credit for those. Those are probably the ones you like! I’ve always been a novice photographer my whole life, especially in the digital age it’s so easy to pick up a camera and start shooting and see what’s good.

Format: Is Bombshell: The Life and Crimes of Claw Money a graffiti book?
Claw: The book isn’t a graffiti book, it’s not a fashion book; it’s just a CLAW book. It’s a visual autobiography, it’s personal and I feel like it was my time to tell my story, so here it is visually. I have The New York Times bestseller, kiss and tell all, but I can’t tell that for another 20 years.

Format: Are there any graffiti-type books that did inspire you for the layout and content?
Claw: No. I absolutely did not want it to look like any graffiti book, ever. I absolutely, 100 per cent, did not want it to look like any other book, ever. I love other graffiti books and stuff, but it’s not mimicking or copying anything. I’ve never saw a book with all this collage stuff.

Format: You’ve been in a lot of books and films as CLAW. Do you feel like you’re giving your identity away and what effect has that had on you?
Claw: I loved being anonymous for so long and I loved being a speculative person for a long time, but I’m not painting illegally no more, so I felt it was my time to let niggas know what the deal is! Now, here I am, straight up, not sugar coated. I think it was important to let other girls know that we’re out here.

Format: Do you feel that you have a responsibility to females in graffiti, as a role model?
Claw: I don’t know if I feel a responsibility, but I feel like some sort of passing of the torch or something. Yeah, it is important to know that there are others that are out there and if I can do it, anyone can. It’s not just for woman. It’s for anyone that wants to make something out of nothing.

Format: Was there anyone that passed the torch to you?
Claw: Yeah, I’m nothing without the people that have helped me throughout the years and there are a million people that have helped me throughout the years. A million that have helped me and passed the torch to me – ZEPHYR, REVOLT, DONDI and dudes like that. Specifically, like the people I painted with, DONTAY, DEVO, MQ, MISS 17 and people that are younger generations of graffiti writers I feel indebted to. I wouldn’t say MISS 17 passed the torch to me, because I’m much older than her and have been painting longer, but she brought me back out of retirement and back into the game, basically.

More Info: http://www.clawmoney.com/

Within urban fashion, it’s rare for a female line to pop-up, unless it’s a brand extension of an already dominant male line. One of the premier female based lines in streetwear today, Mama has been putting it down, independent of a male owned conglomerate, for three years now. Owned by Gabriella Davi-Khorasanee, a lawyer that gave up the courtroom for the closet, Mama has focused primarily on tees thus far, but has recently expanded to include accessories and cut and sew products. Format took a moment to discuss the clothing line, and Gabriella’s push for recognition in a male dominated industry.

“Part of my mission is creating a new definition of what’s sexy, it’s more about keeping your clothes on, and more about cleverness and wit, or just leaving something to the imagination.”

Format: The Mama website doesn’t contain info on the line, or a personal bio. What did you do before you started Mama?
Gabriella: I actually wasn’t trained in design or fashion; it’s kind of like a childhood interest of mine. My grandmother was a sample sewer for Oscar De La Renta, Bob Mackie and Bill Blass so she taught me how to sew, and I kind of grew up around it. I actually went to law school and practiced law for a few years and hated it and then just decided to follow my dream, which was fashion. So back in 2000, I started a girl t-shirt line Cybelle, and I did that line for about three years with a partner and that stuff kind of fell through. We were kind of wanting to take the line in different directions, so we stopped doing Cybelle and then I wanted to just start fresh, so I started Mama, and that was back in 2004.

Format: What was the turning point for you from going to law school to starting that first line?
Gabriella: It happened back in 1999 after I gradated law school, I went down to Philly to work for a judge, it was like a one year thing. While I was down there, I met the person who ended up becoming my partner in the first line, and she was a graphic designer, and I had always had an interested in fashion, so I was like hey, let’s just get together and do this. And it was kind of funny because my plan for Philadelphia, my original intent, was to become a law professor, so while I was down there in my free time I wanted to like write legal articles for publications, because basically the whole story with becoming a professor is publish or peril, so my goal was to just write in all my free time and get published. Instead I met my partner, and all my free time ended up going into the line, so it’s kind of like a fork in the road, and that’s when I really started getting into the clothing aspect. It was always kind of like a side thing for me, because I was working fulltime and then it just came to point where I was getting really into it, the business was growing, and I wasn’t happy with what I was doing, and I’m happy doing the clothing line and I’m just going to put all my energy there.

“I wanted something where women could come together, share ideas, network, promote themselves, kind of like a little club for us to help each other out, get our names out there, show the world what we could do.”

Format: When you did start Mama, how did you come-up with the name?
Gabriella: It was kind of just like a fluke, like my husband, it was one of his little nicknames for me, like, “Hey Mama,” and I wanted something that was easy to remember, that was cute, fun, sassy, just kind of universal for women, so I thought that it was very fitting.

Format: What’s your relationship like with your own mother? Is she supportive of your career choice?
Gabriella: She’s awesome, I have a great relationship with her. My life was pretty much set, I was making a nice living, and she kind of thought I was a little bit crazy for giving that all up to start from scratch in an area where I didn’t really have any training or foundation, but she’s totally supportive, and she loves seeing all the new stuff. She always wants me to start making stuff in her size, so she’s definitely supportive and loves what I do.

Format: On your blog, The Glamorous Life, you feature a number of women in honor of Women’s History Month. What made you select these women in particular?
Gabriella: I just basically chose women first of all that I like, respected what they did, and second of all, I wanted to choose women who I thought were good role models, and were very positive in what they did for other women as well. Who were just groundbreaking, or paving new paths for women in their respective fields.

Format: Who are some of the most inspiring women to you within urban culture?
Gabriella: Coco Chanel is definitely not so much in urban culture, but I just find her incredibly inspiring as far as the fashion goes, and her influence can be felt all the way down to street culture, so I would say that I find her amazing. And then there’s like musicians, like Blondie, and Pat Benatar, and Lauryn Hill, and Nina Simone. You know, I guess as far as back in the day people, the founder of X-Girl, Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, I find that totally an inspiration, because she was one of groundbreakers as far as girl’s streetwear. And even Sofia Coppola as far as her work in film, and she had one of the first girls clothing lines back in the day, so as far as her impact on the culture now, and even being one of the first girl streetwear companies back in the day, I find that really inspiring as well.

