Coffea Flair Fashion Issue

COFFEA r i a l F Issue 3

More Than Basketball

Getting to Know Ishmail Wainright

NYFW Designers

to Watch This Season

COFFEA lair F

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WHAT IS COFFEA FLAIR COLLECTIVE?

WHAT IS COFFEA FLAIR COLLECTIVE?

CONTENTS

15

FASHION - NYFW Designers to Watch

21

BEAUTY - Hair Brands You Should Follow

24

LIFESTYLE - Getting to Know Ishmail Wainright

32

BEHIND THE SCENES - Interview With Singer, Songwriter, Creative Noa

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The Coffea Flair Team Founder and Editor in Chief - NaTyshca Pickett Creative Director & Photographer - Elijah Mackey Stylist for Ishmail Wainright - Star Campbell Stylist for Nafishatu Isha Turay - Lamika Jerry Hair for Nafishatu Isha Turay - Shayla Bess Makeup - Makeup By Mary Model - Nafishatu Isha Turay Journalists: Markel Collins, K. Muhammad

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Collection Piece: Liputa Swagga

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NYFW Designers Black fashion pioneers and African-American designers such as Zelda Wynn Valdes and Stephen Burrows have used their talent to build a name for themselves in a highly competitive Eurocentric and largely white business throughout history. Black innovators continue to have an impact on global fashion and raise awareness about BIPOC prospects in the industry today.

EMMA OKYERE N A I L A H LY M U S

CHELSEA B

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About...

Emma Okyere Emma Okyere is the CEO and Creative Director of Modern Natured. Emma, who has over 15 years of experience in the hair care industry, chose to start Modern Natured, her beauty retail store, because she saw a tremendous need for it and knew she would do it using all of the gifts that God had given her.

Representation is very important to her, and she wanted to provide a platform for herself and others in the beauty industry to promote and sell excellent beauty goods in a non-traditional yet creative way.

Chelsea B Chelsea B is a textile artist and streetwear designer from the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. It was natural for her to develop a love of art at a young age. In May 2019, she graduated with a B.F.A. in surface design and textiles with a minor in fashion design. Since then, she has established House of Chelsea B, her own studio business where she creatively merges the craft of crocheting with streetwear design.

Nailah Lymus At the young age of 7, Nailah Lymus started building a jewelry collection and embarked on a career in fashion. In 2004, she created her clothes and accessory collection as a result of her ongoing fascination for all things fashion. Lymus has now merged her two passions for modest dressing and fashion, founding the first Muslim and modest female modeling business.

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BRANDS YOU WISH YOU KNEW

The Jawned Collection

XULY.Bët

2xSpex Eyewear

Gold Sunday - 18 -

Rendoll

Baggituppp

hair

These products are great for all hair types.

MELANIN HAIRCARE: With moisturizing ingredients like aloe vera, argan oil, and baobab seed oil, the Multiusage Softening Leave-In Conditioner will quickly win you over after only one usage.

CURLS DYNASTY: In 2014, Nickie Nougaisse founded Curls Dynasty and developed the company's first product, the Organic Oil Blend, in her home. Since then, she has developed a comprehensive line of natural hair care products for the line's flagship brand.

Cocoa Mint Moisture Rich Shampoo is a sulfate-free, moisturising shampoo with a nozzle tip for precise scalp application.

GLOW BY DAYE: Glow by Daye has some of the most adorable bonnet designs, such as the Lavender Thai Satin Bonnet. Founder Ranay Daye modernized the classic bonnet by adding an adjustable drawstring.

You can relax it for more room for your braids or twists and tighten it for extra protection while sleeping. Conditioning caps and hood dryer bonnets are also available from the company.

KOSA PROFESSIONALS: The company's founder, Yummie O, has two cosmetics lines to her name. In 2012, she also established Kosa Professionals in addition to Yummy Extensions. Hot tools, such as flatirons and blow dryers, are the company's specialty; they are offered in either black or pink. The widths of the flatirons are 0.5, 1 and 1.75 inches.

G E T T I N G T O K N OW I S H M A I L WA I N R I G H T

By Markel Collins

Photographer - Elijah Mackey

There’s a lot of glitz and glam that comes with playing on the NBA stage. It’s easy to look at one of the biggest games in the world and assume that each player had a straight and narrow path to the league.

