Fashion FWRD
Fashion Forward |— FWRD—>fashion
“BE You… Be FASHION… Be FWRD”
Rewind. <-
It was a midsummer night’s eve and the mood for the night was ‘fashion’. My best friend and I rolled into a quaint space in Houston’s Warehouse District (Ronin Art House) for a new magazine launch ran by Black creatives and a POC collective. The space was donned with prints of a segment called “Wears Your Denim?” which featured a conglomerate of models stylishly adorned in denim pieces and intricate poses. The music was low enough for conversation, and all around the room you were able to take Instagram worthy pictures. The people in the space all had their own interpretations of what to dress like and it fit the space perfectly: not too stuffy, not unimodal, and versatile - just like the magazine.
Fast FWRD -> to now.
It was a regular Tuesday evening at a local hookah lounge in Houston (The Local Seat) with soft R&B playing with patrons scattered across the space indulged in their own exchange of ideas. I peeped a duo sitting together engulfed in what seemed like a vibrant conversation and the two looked as interesting. In usual nature of the lounge, all visitors are welcome to join in with others and easily strike up conversation. I made my way over. Upon introduction, I found out they were having a business meeting to discuss the course of their next magazine issue and coordinating events. I instantly fell in love. They were the collaborative behind the brilliant magazine launch party I had visited the year prior. It was fate.
“My number one goal is to feature Black models and people of color in general.”
Have you been looking for a Black-owned magazine to sift through? Whether you want to still support a tangible copy that you can flip through or scroll through a digital catalog, FWRDfashion Magazine (pronounced Forward) is it! I had a chance to find out more about FWRD with the two creatives behind the magazine, D.Oliver (D Dot Oliver) [Founder] and Ashanti Ward [Co-Founder], to talk about their aesthetically appealing visuals and where they plan to take the magazine moving forward.
Ashanti Ward (left), D.Oliver (right)
Shot by: Vinh Luong @vinhluongstudios - Instagram
“This is fashion our way; No rules! ”
[Q] How did the two of you meet?
[A.W] Damion and I met at Texas Southern [University] when he was in undergrad. I worked in athletics and I was the cheer coach at the time…he end[ed] up trying out for cheer and we have been in each other’s lives ever since!
[D.O.] At the time I didn’t know by me walking into the office that she would remain in my life forever. [On] our first encounter we connected over so many things, but fashion was the thing that brought us closer together. We work together great as a team - there is no one else on this planet that I want as a partner other than Ashanti. She’s the needle to my thread! I love her dearly.
[Q] What drove the idea to come together to create this magazine?
[A.W.] Damion had been wanting to come out with a magazine since his early childhood years. We discussed in depth about his plan. Once we got the vision…it was on!
[D.O.] My first love was fashion. I decided to go against what everyone was saying about print journalism and create a magazine. I looked at Vogue, Elle, and Harper Bazaar trying to figure out how I could be more like those established publications. I was struggling to tell fashion through my eyes. I wanted the world to see how I can showcase style, creativity, and being charismatic through fashion. I started to research different fashion publications on this site [called] Issuu (www.Issuu.com). I paid attention to how [those] publications created content and how often, which allowed me to formulate my way and logic of thinking in creating this magazine.
[Q] What’s the target audience?
[D.O.] Everyone - young and old - loves fashion. I want to be able to reach every demographic there is. Let’s tell fashion stories that not only represent the young, but also the old.
[A.W.] This magazine is solely for “THE CULTURE”. We are very much a Black-owned business and a Black magazine, but we are creators and we understand all sides. The audience will engage in a wonderland of fashion fantasies and adventures. This is fashion our way; No rules!
[Q] What’s the meaning behind the title and how did you settle upon it? What about the logo?
[D.O.] When I think about fashion I’m always thinking about how fashion is always evolving in some way. I wanted a name that would show progression. Nothing shows progression like the word FORWARD, so I broke it down and came up with FWRD.
[A.W.] Damion is a simple, classic, yet also a flashy creative. When he was creating the logo some of the things we discussed were simplicity and color. He loves the color black, so that was a no brainer, but the white and black combo represents the black and white side of fashion (good angel/bad angel) - all up for interpretation.
[D.O.] The logo was created by accident. There was supposed to be an arrow in the middle of FWRD, but when I saved the file the arrow disappeared and there was this missing space. At first I was really disappointed but I looked at it again and I knew God made no mistakes - that missing space was put there for a reason. My logo was complete.
Photo provided by FWRDfashion Magazine
Shot by: Alejandro @titolikescats - Instagram
[Q] Are you planning on focusing on mainly black models? Does body type matter? Gender/sexuality?
[D.O.] My number one goal is to feature Black models and people of color in general. Skin color plays a significant role in the fashion industry. Fashion brands are now starting to see that people of color, especially Black people, are very vital to their success. They are using Black people for gimmicks and once they get what they want from us they tend to just throw us away like we haven’t increased the sales in their business. But to answer your question: Yes, FWRDfashion will mainly use Black and Brown models, all body sizes, and sexualities. I want everyone to be represented to the best of my abilities. There’s no discrimination what-so-ever.