Format: What inspired the M.I.S.S. project?
Gabriella: MISS was something that I had kind of had on the brain for a long time and then I finally found the right person, my partner, Liz Baka. When I found someone who could actually help me out with it and make it come together, we just did it. I felt like the whole streetwear thing was so male dominated, and I got the sense even talking to other people, like the graffiti artist Toofly, she’s also a girl in this man’s game. I wanted something where women could come together, share ideas, network, promote themselves, kind of like a little club for us to help each other out, get our names out there, show the world what we could do.

Format: Has it been successful?
Gabriella: It’s been awesome, the concept has kind of evolved over time. There’s also a magazine section where the content is updated quarterly and we have things like Dear Coco which is an advice column that I do. The whole concept behind that, is giving girls the fashion advice that I think Coco Chanel would have given if she was alive today, so that’s like a fun feature; and then there’s a section called Back in the Days, where Liz, the co-founder of M.I.S.S., her gig is dealing with vintage, so in the Back in the Days section she always does something involving vintage; and then there’s a Mama’s kitchen section where I do recipes; and then there’s a Gold Star section that gives the products that we like gold stars. There’s also a M.I.S.S. Diary section where the M.I.S.S. members kind of give their day in the life, of like what their typical day is. Something that we’re going to be adding on in the next launch, is like more of a place for the women to sell themselves and what they do, so we’ll have direct links to their websites and have it broken down by like, these are stylists, if you need a stylist contact these people, or you know, these are designers or these are musicians, and kind of make it more friendly to someone who might be looking for some kind of service, and they can go on the site and find it there. Another part of M.I.S.S. is the daily blog, where we basically update it daily with new products for women, events, news, and that’s been really good as well. People really enjoy that. Something for the future which we want to do is like a Little M.I.S.S. Mentoring Program, because we want to be able to reach out to younger girls and maybe they want to be a fashion designer or something, and they have questions or don’t know what school to go to, or whatever. We want to have it set up so that people can get in touch with M.I.S.S. members and get some information on what they can do to get where they are.

Format: Why do you think streetwear is such a male dominated industry?
Gabriella: I think it’s male dominated because I feel like a lot of it grew out of male dominated things like skate culture and stuff like that. I think that’s probably the main reason, and since it started out that way its kind of daunting, or maybe intimidating for other girls to get into it. And I think it’s kind of like this new style of dressing for girls, I think part of it, there’s fewer girls in it, because girls don’t just wear streetwear the way guys do. Guys will have their Nike’s on, their fancy denim, their all-over print, and like the hoodie and a New Era, whereas girls kind of mix it up a little. They wear high heels, they wear vintage, they wear high end shit, they’ll wear a Louis Vuitton bag with their streetwear t-shirt, so I think the fact that they mix it up a little makes it be less like ‘I’m totally streetwear.’ But I think everyday we’re seeing more and more girls get into it, and more and more shops are approaching us saying “hey, we want to carry more girls stuff,” or, “girls are asking for stuff.” So I think it’s actually an exciting time to be a woman in streetwear because the market is totally developing for us right now.

Format: What are some difficulties you’ve ran into being a female in the industry?
Gabriella: Well, I mean, I think and this can apply to any industry, you always want to be taken seriously. And I think that I’ve done an ok job with that. I feel like I’ve gained the respect of my peers, but I think that as a woman, an easy way to get attention is to show your tits and ass, because that will definitely get guys attention, but then you may not necessarily get their respect. Part of my mission is creating a new definition of what’s sexy, it’s more about keeping your clothes on, and more about cleverness and wit, or just leaving something to the imagination. I guess as far as difficulty, it’s almost just like getting out there and getting the name out there, because since so much of it is just for boys, the fact that you have girls stuff, you have to educate the market, you have to create the market, so I guess it’s a combination of those things.

Format: You recently dropped the Juicy Mama nail polish, and Bijules accessories. What inspired these collaborations?
Gabriella: I had known about Bijules for a while, and I’d always been a big fan of her stuff. I started Mama as a t-shirt line because it was the most economically feasible way to get a brand started and that’s why there’s so many t-shirt companies, but there were so many other things that I wanted to create. And I loved and respected Jules’s work. I had some ideas for jewelry and we met at Magic a few years back and we both knew of each other and respected each other and we were just like hey let’s do something together.

As far as the Juicy Mama, that kind of grew out of a frustration of not being able to find cool nail polish colors that would match my sneakers. You know I like the kicks, and I like to get my manicures done to sometimes match the kicks, but you go to the store and it’s all red and pink and orange and purple nail polish, and that’s not really the color of my sneakers. So the goal was to create colors that we could customize and match to our shoes.

Format: What about the collaboration with Montana? How did that come about?
Gabriella: That was something that my husband Ali had always wanted to do, like a Hello My Name Is tee that we could customize, and you know just brainstorming we were like, we really should sell it with a marker so it’s a complete package, and then from there it was kind of a no-brainer. We had met the Montana people in Barcelona and I guess I was just like, if we’re going to do this, we should do this with the premier graffiti pen company. They’re the best, and we just met them, and we totally respect what they do, and it totally makes sense.

Format: Besides these collaborations, how has Mama grown since you started the line?
Gabriella: The Glamorous Life is actually a good thing for people who are curious about what happens behind the scenes, which is basically what we based our blog on. That’s been a really good driver for us. We’ve had some of our shirts in some music videos, we had a shirt in a Chamillioniare video, and a Lupe Fiasco video, and most recently the new The Pack video, “I’m Shinin.’” Stuff like that, and people will be like, “oh my god we saw your stuff.” Things like that, word kind of travels around and that kind of thing.

Format: What can people expect from Mama in 2007?
Gabriella: We’ve got a full line of cut and sew; we’ve really put a lot of our energy into that, so that’s kind of a new and exciting thing for us. We started a little bit of that last year with just a few pieces but that’s kind of grown into like a full collection that includes outerwear, shirts, pants, and tops. That’s been a big thing for us. Our men’s line called #1 Hit Wonder which is also doing really well, and we’re continuing with that. We’ve got some other projects in the works, but I can’t really talk about them right now, but they’ll be dope, that’s all I can really say though.

More Info: http://www.mamaclothing.com

Although urban fashion has certainly been more art-driven recently, with the prominence of large graphics on tees and hoodies in both streetwear and more hip-hop centric brands, the industry is still generally concentrated on a design-driven aesthetic. Marrying art and fashion by using the t-shirt as a canvas is a concept we’ve seen before, but Blood is The New Black, owned and operated by Mitra Khayyam, takes it one step further, promoting the artists just as much as the brand.

