RECLMD ISSUE NO. 1 (Donation Based)

ISSUE NO. O1

FEATURING MAEVA KOMENAN, JEFFREY ALMONTE, SHINY LIU, AND BRYAN HERNANDEZ PHOTOGRAPHED BY JO BAILON "AUTONOMOUS ARTIST" MEGAN MENDOZA

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CONTENTS

02 EDITOR'S LETTER 03 THE RECLAMATION OF FASHION 04 SHINY LIU 12 JEFFREY ALMONTE 20 MAEVA KOMENAN 28 BRYAN HERNANDEZ 36 THE CONTRIBUTORS 39 AUTONOMOUS ARTIST: MEGAN MENDOZA

40% OF YOUR PURCHASE PROCEEDS GO TO GHETTO FILM SCHOOL: "AN ORGANIZATION SOLVING THE REPRESENTATION PROBLEM IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY, WITH PROGRAMS THAT DELIVER THE EDUCATION, ACCESS AND SUPPORT YOUNG, DIVERSE CREATIVES NEED TO SUCCEED".

02

EDITOR'S LETTER

WELCOME TO RECLMD’S VERY FIRST ISSUE, ENTIRELY PRODUCED BY BIPOC ARTISTS AND CREATIVES. AS A BLACK LATINA ARTIST MYSELF, ONE OF MY GREATEST JOYS IS IN PROVIDING A PLATFORM FOR INDEPENDENT ARTISTS OF COLOR TO SHARE THEIR JOURNEYS AND INSPIRE EACH OTHER. I’M HONORED TO FEATURE OUR FIRST “AUTONOMOUS ARTIST”, AND LOVING FRIEND OF MINE, MEGAN MENDOZA.

THIS EDITORIAL PHOTO STORY, THE RECLAMATION OF FASHION, IS INCREDIBLY DEAR TO ME, AS IT HAS BEEN A DREAM OF MINE TO REDEFINE THE FASHION INDUSTRY’S BEAUTY STANDARDS SINCE I BEGAN PURSUING A MODELING CAREER OVER 5 YEARS AGO. FEATURING MAEVA KOMENAN, JEFFREY ALMONTE, SHINY LIU, AND BRYAN HERNANDEZ, THIS FIRST ISSUE ONLY SCRATCHES THE SURFACE IN REPRESENTING THE SPECTRUM OF BEAUTY HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED FROM FASHION AND POPULAR CULTURE.

I’D ARGUE THAT BEAUTY IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE, BUT ABOUT HOW YOU SHOW UP AS A CONTRIBUTOR TO SOCIETY. I’D ARGUE THAT BEING A MODEL IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE, BUT ABOUT HOW CONFIDENT YOU ARE IN YOUR UNIQUE AUTHENTICITY. I’D ARGUE THAT FASHION IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE, BUT ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL WHEN EXPERIENCING IT.

WITH EACH PUBLICATION, I HOPE TO RECLAIM WHAT IT TRULY MEANS TO HAVE ‘INCLUSIVE’ IMAGES CIRCULATING OUR CULTURE, AND DESIGN A WORLD IN WHICH NORMALLY TOKENIZED IDENTITIES ARE ACKNOWLEDGED AS STARS OF THE SHOW INSTEAD. I HOPE THESE PHOTOGRAPHS AND INTERVIEWS INSPIRE YOU TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE BEAUTY, POWER, AND POTENTIAL WITHIN YOURSELF AND OTHERS REGARDLESS OF THE LIMITING IDEOLOGIES IMPOSED UPON US.

CARO GUZMAN, FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR @ RECLMD

03

The RECLAMATION of FASHION

04

SHINY

LIU

Describe what your selfacceptance journey has been like.

I think for me, I'm making sure every day I wake up, and I know that I'm doing what I feel is true to me. And what I feel is right to me.

It's definitely been an ongoing process. It's not something that ever stops. I think it's being able to adapt to your current situation, your current mind frame, your current worldview of things, and being able to align yourself with that always. I think as humans, we all go through phases of things. And you always have to adapt, like, where am i right now?

And what do I have to do right now to be true to who I am? And I think as you grow, that answer changes.

So going about life in a way to make sure I'm aligned with my current self is how things have been kind of going.

How do you think representation in fashion has influenced your perception of self?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having specific standards or having specific ideals, but I think when we only see one specific ideal, we kind of forget that there's everything else that exists. And I think it makes us a little self critical of ourselves when we don't fit that mold.

We start to compare ourselves to this one single standard, which we're all different, so it's not a good standard.

We all look different. We all go through different struggles. And having this one image that we all try to compare ourselves with, becomes very unhealthy and becomes a very negative thing for us.