[Q] What’s your favorite part about working on this project?
[A.W.] All of the new people that we get to meet. People are my thing!
[D.O.] Seeing the excitement of others being a part of what I created. People believed in me more than I believed in myself and this motivated me to put my blood, sweat, and tears into this project.
[Q] What do you want people to feel when we flip through the magazine?
[D.O.] I want our audience to be able to transport into what they see in our magazine. I want our readers to be inspired and motivated to do the very thing that they might be afraid to do. I want our readers to see that there are people who look like them are making a change in an industry that doesn’t allow much change due to the views of society. Most of all, I want our reads to feel accepted.
[A.W.] Inspired, creative, and more fashion “FWRD”. It’s important that people have their own interpretation of the magazine.
A photo from the “Wears Your Denim?” segment of FWRDfashion
shot by: Vinh Luong @vinhluongstudios - Instagram
[Q] What sets FWRD apart from other magazines?
[A.W.] This magazine and project was done with a team of two (2) people. Our focus is to get exposure to the following: creatives, models, designers, and photographers that usually don't get the exposure they deserve. This magazine is very special and we can’t wait to show you more.
[D.O.] [We] see a need to tell, or better yet, include the voices of people who are trying to get recognized in the fashion industry. People from all walks of life who are in love with fashion don’t believe they have equal representation in this industry and I can agree with that. It’s now time that we see everyone and become more inclusive. I want FWRDfashion to be the first to do the things [people] said could never happen: defy the odds of creating and embrace the change that is happening slowly. I want to expedite the evolution of the culture and how things are branded in fashion without saying it’s sheer sensationalism.
[Q] Does working in fashion in Houston prove to be difficult?
The two emphatically exclaimed “yes” before both going into their own responses.
[A.W.] Hells yea! Most of the fashion scene in Houston is very uptight and dismissing. Everyone thinks they can model, take photos, or makes clothes. These are talents that cannot be rushed! You absolutely have to study your craft. It's also levels to this fashion ish.
[D.O.] If I [could] scream ‘yes’ from the mountain tops I would. I knew the journey wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t know it would be this hard. I’ve been living in Houston going on 7 years and for this city to be the 4th largest city in the country that’s still growing, the fashion industry is lacking here tremendously. There’s so much talent here in Houston, from the models, designers, photographers, make-up artists, and creative directors and fashion [isn’t] thriving as it should be. One reason why is because the lack of collaboration. Most people who are in the fashion industry here stick to who they know and what they know. Sometimes that isn’t a bad thing but when you see other people trying to make [it], just lend a helping hand. That helping hand can lift you up as well.
[Q] Do we have anything to look forward to in the coming year?
[D.O.] Absolutely. Right now we are currently in a stage of producing more content than ever. From creating digital issues, web-series, and networking events. I want to give you guys a little insight as to what exactly we will be doing, but just know we are about to push the envelope from here on out.
[A.W.] Oh, goodness, yes! We are so excited to introduce some digital projects that we have coming up and we have more content and issues on the way.
[Q] If there was one word or phrase to describe FWRD Fashion Mag, what would it be?
[A.W.] Bullseye.
D.Oliver took a moment to think and began to express his thoughts, which was followed by a chuckle.
[D.O.] Honestly, I can’t limit FWRDfashion down to one word or phrase. Although we have a mission statement that states to “BE You… Be FASHION… Be FWRD”, [there’s] so much that can describe FWRDfashion. At this moment we are still in the process of figuring out what more FWRDfashion can be. So, in like a year, ask me that question again and I’ll have a better answer for you.
Progressive. Creative. Inclusive.
In recounting the event in the summer with my best friend we made our own phrase for FWRDfashion Magazine. That phrase is: “a melting pot of fashion”. With a magazine that says goodbye to a table of contents, can walk you through all types of looks in one issue, and gives you a fresh perspective and different interpretations through photography and design this magazine gives us a melting pot of fashion with each flip of the page. Be sure to look out for this magazine and get melted in as they stir up the fashion editorial scene.
We went on to talk about other things about their future endeavors and spoke on the fashion scenes in Houston, as well as shared some jokes and laughs. Above all else, the interaction was overwhelmingly amazing and the two left a lasting impression on my soul. For more info on other people behind the magazine and to view what they’ve got going on at FWRDfashion, feel free to visit their site at www.fwrdfashion.com . If you wish to view their first publication in digital form, you can find it here: https://issuu.com/fwrdfashion/docs/fwrdfashion .
Founder of FWRDfashion Magazine, Ashanti Ward
Co-Founder of FWRDfashion Magazine, Ashanti Ward
Don’t forget to follow these two visionaries on social media!
Instagram:
D.Oliver: @_d.oliver
Ashanti: @1m_alwayz_busy
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- Begum, over and out! ;)
I do not own any copyrights to images used. Images provided by FWRDFashion Magazine
(c) 2019 Aisha Begum | BegumsMind.com