“…each Blood is the New Black shirt has the artist’s own Blood is the New Black logo and their name screen printed on it, plus the shirts come with a hangtag that promotes the artist’s own website in addition to ours.”

Format: You wrote your thesis on how artists can use t-shirts as a way to reach a wider audience, and how this in turn helps people discover up-and-coming artists. This is a very interesting topic of research. Please, in a few paragraphs, explain your findings.
Mitra Khayyam: I wrote my thesis in 2002/2003. At the time I felt as though art wasn’t something I could legitimately get my hands on, or even be around in a sense. Keep in mind that it seems like “going to art receptions” has only recently become the new “hanging out in bars.” But anyhow, anything that was affordable yet design oriented/artistic and easily accessible always had a hint of being dumbed down to it. People are a lot smarter than we give them credit for, believe it or not. I’m not saying that well designed or artist-created things didn’t exist, be it clothing, furniture, home furnishings or whatever, but because of ties to the artist’s name/image they were out of people’s range, either in price or in the way they were being marketed. I found that well made product, fair pricing, and informative branding was the trinity of sorts to help artists reach a wide audience and at the same time enable customers to feel comfortable about a product that is about more than just witty text or a series of clipart arranged on a garment. For example when Neckface was first throwing shit up around NYC the whole city was buzzing, but when I’d travel to LA, no one knew a thing about the guy, it was a shame. Now he’s become a household name like Shepard Fairey or Futura in part due to RVCA doing a great job of educating their consumers about him through their series of his products. Plus how is someone supposed to go about attaining work by people whose canvas is a door, or a street sign? T-shirts are a tangible means ownership in a lot of cases.

Format: How has your thesis research manifested itself within Blood is the New Black?
Mitra: This is hard cause I just want to say how has it not? The amount of feedback I get from people is proof positive that we’re doing the right thing. I get emails from average people on the street wanting to know more about buying pieces by our artists, words of encouragement just because, artists wanting to work with us, even emails from our family of artists thanking us for all the support we’ve shown them. To me this is family, not a business. Of course, every good season we have helps us go on to the next, but the bonds that develop between our group of artists, between our artists and their fans, and between myself and them is paramount to me. It’s always important for me to stress that Blood is the New Black isn’t me, but the artists. So each Blood is the New Black shirt has the artist’s own Blood is the New Black logo and their name screen printed on it, plus the shirts come with a hangtag that promotes the artist’s own website in addition to ours.

Format: Besides the success of the line, how much success have you had in helping artists reach wider audiences?
Mitra: I feel like a schmuck saying that if it weren’t for Blood things may have not happened but I can’t help but believe the company is partially responsible for a lot of the following. Artists have begun having solo shows for the first time, they are getting picked up by major corporations like Von Zipper and Vans to create product for them, sales of their own artwork has risen, they have been featured in magazines, and so on. To me, determining their success has not been how many shirts they’ve sold, but what they’re doing now that they weren’t doing before. We’ve even started doing our own group shows, we had our second one this past February in Vegas at United Tradeshow. Four of our 10 artists came out for it and spent a week fooling around in Vegas, which is a lot more productive than it sounds.

Format: How do you select new artists to design for Blood is the New Black?
Mitra: It’s all a gut feeling really. A lot of our artists are friends and friends of friends but some other ones I only recently met for the first time after having worked with them for a while. As far as what I look for, I don’t have a formula. I try to work with a variety of artists who work with different mediums, for example Dan Monick is a photographer while some of my favorite piece by Porous Walker are sculptures of sorts. Our Fall ‘07 collection is the most diverse yet, which is really exciting to me. Ultimately, one of the most important things is that the artist comes in with positivity and a sense of community

Format: What is the process like working with new artists that come aboard? How much creative control do they get?
Mitra: You’ll never hear me say “Crown’s are really trendy, can you try to come up with a design that has them in it?” Artists get full creative control. If certain things aren’t feasible, I’m honest about it. I don’t want to put out half assed product, it’s not fair to anyone involved. Sometimes people come up with some great things conceptually that I just don’t feel confident about doing justice to. Generally I just ask for six to eight designs and wait to see what they come up with. I curate a collection from the designs they submit, sometimes selecting specific designs for the current season and holding on to the rest for a later time, or just running all of them if I think they’re solid. Since the process of designing for a t-shirt body specifically is new to some of our artists I’m there to help them, but try to refrain from art directing, and when I do catch myself doing it I feel really terrible about it. Some artists like to work with me all the way, as far as picking out colors, sizing graphics, even going through their sketchbooks and referencing images, and I have fun doing it, but that’s their call not mine.

Format: Since you launched, what are some of the categories people have tried to put Blood is the New Black into?
Mitra: Jeez I’ve heard it all, some derogatory and some just cliché stuff like streetwear. I’ve heard a lot of reference to DIY and crafting, neither of which I really was into growing up.

Format: How do you personally categorize Blood is the New Black within the greater fashion realm?
Mitra: I’ve always had a hard time with this. I always say we’re a neither, nor. I don’t try to define the brand other than what I know it is, an art collective t-shirt line. And that’s what I hope it will be another three years down the road. I don’t think it’s a streetwear brand although some of our artists may create pieces that appeal to the genre, I also don’t think it’s a goth brand although some of our other artists images may be dark. The line is a sum of many parts, who are the artists, it’s not a trend, or look, or lifestyle. It can be if the consumer chooses to make it so, but it’s not my intention. To be honest even though I make clothing, I don’t even think the line has much to do with “Fashion” per se. Half the time I’m amazed I’m even doing this, I can’t even begin to wrap my head around what others may view us as, or what I’m supposed to be.

Format: Who wears Blood is the New Black?
Mitra: I’ve met moms who’ve told me they’ve stolen all their kids Blood is the New Black tees, I’ve seen skaters wearing our stuff, goth kids wearing our stuff, hipsters, comic book geeks, design snobs, college kids, since the line is so diverse there’s something for everyone. Currently you can find the line at Barracuda (LA), Beams Tee (Japan), Mini Mini Market (Brooklyn), Wasteland (SF), Well and Good (Toronto), and Digital Gravel (online). All these stores cater to different crowds, but their customers know what they like, and I guess it must mean they like us?