For Ishmail Wainright that was not the case. As a four-star basketball prospect coming out of high school, he went on to play four seasons at Baylor University where he was a key contributor to much of their success.

Although that was the start of his basketball career, it’s not the only game that took Wainright’s interest. While playing basketball for Baylor, he also played as a tight end for the university’s

football program. “I stepped out of my comfort zone,” said Wainright, “There were a lot of guys that I knew about that went from basketball to football, so I was like why not? And my teammate Rico Gathers did it.”

While this wasn’t an easy transition, it wasn’t anything new to him as he came from a competitive family that played multiple sports outside of basketball including track, tennis, baseball, and swimming.

After signing a minicamp NFL contract with the Buffalo Bills, Wainright was cut at the end of camp and he talked about his thoughts behind it.

Models - Ishmail Wainright and Nafishatu Isha Turay Photographer - Elijah Mackey

"I wasn't angry or upset; I was disappointed in myself. But then I got on the bus and watched all of the young men who have been playing football their entire lives, they didn't come from basketball, they've been playing football their entire lives, and I saw them be cut as well. Then I realized that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

who recently passed away. “He impacted me big time, especially giving back to the community. That wasn’t something that he did for a job that was something that he loved. It was his passion for helping generation, after generation, after generation,” said Wainright. “He tried to make Kansas City a better city but he was Superman, that's my Superman.”

Seven days later Wainright got back to what he loved the most as he packed his bags and was off to Germany to continue pursuing his basketball dreams of making it to the NBA. Before he left he made a promise to himself that he was going to play two or three years overseas before he made his way back to the NBA. This was yet another huge step and an otherworldly experience for Wainright as he had to adjust to everything that playing overseas had to offer.

Being on the path that Wainright has been on up to this point in his career, it is always good to look ahead to what is next.

Wainright has indicated a coaching career if and when he decides to step away from the court.

“I adapted to the culture over there, the language barrier, food, the way they drive, and realizing the sacrifice I was making,” Wainright said, as he was reminiscing on his time in Germany. After his third year Covid hit, but he eventually ended up making his way into the NBA with the Toronto Raptors and shortly after ended up with the Phoenix Suns on a two-way contract. Wainright has been on a journey that would’ve broken most people. When asked who impacted him the most both on and off the court he mentioned his dad,

Fashion is something that Wainright is into as well, when asked if he can see himself in the fashion space he said, “If that’s possible.” He went on to say, “I don’t mind stepping out of my comfort zone now and then, especially with this fashion stuff it’s dope.” Wainright recently held his first annual “Cars & Kicks” event in Phoenix which showcased some of the best cars and sneakers around Phoenix. This event was a coloration of the two passions that he has outside of basketball.

This is not surprising since Wainright mentioned that shoes are the centerpiece when he is picking out an outfit. When it comes to the shoes that he likes to wear both on and off the court, he prefers the Kobe 5’s, 6’s, and the ADs on the court and

Not afraid to step out of his comfort zone, Ishmail takes up modeling as his latest venture, as seen here posing for his latest fashion campaign. Photographer - Elijah Mackey

Jordan 1’s off the court, he also picked up a collection of Dunks when that wave came.

Along with this love for fashion and cars, Wainright, just like his father, is passionate about giving back to his community. He recently co-hosted The Winner’s Circle Community event, where he held a basketball workshop for the youth in his hometown of Kansas City.

When asked what he would tell his younger self looking back on his journey now he said “Be patient even more… seize every opportunity given to you… Don’t trip about what everybody has to say about you. That can take a toll on people so don’t look for validation from anybody you know what you do.”

This is the same advice he gives to young people today.

Cyn & Tysh Fashion Accessories

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Celebrating Black Contributors in fashion.

Behind the Scenes with singer, songwriter, creative Noa

By NaTyshca Pickett

Rising Star, Noa, is a seasoned vocalist, music composer, and songwriter, and she is now pursuing a degree in Music Education at Georgia State University.

She is also an accomplished instrumentalist. She is working toward getting certified to teach music to students in grades kindergarten through twelve using fundamental instruments like the guitar and the piano. Noa devotes most of her time to musicrelated activities.

