the story itself: Elliot, who’s my brother, went out to encounter the physical embodiment of his past, to make peace with it. He has now come back to the family – I guess he was like a torchbearer – and said, ‘OK, this is what is ahead as a family. We must now all prepare for this journey that we are about to go on.’ The four sets are the four stages of preparation for this journey. There is ‘Meditation & Self-Reflection, then there is ‘Combat’ – so more of the typical fighting montage prep. Then there is the ‘Gathering’ section, which is the gathering side of hunting and gathering – necklace making, cooking, hanging fish. The last one is a ‘Learning’ area which is more scholarly. I am looking at that one as the people who note down important parts of history and plot out where we are going, so that everything is detailed and in order. You also incorporate your Black identity into your work as well. Yaku Stapleton : Fashion is really tricky – as is anything – being Black, because I am able to provide my own perspective, but then not many of us get to cut through and speak to more people. In your head you also feel responsible to do a good job and not just commodify your Blackness. You would hope that at least there is the opportunity for people to understand that. We can express ourselves, it’s something we’re good at, but there’s also pain that comes with that, and I don’t want to commodify Blackness and people see it as just hope. They need to understand that there is pain that comes with that. So it’s not a flattened experience. Yaku Stapleton : It is tricky though. I think trying to work that out as a person, but also design at the same time, and to then channel that into clothing, will take much more time. How do you

We're continuing full steam ahead on our journey to discover our personal style and learning how to better express ourselves through our clothing. While we emphasize dressing uniquely, sometimes we find that looking at how other people dress can be beneficial. After all, all the writers, architects, and artists who made history began by learning from and drawing inspiration from those who came before them. In this article, we'll take a look at six local artists from Ankara that we believe could inspire you. From DJs to tattoo artists, in this blog post where a variety of creative minds come together, we'll explore how we can creatively express our personalities. From shoes to tattoos, from necklaces to haircuts, from eyebrow styling to piercings, we hope these colorful and lively individuals will inspire you.

Hello loves! In this journey that will help us find our style and learn to express ourselves comfortably and uniquely through our clothes, our first stop is the vintage shops in Ankara. We must ensure that our closets contain pieces that make us happy to create outfits that reflect ourselves and make us feel good. If your closet lacks those pieces, don’t worry. Because, “Get in loser, we are going shopping.” THE GO-TO ADDRESS FOR PREMIUM VINTAGE: KUZGUN VINTAGE Our first destination is Kuzgun Vintage, situated on the lower floor of the Tunus Passage – a store not particularly spacious, but don't mistake it for just any vintage shop! The exterior features a diverse array of clothing, from trench coats and colorful sweaters to oversized raincoats, hanging on racks in various styles and sizes. Inside Kuzgun Vintage, a hidden treasure awaits. The pieces in their Premium Vintage corners inside the store truly deserve admiration. This section houses a multitude of imported, unique, and timeless items, ranging from a Marlboro jacket dating back to 1978 to an original German snipper vintage jacket . Also gracing the racks are custom-painted leather jackets from OldSoulHouse , a sub-brand of Kuzgun Vintage. The custom pieces are easily identifiable by the unique and artfully painted designs on their backs. Overall every piece in this corner calls out, saying, "pick me, choose me, love me" with its designs, quality, and distinctiveness. All that's left for you is to find the one that calls out to you the most. Location: Barbaros, Tunalı Hilmi Cd. Çelikler İş Merkezi D:91/10, 06680 Çankaya/Ankara Instagram: @kuzgunvintage

There definitely is pressure. I don’t know if it is in correlation with the L’Oreal award, I think the pressure just comes from wanting to do a good job and not wasting things. It’s great to get the award. Previous things I’ve been awarded like scholarships and grants – where people have looked at a bunch of artists and said, ‘OK, we trust this one’ – that makes me think I definitely am good. Now as a team, I think we are sick. I don’t want to waste the opportunity, I do not want to waste that trust. And I don’t want any of the people that give the grants to be looking and thinking ‘is this person going to waste it or not?’

Yaku Stapleton : Nas who co-directs with me, is also my partner. She handles more of the traditionally non creative tasks. I think all of [the tasks] need a lot of problem solving. I will say our team are all designers. I refer to them as designers, I try to have them also speak about themselves as designers. Sometimes it’s tempting as a student or an intern to say ‘I’m an intern’, but what we try and do as a team now is say ‘you are a designer, so you’re going to be treated as such.’

It’s a very different mood to 2022’s Coping Mechanism , a grittier rock record born from displaced feelings of fury and resentment. “I was deeply heartbroken,” Smith recalls today. “I was getting blackout drunk almost every session for that album, and I was just in a bad spot. I was in a bad place.” The lyrics reflect this, mapping the fallout of a romantic relationship, with references to queer love and betrayal, but also substance abuse and the psychic damage of isolation. It was her most vulnerable work, but it took its toll. “I wouldn’t want to make an album in that way, ever again.”

Aslı is a senior university student and also a ceramic artist. Her journey with art began a long time ago with drawing and later continued with tattooing. She designs many of her tattoos, especially the one on her neck, and she expresses her own creative and somewhat rebellious spirit through her piercings, style of dressing, and her overall energy.

Ebru is a recent graduate in interior design who is currently advancing as a multidisciplinary designer. Her keen interest in floral and botanical elements shines through not only in the tattoos adorning her body but also in the designs she creates. Fond of manipulating fonts, Ebru also enjoys experimenting with her attire, yet she never parts with staple pieces like her big silver earrings.