Format: What is the ratio of male to female customers? If one gender is more prevalent than another, why do you think that it is?
Mitra: Right now its 50/50. We started off as a women’s line so for a while our sales leaned towards that, but on a wholesale level we’re doing the same numbers for guys and girls. Online, we sell more men’s tees than we do women. Surprising, right?

Format: Do you have pieces designed with one gender in mind? Do your designs naturally attract a gender because of their content?
Mitra: That’s a question for the artists and not myself. I don’t believe anything is designed with gender or sales in mind. I think things are designed with sincerity using the medium at hand, the t-shirt and the artists own work.

Format: What are some items besides t-shirts that Blood is the New Black produces? How, if at all, have you changed you focus when dealing with different items, as you are no longer using a t-shirt which you’ve mentioned as central to your message.
Mitra: We also produce tote bags, pillows, posters, and wallets. I’m very cautious about expanding our line of merchandise. I’ve been asked by numerous stores to flesh out the line with separates, but I have no desire to right now, nor do I think I will want to do so in the future. It does get a bit tricky, the heart of the line will always be the tees, but the accessories have always been nice to have on the side. A lot of our customers bond with the artists and want to support them in as many ways as possible, so they end up buying the tee first, and then the tote, a poster for their room, and now with the wallets they can go all the way. I view it as a fun challenge for our artists as well, to design a wallet can be viewed as a completely different concept than a t–shirt. They start thinking about what wallets are used for, the value of money, etc. and it’s interesting to see where they go with it.

Format: Please explain how you came up with the name Blood is the New Black.
Mitra: I was just trying to take the piss out of the fashion industry. Brown is the new Black and stuff like that. Blood gives us our identity which ought to be what we should be celebrating, not trying to hide it behind some color of the season. It sounds a lot more morbid that it is huh?

More Info: http://www.bloodisthenewblack.com

Joslyn Rose Lyons is a young filmmaker with a distinguished resume that includes a flim, BET credits and a director’s seat with Simmons Lathan Media Group. At 27, the female filmmaker is breaking traditional rules, using interviewing elements that inspire her interviewees to portray their raw, personal truths.

In 2003, Lyons’ directorial debut came to light with the release of Soundz of Spirit, a documentary that explores the creative process and spirit released into hip-hop music. The film is the first of its kind and, without a doubt, Lyons is the first of her kind by breaking stereotypes of women in hip-hop and, equally important, paving a road for future filmmakers (female or male) trying to explore hip-hop’s road less traveled.

“I don’t think art forms have a sex. Art forms are a universal outlet. I used to find myself trying to prove that I know enough about hip-hop or something, or I could hang with the guys backstage without being a groupie.”

Format: Please explain how you were first introduced to creative outlets, specifically to film.
Joslyn: Well, my mom is an artist. She is a visual artist, a sculpture and painter. I was definitely exposed to her work and her philosophy raising my brother and I, which is really about doing what you love and trusting your creative process. She really influenced me at a young age to follow what I wanted to do. Being that she had her studio at home in the back yard and I was always working on art. The film came in at a really young age. I have scripts that I made in elementary school. I used to tell my mom that I would make films when I got older. I would tell her that when I was ten. It’s something that is intuitive, as corny as that can sound it’s really true for me. It’s never really been a choice. As far as my first official exposure to [film] growing up, I would say I was in theater in high school and then I picked up a camera in my last year of high school and started making short projects. In college I actually created my own major and in that process I met Emmy Award winning filmmakers and working for them, starting off with experience from their company. Their names are Rick Tejada-Flores and Ray Telles and they’re in a production company called Paradigm. They’ve done a lot of the PBS kind of documentaries, Hugo Chavez and the farm works, you know ITVS and Sundance, so they’re really experienced and I got to work for them at the age of 18. I worked for Discovery Channel with them and NBC, it was quite and experience, definitely.

Format: What was your introduction to hip-hop culture?
Joslyn: It is always hard to find where something began, because the seed for something is nature, it’s underneath the soil, you can’t even see where it’s planted, you just see where things grow. It’s so hard to know where that seed came from, but growing up in the Bay Area and the West Coast, there is a really strong hip-hop community and artists like Living Legends, I grew up with them. We went to high school with them and it was just kind of like family. Mystik Journeymen, The Grouch, Eligh and Murs, and all these artists were friends of mine. Then I studied Tupac’s writing in class, my first year of college, which made me see something deeper of words, poetry and when you put it to rhythm. Then I had seen Slam that Saul Williams stars in and after that film and a series of different events I knew had to do something else with my passion for hip-hop.

Format: How did the Soundz of Spirit documentary come together?
Joslyn: It’s funny. I just knew that I wanted to make a film about another element of hip-hop that wasn’t being marketed in the mainstream, which is the creative process. I first got the idea from going to shows and seeing artists backstage, working and seeing their process. My own journey, wanting to understand how I personally and spiritually connect to what I’m doing and feeling that I have a connection when I listen to music that comes from that place, too. Wanting to know if I’m connecting to it from that place then where was that person at when they wrote it. It must have been in a very grounded or spiritual place if I’m hearing that when I hear it. I didn’t really research the idea about interviewing people about their creative process or have their spirit connect. I just went ahead doing it and I started writing and literally binders full of everything. I would start making sections and try to make it evolve into a story of some kind, like what am I going to ask the artists – a lot of writing and a lot of personal inspiration. Interesting enough the first interview I did was with the Last Poets. There is really no one like them and at the age I was at and my personal knowledge of hip-hop’s history, I wasn’t someone who knew who the Last Poets were from front to back. I just knew of them, definitely knew they had a history and a huge presence in hip-hop. It was not until much later that it was an amazing thing to have my first interview to be them. It snowballed from there.

Format: What challenges did you face doing production of Soundz of Spirit?
Joslyn: I think there are the challenges that exist in your mind and then there are the challenges that actually exist in the actual business of things. There were both. I think there always is when you’re doing something that goes against the grain or making your way through life. What I mean by the challenges in my own mind is thinking, at times, I don’t know if I can do this or fitting like 10 interviews in and thinking, how am I going to make this film!? The challenge of taking on something that huge with no money at such a young age and no real experience to have someone say, ‘Here is a huge grant. We know you can do it.’ There was a lot of proving myself, not only to artists and managers, but to the people around me, too. A lot of times on a weekend friends would be like, ‘What are you doing tonight?’ and I’m always writing or filming or doing something related to the project. I would say the other challenges are a little more cut and dry. Getting release forms signed, especially from artists, because I’m just one person, not a real company and I’m trying to get Outkast to sign off on a film. Those kinds of things were extraordinarily challenging. I’m talking about maybe a year and a half of phone calls to multiple managers and maybe a dozen faxes of release forms.