So I think, to be able to have more diversity would be a reminder to us that we're all different. And it's okay to be different. It's okay to have things you struggle with. We're all working on different things, and we're all on a different journey.

When do you feel most confident?

I feel the most confident when I fully accept myself at my current state. Not that I think it's ideal or perfect, or I love it 100%. But just coming to terms with it and saying, Okay, this is my current state.

Like, right now what I'm currently struggling with is like, I don't know if it's developing some sort of skin rash, eczema, I'm not really sure. But my rash, I'm like losing a little bit of hair.

Skin has always been a big thing. Acne has always been a big thing. So kind of working with it, accepting it for what it is, not trying to hide it.

We tend to go black and white, like, Oh, no, like, this is SO bad, I can't go outside with this. I can't see anyone when I’m like this.

It releases you from everything, you don't hold yourself back from doing things.

Because you've accepted this part of your life that you put so much weight, you put so much value, and thought and time into it.

But when you can finally let go of that you let go of all the barriers that you set up for yourself.

All the uncomfortable emotions, they're valid, and they make sense. But I think most of the times, it's in our head, like we think of what other people will think of us.

They're gonna think we're this and they're gonna think we're ugly, and they're gonna think XY and Z. But in reality, you're just thinking about yourself, and nobody is thinking about that. It's like, Oh, she has acne. Okay, like, it hasn't it's not their skin.

So they don't care about it as much as the person having it cares about it.

So, coming to terms with what you're struggling with and allowing the world to see it, too. And that boosts my confidence knowing that 'Okay, this is me'.

SHINY She/Her

12

JEFFREY

ALMONTE

Describe what your selfacceptance journey has been like.

What would you like to see improve in the fashion industry?

For me, self acceptance has definitely been a journey in and of itself, I think, growing up, I was very insecure, I was very shy and very muted. And then, as I've grown older, I kind of learned to love myself and really embrace who I am, embrace aspects of my femininity and my androgyny and who I am as an individual. So I think, with time, I've learned to accept and love myself, despite what others may think, or what others may say.

I think, in fashion, we see a lot of the times, designers tend to be gay men, or, you know, individuals who make up the LGBTQ community. However, a lot of the times the models and the bodies that are used to portray the art tend to be white, cis women or men. So I think it's important in fashion, to have people of all different walks of life being represented, because a lot of the times it's marketed to a specific demographic, and it excludes a lot of people. So I think it's really important to kind of, you know, extend that everyone because, ultimately, we're all consuming it.

I think it's really important as a person who is queer person of color, to, to kind of learn to accept oneself, because a lot of the times we aren't celebrated in the media, you don't really see a lot of us unless it's like we're used as a token for a pride campaign or something like that.

So I think it's, it's easier for like you said, a lot of people who are white and cis to see themselves reflected back in the media and, and be accepted. So I think for people like us, it's a little bit more difficult.

I think if you genuinely preach inclusivity you have to be open to to everyone, no matter the differences that that person might have.

What thoughts and emotions, positive or negative, came up for you while you were on set for "The Reclamation of Fashion"?

I'm not gonna lie. Coming into it, I was very nervous, just because it was my first time doing any modeling or anything like that standing in front of a camera. So I was definitely very nervous.

But honestly, after getting to talk to all of you guys on set, and just being around everyone, I felt very instantly very welcomed. And it was a very comforting environment for me. I felt very comfortable, I felt very seen, represented, and ultimately celebrated. Each and every single one of us that worked on that project, we all uplifted each other and we all celebrated each other.

JEFFREY He/Him

20

MAEVA

KOMENAN

Describe what your self-acceptance journey has been like.

My self acceptance journey has been, the first word that comes to mind is unexpected. I feel like we kind of go through life assuming that we accept ourselves, you know, I've been in this body for almost 30 years now. So I didn't think that I needed to accept myself, you know, because I am myself.

So, going through changes and understanding that even though I have lived in this body for this long, I've made decisions, I've existed, doesn't necessarily mean that I've known myself or accepted myself.

In times, where I would get really lost, and not really understand why I was in a specific mental space, understanding that I had to give myself the kind of kindness that I give to others has been really helpful.

I’ve discovered more than anything that I have to be nice to myself. I have to be kind to myself, more than anything else.

What would you like to see improve in the fashion industry?

What I would like to see improve is true visibility.

Don't bullshit us. Don't throw a couple people here and there. Move with the times. We're here! Like, we're not going anywhere.