She comes from a family of composers and musicians. “I've been singing since I was little and have been surrounded by music and the arts my entire life. It’s a part of who I am and everything my family embodies. My father and mother were both musicians. My mother, for example, was a singer-songwriter. She was in my father's band and sang in churches and other places. And then there's my father, who writes songs, produces music, and plays a few instruments. And I've only recently learned from them,” Noa explains.

Her three siblings are also musicians and songwriters. Noa places a high value on family and includes her family members in the process of her production. Her older sister is also a musician, composer, and producer in her own right. She has two younger sisters who are active in the music industry. The first is a visual artist who is currently researching the creation of video games, while the second is a pianist who aspires to follow in Noa's musical footsteps.

When she is not studying music at school, she is most likely in the studio collaborating with her father, who is

also her producer. Because Noa has been releasing music since she was a teenager, her father has been a significant influence on the development of Noa's talent.

“With my father being my manager and producer, I’ve learned so much about growing my brand and the industry. It has definitely made me a better performer,” Noa said.

Noa's go-to artists to listen to these days include Keisha Cole, Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, HER, Kehlani, Summer Walker, and many more! In the not-too-distant future, you may anticipate her collection to offer a diverse array of musical styles. Her style has the potential to evolve into its own subgenre. Speaking of style, she gets a lot of her inspiration from her sister, who

loves fashion, whereas Noa, an introvert at heart, favors more of the Emo Fashion Style.

“I really have more of a Billie Eilish look and love wearing big t-shirts and all black. I’m trying to add more color to my wardrobe, which is where my sister comes in because my music doesn’t reflect my personal style and I want to make sure that shows through my music,” Noa expressed.

Noa's story is one of a kind since she has triumphed over a great deal of difficulty. She did not let the difficulties defeat her; rather, they served to stoke the flames of her determination.

“Being a young person who understands the importance of mental health, I try to create music that shares a message and let my audience know that they are not alone, no matter what their struggles are.”

Because she believes that life itself is the finest teacher, she strives to cultivate an attitude of gratitude that enables her to find beauty in all parts of her life, both the positive and the negative. This is only one of the numerous reasons why her music is so motivational and approachable to a wide audience. As a result of the challenges she overcame at an early age, she is now able to set a positive example for others both on and off the stage.

Her music is the ultimate demonstration of the love that she has for herself, and she does it in the hopes that it will encourage others to love themselves regardless of the circumstances.

You can find her music on all streaming platforms, as well as her YouTube page Noa's Voice.

s ' a No e c i Vo

The Face Beaters

e Face Beaters

BY K . M U H A M M A D

Black makeup artists play a vital and impactful role in the fashion industry, contributing to its diversity, creativity, and cultural relevance. Here's how their contributions make a difference: Diverse Representation: Black makeup artists bring a nuanced understanding of the diverse range of skin tones, textures, and features within the Black community. They help ensure that models of all backgrounds are properly represented on the runway and in fashion campaigns. This helps challenge traditional beauty standards and promotes a more inclusive and representative industry.

Expertise in Darker Skin Tones: Black makeup artists are adept at working with a wide spectrum of skin tones, from the lightest to the darkest. Their expertise in using products and techniques that enhance the beauty of darker skin tones is crucial for achieving flawless and appealing looks for models of color.

Cultural Sensitivity: Fashion often draws inspiration from various cultures, and Black makeup artists can provide valuable insights to ensure that cultural elements are respectfully incorporated into makeup looks. Their cultural sensitivity helps avoid appropriation and misrepresentation, contributing to authentic and meaningful artistic expressions.

Setting Trends: Black makeup artists have been at the forefront of setting beauty trends that cater to a global audience. Their creativity and innovative approaches to makeup application, color combinations, and techniques influence the industry's direction and contribute to the evolution of beauty standards.

Pushing Boundaries: Black makeup artists have challenged traditional norms by experimenting with unconventional colors, textures, and styles. Their willingness to push boundaries and explore new avenues of makeup artistry encourages the industry to embrace fresh and exciting approaches.

Client Makeup done by Oluwaseun Falade

Model - Aséma Adeoluwayemi Hamera Makeup Artist - Kymberli Williams

Makeup done by Danielle Devonn

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