“It’s funny. I just knew that I wanted to make a film about another element of hip-hop that wasn’t being marketed in the mainstream, which is the creative process.”

Format: Please explain the challenges of being a female in hip-hop culture.
Joslyn: Being a female in hip-hop, I think you’re known as a female in hip-hop first, before you’re known for being an artist in hip-hop and that’s because it is a male dominated industry. The thing with being women in hip-hop, at least from my vantage point, I see so many women behind the scene. I see so many women filmmakers, writers, poets and managers, but when you see the major broadcast waves that represent hip-hop you see men. That is not necessarily true. I think it is probably a lot more balance than that. As far as women in hip-hop it is one of those things where you have to work much harder as a women in hip-hop, because it’s been marketed as a masculine art form and that’s not true. I don’t think art forms have a sex. Art forms are a universal outlet. I used to find myself trying to prove that I know enough about hip-hop or something, or I could hang with the guys backstage without being a groupie. You really have to be about what you say you’re about much more than what a man does.

Format: Please explain the obstacles for women in filmmaking.
Joslyn: As philosophical or spiritual as it may sound I really think these obstacles are only there from the creator to help us work harder for what we want to do. Yes there are obstacles, but I view them as gifts. You never know what that gift might have in it. It might have hope, it might have strength, it might have faith, it might have a deeper understanding of self, but whatever obstacle you hit it’s usually going to be a gift your later on or in that moment. As far as being a woman in the industry, I’ve work in New York and I mostly work in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, in my experience, 90 per cent of the time I’m dealing with men. On the phone with men, in the editing room with men, there might be men I use as my sound operators – 90 per cent it’s a man world or it’s easier for me to find men to work with than women.

“It is always hard to find where something began, because the seed for something is nature, it’s underneath the soil, you can’t even see where it’s planted, you just see where things grow.”

Format: Please explain your nameless project for the Simmons Lathan Media Group.
Joslyn: They made film division out of their company several years back when they put out all the Def Jam Poetry, Def Jam Comedy and a lot of scripted stuff. The project that we just wrapped up is kind of under a working title, because we have not had a release date, but it’s basically Simmons Lathan Presents, it’s like a twist on the Def Jam Poetry that you’re used to seeing on HBO. These are all shot outside in industrial locations or in barber shops, on top of a car – a twist on Def Jam Poetry. The whole hyphy got thrown in there, because the Bay Area, for the past year or two, it’s been tagged as the new hyphy movement is here. In my opinion, everyone that is part of that movement doesn’t mean they go dumb or they dance a certain way or say they’re hyphy. It’s just that there is an energy behind it and I think it’s people that wanting to have a seat at the table and wanting to be heard. I think that is what Russell Simmons and Stan Lathan had in mind for this first project.

EGR likes to get high – by climbing ladders, scaffolding, recycling bins or whatever else is available. Of course, she doesn’t have much choice in the matter, as a graffiti artist – but it helps that she actually enjoys heights. Of course, getting high is just part of the high. “The rush, the scale of it and the fact that you can get your whole body into it, the physical side of [graffiti] is the best,” she says.

Since ’96, EGR, pronounced “Eager,” has gotten bizzy on the streets of Toronto, and more recently in music and style magazines, music videos and galleries around the world. Her first inspiration? “One of my high school buddies happened to point out the graffiti he did with some friends behind a shopping mall along the train-line of my home town,” says EGR. “That was it – I wanted to do it. I got my first five cans of Krylon, and the rest is history.”

History that includes painting with one of graffiti’s living legends. “I was really grateful to paint with Zephyr when he came to Toronto a few years ago,” says EGR. Apparently, the feeling was mutual. “Zephyr had this moment where he was like, ‘Wow, who would have thought I’d be painting with EGR one day?’, and I was like, What?” she says. “How did this happen? What a crazy moment that was.”

Inevitably, being a female in the graffiti game comes with its own unique hardships. “I have had beef that only girls would specifically have to deal with,” says EGR. “For instance, some guys need to feel a sort of ownership over the female in the group.” Guys want to know if she’s single, or has a boyfriend – non-issues for male graffiti practitioners.

“There is more attention on the girl [doing graff], whether we like it or not, and it’s not always good… It can be downright intimidating,” she says. “I am lucky that now a lot of people might know who I am, so they are respectful, but I have had to earn that respect.”

“I don’t really care what people think,” says EGR, “but I do feel it’s a responsibility to rep at shows for the younger girls, so that they know there are other girls getting up and putting themselves out there.”

To that end, she is effusive when talking about the recent book, Graffiti Women: Five Continents of Street Art, by Nicholas Ganz. While pleased with the number of women featured, “there were women that were missing also,” says EGR, “which means that there are more women contributing to the culture than you’d even think.”

“The book shows that women can rock it just as hard as our male counterparts, but we bring a viewpoint that is completely different,” she says. While women can be hardcore, fiery and politically charged, they also “bring forth an emotional vulnerability and sensuality that men just cannot express. Not to say that men don’t have the same emotions,” clarifies EGR. “We just may be better equipped to communicate these emotions, and coming across in such a hardcore public medium just makes it that much more, well, hardcore.”

That aesthetic is very much in keeping with EGR’s own steez. “On the street my style is more rugged and loose, yet recognizable by the characters and the sultry look in the eyes of the EGR girls,” she says. “My attempt is to portray figures that are both powerful yet vulnerable, hard-edge but with a soft touch.”

Launching a new website in the Spring, EGR is also busy participating in group shows and travelling to promote the website.

More Info: http://www.egrart.com

Urban sensibilities and New York City flavor are the key ingredients to the early success of Alison Nelson’s Chocolate Bar, a purveyor of premium chocolates and gourmet sweets located in the West Village. Since starting her business in 2002, Nelson has brought a fresh approach to the stuffy world of premium chocolates by combining confectionary delights with uniquely urban sights – a reflection of her irreverent nature and her love of the arts and New York City. Her latest creation, Graffiti Bars, promises “Great Chocolate, Pure Street” and includes ten new flavors adorned in wrappers designed by a group of legendary New York City graffiti artists such as Lady Pink, Crash, Spar One, and Blade. Nelson will donate a significant portion of proceeds to a non-profit group selected by the artists – the All Stars Project, a performing arts organization for underprivileged youth that operates in Harlem, Coney Island, Bedford-Stuyvesant and the South Bronx.

