jussie smollett
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CON TENT 48 OP-ED: BROKE COLLEGE KIDS WEAR RICK OWENS 60 FEATURE: FAITH IN THE STARS 66 FASHION: 4,5 SECONDS OF DENIM 76 FEATURE: BUILDING HIS OWN EMPIRE 78 THE HUMANS 82 FASHION: INSPIRE PAR LA NATURE LES MODELES DE LA MODE 88 SPOTLIGHT: ARI SOHO - A HIDDEN JEWEL & 60 SOHO 90 SCORE: TRAMON WILLIAMS 92 ON THE RISE: RICKSTAR & AVERY SUNSHINE 94 BLEULIST 95 ICON: ANTONIO “L.A.” REID 96 STOCKLIST
JUSSIE SMOLLETT
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MAN IN THE MIRROR 6
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WE FOCUS ON HIV TO HELP YOU FOCUS ON
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Ask your doctor if a medicine made by Gilead is right for you.
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TEAM BLEU EDITORIAL DIRECTOR DéVon Christopher Johnson
ART & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Carlton J. Brown DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER Erica Vain COPY EDITOR Andrew Horton SENIOR FASHION MARKET EDITOR Chris Sandford FASHION EDITORS-AT-LARGE Apuje Kalu, Alisha Crutchfield CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITOR Ronçois UK CONTRIBUTING FASHION EDITOR Sean Azeez On the cover JUSSIE SMOLLETT
GRAPHIC DESIGN Dominic Bielak GROOMING EDITOR Randy Reed
words EMIL WILBEKIN photography CLIFF WATTS fashion styling ENRIQUE MELENDEZ & ASHLEY ELIZABETH FOR ENA CREATIVE AT BLACKBOARDGROUP MGMT fashion direction CHRIS SANDFORD grooming NIL MUIR production AJ CRIMSON FOR BLACKBOARDGROUP MGMT
SPORTS EDITOR Angel Quiles FITNESS EDITOR Joe Morris JR. COPY EDITOR Taylor Stabler OFFICE COORDINATOR Gary Dickson
shirt CALVIN KLEIN vest & pants BESPOKE HQ X ASTON MARTIN
ONLINE EDITOR Yisrael Richardson EDITORIAL TEAM Dorielle Jackson, Edric Robinson, Yisreal Richardson, Brian Camacho EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Alivia Royal ON
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Cheeba Cruz, Dominique Carson, Kishon Springer, Emil Wilbekin CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Lenox Fontaine , Cliff Watts, Ray Eugenio, Julie Miller, Keith Major, Kyle Dorosz, Andrew Strasser, Brookelynn VIDEOGRAPHERS Shauntay Pitts, Keenan Alves BOMBSHELL TEAM Ebony Allison, Glamo, Tanyka Renee, Cataanda J INTERNS Kishon Springer, Raymond Mora, Dominique Williams, Jessica Gusmerotti, Trone Dowd, Jared Waters, Ashley Ching
B
THE BLEULIFE GROUP CHAIRMAN, CEO & PRESIDENT
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Bleulife Media & Entertainment Inc. | 500 Seventh Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10018 | E-Mail: info@bleulife.com | Online: bleulife.com Printed in Canada. Opinions expressed by advertisers, columnists, feature writers or other contributors are not necessarily the opinions of Bleu Magazine or its staff. All advertisements, photographs, text or illustrations are published with the understanding that the advertisers are fully authorized to have secured proper consent for the use thereof. Bleu Magazine shall not be held responsible for any errors, loss, expense or liabilities on advertisements accepted after the deadline. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or advertisement in Bleu Magazine is not to be constructed as an indication of sexual orientation of such persons, advertiser or organization. Partial or complete reproduction of an advertisement, news article, feature or photograph from Bleu Magazine is strictly prohibited as Bleu Magazine is a registered trademark. A $25 or 1.5% (whichever is greater) fee will be charged for all NSF checks. All rights reserved.