You know, whether we're disabled, whether we're non-binary, whether we're plus, we're here, we're shining, we don't give a damn. So it's like, stop fighting it and just let us in. Because what's going to happen is we're going to overturn it. Like, either let us in, join us now, or you're just going to be over there with nothing, because we're going to take over regardless.

How do you think the fashion industry has influenced your perception of self?

I don't know how big of an influence it has had on me.

Because the truth is, the actual fashion industry is still pretty damn, I don't know if I can curse, but fucked up.

It's not much representation at all. You know, the Vogues, the big names, and all of that still doesn't really represent me. You have five people who somewhat resemble me, but not even.

They represent maybe my skin tone, you know, that's probably the most that I feel represented, or somebody who's slightly curvy. And that's a person who’s like a size 10 with big boobs.

But seeing that there is a platform for people who do look like me [on social media] who are into fashion, who are influential has had a huge influence on my self esteem and my self worth. It's life saving, honestly, you know, because it's just really hard being a plus size dark skinned woman, you know, and being African.

I always say, because I've never necessarily hated myself, you know, I always said that my self-esteem issues were never mine. They were just imposed on me. I've always been made aware of my weight. It wasn't a thing for me, but everybody else, it was a thing for, you know. I never had an issue with myself, I just had an issue with how the world responded to me because they were told that I wasn't good enough.

And then you hit a certain point where you realize, whoa, I actually need more help. Like, yes, I'm strong, I feel beautiful. But I actually do need to see myself in commercials, I actually do need to see myself on TV actually, you know? And once you do start to see it even on a small set, even in YouTubers having their own little shows and stuff like that, it means everything. It really does. Because now you don't feel like you're just this unicorn that has to carry this whole thing on their shoulders. You're like, 'I'm just a normal ass person.

What thoughts and emotions, positive or negative, came up for you while you were on set for The Reclamation of Fashion?

Oh, that's a good one. Because a lot came up actually. Surprisingly, there weren't any negative ones. I thought it was going to be nothing but negative thoughts.

I said yes to it because I told myself, if somebody believes in me to be in something, that is not my place to say no, you know, so I said yes. But the entire time I was freaking out. I was freaking out. And then I got there. I felt just at home. It felt just so natural. It felt so good.

Like, I went home and I was just like, well, how can I do this more? I remember tweeting, 'Can I start a modeling career at 30?'

What would you like to see improve in the fashion industry?

What I would like to see improve is true visibility.

Don't bullshit us. Don't throw a couple people here and there. Move with the times. We're here! Like, we're not going anywhere.

You know, whether we're disabled, whether we're non-binary, whether we're plus, we're here, we're shining, we don't give a damn. So it's like, stop fighting it and just let us in. Because what's going to happen is we're going to overturn it. Like, either let us in, join us now, or you're just going to be over there with nothing, because we're going to take over regardless.

It just felt natural, it felt empowering. Felt exciting. It made me realize how much I do enjoy being in front of the camera. Just as much as I love being behind the camera, you know?

Yeah, it honestly was one of the best experiences I've had all year. Not only the experience but the people that were brought together. There was not one single person that made me feel uncomfortable. Everyone there made me feel uplifted and proud and powerful.

It was just, it was beautiful.

MAEVA She/Her

28

BRYAN

HERNANDEZ

Describe what your selfacceptance journey has been like.

My self-acceptance journey has been a long one.

I definitely think that growing up, I maybe unintentionally fit myself to whatever standards were in the media or that I heard about growing up. So when I realized that I wasn't like everyone else that I saw, who I thought I needed to be like, I did feel a little bit down on myself or disappointed. I didn't understand why I wasn't like everybody else.

But through life and through experience, I learned that who I am is perfectly fine. Because I shouldn't have to fit no mold. If anything, I shouldn't break it because I am my own person. I am an individual.

How do you think representation in fashion has influenced your perception of self?

Seeing who the industry has been run by for so long, I immediately thought ‘oh, white is right’. I need to speak this way, look that way, in order to have some type of fitting in the industry.

But I’m glad we’re in a new age where we have so many black and creators of color, breaking into the industry and just changing things up so that it can educate the next generation and let them know that the fashion industry isn't run by like, one person. It's a whole industry.

So we all have input as to what's going on, as to what's trending and it's no secret that people of color, more specifically Black people, we set the standard and they just try to follow us and try to replicate it. But there is no comparison--you cannot do cannot outdo the doer. Come on now.

What thoughts and emotions, positive or negative, came up for you while you were on set for "The Reclamation of Fashion"?

It was so surreal. It was my first time doing any type of modeling, and I felt so comfortable just to be me in the space. And I think what was even more exciting, was being in a space of Latinos, and Black and Brown people. I didn't feel uncomfortable at all, like I was just me, and nobody looked at me weird. Nobody batted an eye.