“It’s a touchy subject because a lot of people feel that there’s been this commercialization of graffiti and felt that partaking in this kind of project would just be aiding that. “

Format: What inspired you to start a chocolate company?
Alison Nelson: I grew up in New York and I studied to be a writer. I spent a lot of years working in coffee shops and bakeries and bars and restaurants – anything in the food service industry. I was trying to figure out what I really wanted to do with my life, and I knew I loved chocolate. Not many people don’t love chocolate, but I love chocolate and coffee a lot.

At the time my biggest problem was that the chocolate industry seemed very intimidating. All the high-end chocolate shops were really clean and French and upscale, and any time I went in one, I thought that they knew I only had a couple bucks in my pocket. I wanted to find a way to bring it to the level of neighborhood coffee shop or bakery feel, so that when people walk into the store it feels like home.

Format: You bring together chocolate and art in an interesting way; the Graffiti Bars aren’t your first venture working with artists.
Alison: The idea of just producing a chocolate bar seemed really boring to me. I had a lot of friends, some of whom did graffiti, some of whom did fine art, and I thought, it’d be really fun to kind of cross-breed the two things. So when somebody’s coming and looking for a salty pretzel bar, they’re getting a salty pretzel bar that has a wrapper designed by somebody that maybe they never heard of and, all of a sudden, they go “Hey, who’s Tim Biskup? Why is this guy Gary Baseman making a chocolate bar label?” And then the same thing – people who love Gary Baseman are going, “Wait, he designed the label for a chocolate bar?” and then coming into our store and learning about us for the first time. It seemed like it was an interesting thing to do, making it more fun.

Format: How did you select the artists for the Graffiti Bar project and get in touch with them?
Alison: On the Graffiti Bars, that was a lot of research and then reaching out. We got a lot of rejections from some graffiti artists. It’s a touchy subject because a lot of people feel that there’s been this commercialization of graffiti and felt that partaking in this kind of project would just be aiding that. Then other people were like, “Wow, this could be really fun and crazy,” so it was interesting to see how the chips fell.

Format: A portion of the proceeds of the Graffiti Bars will be going to benefit the All Stars Project – what is your affiliation with that organization?
Alison: I’ve been supporting the All Stars Project for about five years, and wanted to do more. They outreach to Harlem, the Bronx, and communities that don’t really have a lot of funding for the arts. I think it’s really important for kids to find ways to express themselves, be it photography, painting – anything that can help them develop who they are. The All Stars Project really does that well. They do everything from theater to fine art to painting; they really cater to kids.

“When you’re a kid growing up in the city, especially back in the 70’s and 80’s, you didn’t know there was a legal issue with graffiti – I just thought it really made things much more beautiful.”

Format: Were you aware of graffiti when you were growing up?
Alison: Yeah. I mean, it’s funny – I grew up in Rockaway, so the trains were elevated there, and in my childhood, were completely covered. My favorite one I ever saw was when I was six. There was one that was like a giant pizza, and I was like, “Oh my God! The train is a pizza! I want to ride in the pizza train!” When you’re a kid growing up in the city, especially back in the 70’s and 80’s, you didn’t know there was a legal issue with graffiti – I just thought it really made things much more beautiful. As I grew up, that stuff started to disappear. All of a sudden there was no graffiti on trains. The MPS figured out what to put on the trains and, all of a sudden, it wasn’t there any more.

Format: What sort of reaction do you expect from your graffiti bars?
Alison: In the New York store I expect really positive reaction, especially where we’re located. A lot of our customers are artists, especially, and they’ve been New Yorkers for a long time. I think they’re really going to get into it. I’m interested to see what our Internet and wholesale sales are going to be like on this project, to see what the response is outside of New York. I think people in other urban areas are really going to get into it. The bars are so visually appealing – this is the best looking collection of bars I’ve ever seen.

Format: What is your next project going to be?
Alison: We’ve been talking to DMC from Run DMC about a chocolate bar to raise money for an orphanage that he’s building, but nothing’s in stone on that.

When Alison Nelson began researching and contacting writers about the Graffiti Bar project, some embraced the idea while others rejected the notion of commercial work outright. Eventually, she managed to recruit ten of New York City’s finest – many of them veterans of Mayor Lindsay’s war on graffiti. The participants include world-renowned artists, designers, educators, and even a Pulitzer-winning journalist. Eschewing direct compensation, the artists chose to support the All Stars Project in order to give back to their communities. Format had the opportunity to speak with some of the artists to learn more about their approach to chocolate-bar design and their take on the continued commercialization of street art.

Format: What was your approach to your candy bar wrapper design?
Spar One: I was really excited about using my work for a worthy cause, so I wanted to do something that would lift the spirit. I worked with bright colors that I felt would entertain and make people happy. For my motivation, I thought in terms of my experiences with graffiti art and candy during childhood. The style I did on the bar was inspired by the 1974-76 era, when subway graffiti was peaking in creativity. When I think of that era, I can easily think Candy land! The pieces from that era were like a fantasy world – Willie Wonka, Disney, many upbeat fantasy themes in the way the letters were structured and the colors used.

Crachee: I think the whole purpose of the candy bar was to harken back to the days of early graffiti. I wanted to make a very simple design, because when I was writing, between 1973 and 1976, the name was the design. So what I wanted to do was create a piece that harkened back to ‘73, when the letters were kind of rudimentary. I wanted it to be simple, as if nobody designed it… I want it to look like I’m up on the tracks, just throwing it up because of the thrill I get from being up there.

Lady Pink: I was kind of having fun with the flavor, Banana Milk, by putting my little banana characters in doorways and windows on a building with brick and lots of graffiti on it. I put different names, including my nieces’ names and little kids that I know. I kind of geared my design toward children, and just wanted to show that street art can be decorative, colorful, and speak to everyone.

Crime79: When I first thought of the chocolate bar, I made the connection of me as a child. So, I wanted to keep it light and airy and happy. I also wanted to make it a little retro, very seventies, like when I was growing up.

Format: How does the medium–in this case a candy bar wrapper, as opposed to a train or a wall–influence your creative process?
Spar One: Well it is mainly different in terms of time, I guess, post-creative process. With a wall or train or other forms of street art you paint quickly and your work will have an audience instantly or within hours of completion. With commercial projects, there is the whole production and distribution process that makes it different for me. I enjoy a more instant audience; walls are in your face, not something that fits in your pocket. But these types of projects are rewarding because the audience may be much different.