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MAGAZINE
PUBLISHER’S LETTER
“WHAT’S GOIN’ ON” by Marvin Gaye Mother, mother There’s too many of you crying Brother, brother, brother There’s far too many of you dying You know we’ve got to find a way To bring some lovin’ here today - Ya Father, father We don’t need to escalate You see, war is not the answer For only love can conquer hate You know we’ve got to find a way To bring some lovin’ here today Picket lines and picket signs Don’t punish me with brutality Talk to me, so you can see Oh, what’s going on What’s going on Ya, what’s going on Ah, what’s going on
Success. For me, that word is a very confusing one. I’ve not quite mastered a way to define it. Though the word is often bestowed upon me by friends, family and complete strangers, statements like, “congrats on your success” completely baffle me to this day. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely appreciate being acknowledged for my accomplishments thus far. However, all is not complete. There are so many more boxes on my list of goals to check off. There is still a very long road ahead. There are still barriers to break and horizons to reach. BLEU has paved a way for many underserved groups. But the road is still lonely. The landscape is still missing an abundance of outlets that serve a multicultural audience. For us, success is when there are several magazines out there like BLEU serving you, the reader. Let’s push harder together. BLEU just received word that we will expand our print presence at Barnes & Noble. So stop in and grab a copy or two. If it’s not being carried, request it at the customer service desk. We can make progress together. That, to us, would be a tangible and definable success.
- DCJ
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CONTRIBUTORS
emil WILBEKIN Emil Wilbekin is the founder of World Of Wilbekin, a content curation, digital strategy and lifestyle brand. (www.worldofwilbekin.tumblr.com.) He is the former Editor-At-Large of ESSENCE, Managing Editor of ESSENCE.com, Editor-In-Chief of Giant and Vibe, style guru at Complex and a contributing editor at Paper. Wilbekin has appeared on Arise 360, Huffington Post Live, MSNBC, CNN, The Today Show, The Insider, MTV, VH-1 and E!
aj CRIMSON This entrepreneur/beauty & lifestyle expert from Northern California is equally noted for his savvy business sense and charisma. AJ is the CEO of BLACKBOARDGROUP Management, overseeing the careers of some of today’s hottest talent within the entertainment industry and the worlds of health & beauty (wardrobe stylists, makeup artists, hair stylists, etc.). AJ is also the creator of two successful makeup ranges—Kissable Couture Lip Gloss and AJ Crimson Cosmetics.
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cliff WA T T S
cheeba CRUZ
As an American fashion/portrait photographer and a director of commercials, Cliff is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Hugo Boss, Revlon and Armani. He is also well-known for his work for Vanity Fair, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W, Elle and Esquire. Watts discovered his passion for photography as he traveled the West Indies after completing art school. He is now preparing his first collection of nudes for a book and a gallery show.
Cheeba is a music anthropologist hailing from Screwston, Texas. She is a fool for beats, instruments and an overall good groove. She’s the creator of Vulgar Colors Movement, an instructor of junior high students and a music curator. Cheeba is an avid bass player and finds fulfillment in writing about nostalgic music.
dominique CARSON Dominique is a freelance journalist and her work has been featured in Singersroom.com, Soultrain, Education Update, NYCitywatch.org, Birthplace Magazine, and many more. She is a proud graduate of Brooklyn College, earning her bachelor’s and master’s degree from the CUNY institution. Carson is pursuing her life-long dream of making an impact on the lives of people as a professional writer.
raymond MORA A recent graduate of CUNY York College in Journalism and Communications Technology, Raymond is now pursuing a career as a sports broadcast journalist. When he is not writing for BLEU Magazine, he is on Long Island taping his monthly radio show for AM 1240.
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BIG PHAT
GREEK
GETAWAY words KISHON SPRINGER
BLEU has an exotic, breathtaking destination to consider. How does Greece sound? Its diverse landscape and enduring culture makes it one of the most beautiful places to visit in Europe. There are tons of places to explore and all of them are well preserved as if to honor the Grecians, citizens of one of the most remarkable civilizations of human history. BLEU counts down the best activities to do and some remarkable places to see when you visit Greece. So get ready to enjoy the adventure of a lifetime!
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