I think that at least in my mind, when I thought about modeling, I thought it was all these tall Amazonian women that don't eat and oh, nobody can talk to them. They're untouchable.

But nah, we were just regular shmegular people there. And we still BODIED. Helloooo.

BRYAN He/Him

What would you like to see improve in the fashion industry?

I would like to see more inclusivity like, I know that we're in a time where everyone's speaking up and companies are trying to be more diverse but that is not enough.

That doesn't just go from in front of the scenes, like, I want to see diversity behind the scenes. I want to see just different voices being heard like having one Black or one LGBT or one Asian model in a lineup of 20?

That's not enough like I want to see hairstylists, designers, just everybody who is involved in some way, I want to see that amplified and see more voices being heard.

What do you love most about yourself?

I think that it would be my positive attitude. I am very outgoing, but I also do get shy. Like walking into The Reclamation of Fashion...I was so scared, but what I love about me is I'm not gonna let my fear stop me. And I think that's what's gotten me far in life. I can walk into a room, and you will never know how scared I am. Because if I'm here, I'm here to work a room, I’m here to network, I'm going to get the job done. So I love how positive, how outgoing I can be, how social, because closed mouths don't get fed. And I'm here to talk it up.

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THE CONTRIBUTORS

THE CONTRIBUTORS OF ISSUE NO. I

BRIA N R OJAS

JO B A I L ON

CINE M A T OGRAPHE R

PHOT O G R APHER

AMAD A P ENELOPE

CARO G U ZMAN

PROD U C E R

ART D I R ECTOR

FFVNC

LI-S H A N J ORDAN

JENN T A CHA

STYL I S T A SSISTANT

STYL I S T

TARI N A MEADERS

RUBE N S T. VILUS

MUA

CAME R A ASSISTAN T

FFVNC

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AUTONOMOUS ARTIST

AU·TON·O·MOUS ART·IST (noun)

AN ARTIST WHO EMBODIES AUTHORITY OVER THEIR CREATIVE EXPRESSION WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM EXTERNAL FORCES. "I don't wait for 'gatekeepers' to tell me when and what I create-I'm an autonomous artist"

PHOTOGRAPHER ARIA GOODMAN HAIR & STYLING CIARA RODRIGUEZ

MEGAN

MENDOZA

"MY EXISTENCE IS ART - AN INEVITABLE TRUTH GIFTED TO US FROM BIRTH THAT INEVITABLY WE LOSE, LIKE THE INNOCENCE THAT ACCOMPANIES IT. FOR THIS REASON I CREATE, TO BRING US BACK, TO BRING US HOME. EACH OF MY PROJECTS REFLECTS THE LIVES I’VE LIVED, THE LIES I’VE LIVED AND THE WARS I’VE WON. BEFORE I TRULY STEPPED INTO MYSELF, I SHED MY OUTER LAYER WHICH WAS TETHERED WITH SO MANY LESSONS FROM MY PAST LIFE & CAREER AS AN ICU NURSE. I BELIEVE THE BIGGEST GIFT I CAN GIVE TO THE WORLD NOW IS THE MESSAGE OF EMPOWERMENT & LOVE. I’VE SPENT INTIMATE MOMENTS WITH BOTH HARDSHIP AND STRUGGLE AND AT THE END OF EVERY AFFAIR I AM REMINDED THAT LIBERATION FROM PAST SELVES IS ULTIMATE FREEDOM. BE FREE X" -MEGAN (SHE/HER)

Untethered //

If I spend too long, fidgeting in the file cabinets of my mind, I lose sight Of which thoughts Are actually mine. but I don’t have ownership No deed to the fleeting thoughts, When I finally create From my imaginate I yearn to release it As quickly as it came I scribble nervous thoughts My paint strokes are anxious too Every product, I produce Begins in the darkness of I don’t know what the fuck to do, I don't know how, Maybe i'm a narcissist.

I call it art & gift it to the world I'm really just In search of freedom I'm running from myself. the monsters are supposed to Live beneath the bed But I’m all 'grown up now', & they’ve moved inside my head.

I tell stories so The world feels smaller, I hug strangers So they aren’t stranger I challenge popular opinion because rules feel like prison because fuck asking for permission To be a human, because everything is art & as I share the contents of myself I share my softest parts.

I reach within and bypass all of My screaming traumas To caress, little me Te amo mamas.

TO FOLLOW AND PURCHASE MEGAN'S ART @MEGINATOR X @STUFFFIMAKE

DISRUPTING AND TRANSCENDING THE LIMITATIONS OF OUR WORLD