Crime79: Well, I’ve got a small amount of real estate to work with, and chocolate bars are maybe six inches by two inches. As you know, graffiti writers like to work big, so I had to miniaturize everything, yet still give it the aesthetic of graffiti. It’s almost a more mature version of what I did on the subway.

Format: How do you feel about the possibility that your art, on a candy bar wrapper, might be thrown away?
Spar One: It does not bother me that much because I come from a world where my art is temporary. In writing, your pieces and tags will often be buffed or tagged over. I hope my design somehow helps enhance the customer’s experience – a pleasing visual preceding a pleasing taste, after that, whatever happens, happens. What does bother me is if the paper is just wasted. If anything, I hope people will recycle the paper. I hate waste and the destruction of the environment. Being that the artists participating are quite collectable, I’m sure there will be people who will mount and frame our wrappers.

Format: How do you feel about the commercialization of street art?
Lady Pink: Well it was unavoidable. It was going to happen. Everything from the underground goes above ground. It gets watered down, gets diluted, and gets fed to the mainstream in a gentler form. We do corporate graffiti, which is different from street graffiti because corporate graffiti needs to be read by the common people. Corporations want the wildstyle lettering, but they want to be able to read it. There’s a way of gearing our illustration and our style to the mainstream, while still maintaining the integrity of graffiti.

Crime79: When we were young and we’d cover the trains from top to bottom with our message, we were told it was wrong. But now corporations can wrap a bus with advertising, and it’s okay. I guess it’s just a lot to do with the fact that they paid for it.

Crachee: I think it’s okay if it’s somebody, like Blade, who’s paid his dues. A guy who was actually out there, you know, risking his life, for his art, and risking his freedom, because there was always a chance that he was going to get caught.

Recent Rhymesayers signee and the star of album covers such as Death of a Frequent Flier and Bio: Chemistry I and II, special guest writer Psalm One breaks down the album art of ladies that rock the mic.

These days you gotta make a special effort to actually go to the store and get an artist’s artwork and liner notes. At least that apple-shaped powerhouse of digital music downloads and the like provides jpegs of album covers. But this isn’t a rant about technology–naturally, I digress–it is a critical commentary/good old-fashioned clownery of some well-known album covers. Coincidentally, we are dealing with all female rap artists here as well. I’m giggling already…

Lil Kim – Hardcore
I think Lil Kim’s Hardcore album art was discussed more than the actual album. And who could forget the poster? I think I know about a dozen guys who still give it hang-time on their walls. She was dropping down and doing the “eagle” before Nelly asked us to. Ahead of her time, really. Also extremely iconic in the progression of the female image in rap in the late ’90s. I filled garbage cans with vomit considering her as the new Queen of the genre. Excuse me, Queen “Bee,” lest we forget. I can tell you, though, Biggie knew what he was doing. He also wrote some choice lyrics for her, which made the music tolerable, at least when you didn’t think about what she was saying. However… Okay, really. Whose house was that? Was it Big’s? Cuz that’s a bachelor pad nightmare, to say the least. The bear with the bear skin rug? But I guess she’s presenting her goods enough so one tends to overlook the interior decorating. She went platinum with this one, right? I guess the only thing funnier would be the intro to the album.

Lady of Rage – Necessary Roughness
Since I’ve been rocking the afro puff strong for the last little minute, I’m gonna have to go with a gem: Lady of Rage’s Necessary Roughness. Suge put this one out, huh? Badass. All I knows is she had, and still has, fans checking for her and is arguably one of the best female emcees, if you consider loads of top ten lists to that affect. “Afro Puffs” was, of course, the jam. She was lyrical, strong with her voice, not necessarily in a masculine way, and a perfect fit with the Dogg Pound. Although in the cover I cannot tell what she’s holding – maybe some weird dominatrix thing or something? Anyway, I remember Rage having a nice little bit of thickness on her, which is probably why she wasn’t bikini-clad in the cover. But she’s pretty and has that “stay over yonder” stare that would make most think twice before approaching. Very key. Very slept on album.

Salt-N-Pepa – Very Necessary
They were on some shit, weren’t they? “Shoop” as the lead single, “Whatta Man,” which was one of the illest R&B/Rap combos ever (not to mention one of the sexiest videos ever), “None of Your Business” – which I still like to sing to this day – and the whole AIDS awareness motif? This was the one, right here. I had already adored Salt-N-Pepa from the “Push It” days, but they were all over the place with this album, and the cover was simple ’90s flava complete with a flannel grunge nod. Were they at the carnival? The boardwalk? It doesn’t matter. You could tell this group was still growing and really caring about what they were feeding us. And with all the sex talk you’d think they wouldn’t be rocking coats in the cover art. Smart. I also dig the font used in the cover. Very Microsoft Word art. Brilliant.

Missy Elliott – Supa Dupa Fly
I wonder how the cover art photo shoot for Missy’s Supa Dupa Fly went. It’s very much stock-picturesque to me, but I simply love the outfit. Maybe a few phillies beforehand? Naughty, naughty. This was my favorite Missy album for a long time as well – actually, when I think more, it still is. She was a bit heavier in the loins, too, earlier in her career, so she definitely wasn’t showing too much skin, but her steez didn’t dictate doing so. She’s an all-around artist and was coming with much heat that many would say was ahead of her time (thanks in part to Timbaland). Another simple album cover that definitely didn’t give any aspiring female artists the wrong idea about sex in the industry. Plus, I can listen to this album all the way through, which is tough for me. One might say I can be a little critical. Anyway, okay album cover, great album. I listen to it on the road all the time.

Bahamadia – Kollage
I get all warm in the tummy when I see Bahamadia’s Kollage. In high school this album meant a lot to me, and to a lot of hip hop heads. I don’t know about the expression on her face, but the design is pretty good and I like the color, aesthetically. The album is her classic, in my opinion, and I’m still checking for her. I love her voice and her lyrics, and she was my female rap idol when this album was being bumped. Some female emcees might say she was holding it down for us for a long-ass time. Plus, she’s on damn near everyone’s Top Ten Female Rap Artist list. Now, if she could only get on someone’s Top Ten Rap Artist list, but that’s another topic, ain’t it?

Psalm One – Bio: Chemistry
Far be it for me not to mention myself. Psalm One’s Bio:Chemistry 1 was her crappiest artwork. Very dark color which made it a little hard to look at, but the fonts and the overall design were good. The picture was cool because she took it during her actual lunch break at the laboratory she worked at in college, and the photographer was a cutie. Ha. I definitely do dig her name looking like elements, though. That’s just the nerd in me. Pretty damn good album, too. But, truly, what was going on with her hair?

Psalm One’s Album Art Philosophy
Now, I ain’t no graphic designer or photographer or anything like that, but I do know what it is I look for in developing my own artwork. It’s simplicity – good color, good placement, very good photography and some sort of tie-in to the overall album as a musical piece. I also like to, if possible, look as cute as possible. No guns, well, mostly. No bikini. No bullshit. Thank you again for your time. Keep checking for me. Peace.

More covers:

Street Shots by Zach Slootsky. Random locations, Toronto, ON.
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One of the most well known creators of lifestyle jewelry today, at least in the streetwear realm, Jules Kim’s brand, Bijules, has graced the pages of some of the top fashion, as well as urban, magazines in print today, but there is rarely any discussion with Jules personally. Format thought it was time to give Jules some shine of her own.

Format: Can you give our readers a brief intro as to who Jules Kim is and what Bijules is all about?
Jules Kim: Jules Kim is me, and Bijules is my brand. I have run Bijules for over four years now and we produce lifestyle jewelry. “Lifestyle jewelry” is more or less a cheap shot way of saying that what you wear inspires, or is driven, from yourself, and your life. I know it is true when I wear my stuff. You feel complete in a way that is like making a statement without saying anything.

Format: When did it dawn on you that crafting jewelry would be your trade?
Jules: Four years ago when I worked for other designers, I realized I couldn’t work for anyone else; I couldn’t hustle something for anyone but myself and what I believed in. So, I decided that jewelry was my medium because of its enduring value and beauty.

Format: Has jewelry always been something you’ve dreamed about doing?
Jules: Hell Naw. The dream has been to follow it.

Format: Can you give us an example of what a typical day in Jules Kim’s shoes is like?
Jules: Wake up, get dressed like it matters. Head to first meeting at 10, second one at 11:30 in midtown. Head to diamond district to pick up wedding bands for clients. Get polished. 1:45 meeting in Nolita. Lunch with assistant, highly inspirational. 4pm meeting for first-exposure.net show in London. 6pm meeting at the Rivington for new art book project. 8:15pm appointment with business manager. 10pm party at stereo for kudu! After to stupid club that wont let us fucking cool people in, so then to East Village for more drinks. Then home. Sleep and repeat again until shit gets done.

Format: Pieces for your high-end lifestyle jewelry line, “Family Julz” are inspired by weaponry (i.e. samurai swords, AK-47’s, grenades). What made you want to do this theme for this particular line?
Jules: Bijules is lifestyle jewelry and when I designed this collection, at that moment our lives were filled with propaganda and war themes. It was not just a statement on our foreign policy, but also of our domestic state, and the people who inhabit it. We are constantly fighting within ourselves so I wanted to disarm that constant battle by designing pieces that “disarmed weaponry.” The second theme is of “empowering a woman” and how the beauty of a weapon can not harm but in fact embellish.

Format: In terms of design, are there other jewelry designers or designers in general, that have inspired you and your work?
Jules: Tom Binns. I don’t watch for people, I don’t imitate people. I originate my ideas and like to not be influenced by other designers. But I don’t hide or avoid seeing anyone else’s work. I believe that Gabriel and Osa are dope, because we are running parallel, and the collective conscience has to work together and not against one another.

Format: If you weren’t doing jewelry today, what do you think you’d be doing?
Jules: Never really think about “what if’s.” That translates to self doubt, which I just don’t have.

Format: What’s your absolute favorite Bijules piece that you’ve created?
Jules: Every one. Each one makes me happy. But I am physically attached to my gold bar ring. It’s my signature staple and I find myself doing stupid shit like weight lifting with it on. dork, I know. Even dorkier when I discovered it on and decided to leave it.

Format: What do you feel is the most difficult aspect in running Bijules?
Jules: Uh, money, give me some. And don’t ask for it back. And don’t ask for any creative control.

Format: If you were to craft the ultimate Bijules accessory what would it be?
Jules: Oh lord. The ultimate would be something I haven’t made or conceived yet. But runner up would be when I don’t have to pay for it a.k.a. someone else funds it and pays me.

Format: What can we expect from Bijules in the near future?
Jules: Bigger and Better. Black and White. Silver and Gold. Serpents and Teeth. Glass and Plastic. You get the picture.

Format: Can you give us a quick rundown on where our readers can get their hands on some Bijules accessories?
Jules: Hit up cultistshop.com and bijulesnyc.com. In NYC go to valley for Bijules and you can get a bikini wax at the same time.

Format: Any shout-outs or special announcements you’d like to give?
Jules: I have an entire family of shout-outs. Love to my love, Alessandro a.k.a. zuekphotography.com; brookenipar.com; kareemblack.com; sirhayes.com; cultistshop.com; good-peoples.com, first-exposure.net, and many others. We are developing amazing projects right now so stay tuned.

More Info: http://www.bijulesnyc.com

In 2005, Martha Cooper, Nika Kramer and Ana “Rokafella” Garcia opened a new chapter in hip-hop with We B Girlz, a comprehensive, fact-based account (in many respects, We B Girlz is a reference manual inside the b-girl world) of b-girls across the globe.

Photography authority, Martha Cooper, captures the raw essence of b-girls in their true form; sideways, upside down, right side up while popping and locking their inner emotions through the exterior art of break-dancing.

Writer, Nika Kramer, and Martha Cooper teamed up in 2004 and started documenting b-girls in Germany. Their exploration and love for b-girls had the duo meet women from several countries, in their search for the reason why b-girls perform. In their search an attitude is found – positive, negative and each unique to the individual b-girl. Spanish-Harlem born, Ana “Rokafella” Garcia writes a commanding introduction that dives into her come up in the break-dancing world, a come up that had its hardships physically, mentally and gender-wise.

We B Girlz could not be more comprehensive, in fact, hip-hop author, Jeff Chang, writes “This is going to be as important a book as Subway Art was to all of us back in the day.” We B Girlz covers more than back in the day and paves a firm foundation for future women and men in the break-dancing world. We B Girlz is a must have for any hip-hop enthusiast!