Photography: @jamiltmcginnis

Looking for a new clothing line to wear this Spring? If so, check out the lifestyle, clothing brand SHIP the Collection. With the tagline, Stop the Hate and Ignorant People, SHIP the Collection offers a few different styles of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats.

Recently, we had an opportunity to with the creator, Shaq Bynes to discuss the clothing line in it’s entirety.

For more information, check out the full interview below.

Photography: @jamiltmcginnis

First, what is the name of your brand?
The name of my brand is S.H.!.P the Collection .. S.H.!.P is an acronym for Stop the Hate and Ignorant People. Our aim is to push positive political and social messages through smooth garments.

Who are the creative geniuses behind your brand?
Just me for the most part, with the help from Macc Deez the Fly Malcolm X .

Let’s discuss the history of your brand. When and why were you created?
The autumn of 2008 was the year it all began. Four youngsters hailing from the suburbs of Piscataway, NJ decided to take the lead on something that would change the perspective of fashion. S.H.!.P, which is an acronym for “Stop the Hate and Ignorant People,” started out as a simple hobby. They adopted a lot of the same aspects from the sneaker and skate board culture, and applying it to their ways of life. They utilized Piscataway High Schools graphic design class to screen print on Hanes t-shirts at first just to seem “cool” and have something to call their own. After the death of one of the founders at the tender age of sixteen, SHIP the Collection faced a five year deficit before revamping the company in the summer of 2013.

Photography: @jamiltmcginnis

What is the objective of your brand?
SHIP the Collection now is bigger than just a “clothing line.” In today’s time, some of the younger generations are mislead. Some only pay attention to hip-hop, sports, ignorance, and fashion. Our generation doesn’t have faces such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, or John F. Kennedy to look up to. Therefore, our vision as a brand is to reach the generation on a relatable scale through fashion. Our goal is to push political and social messages through smooth garments. That way, people can wear something fly and represent something positive at the same time.

What does your brand offer to your consumers and customers?
S.H.!.P. offers our customers and consumers individuality. We strive for quality also. We want our supporters to feel happy and satisfied when they have our clothes on.

How are you able to distinguish your brand from others?
What makes S.H.!.P. the Collection distinguishable from other brands is that we have we have a message behind us. This is just not any message, but a very heavy one. We live in age of time where it is much needed. There are a lot of other brands out there, good ones and not so good. Yet, I don’t see any with a message like ours though.

Photography: @jamiltmcginnis

What are your long term goals for your brand?
Our long term goals are in full effect as we speak. We are cooking up a new catalog called the “Don’t Believe the HYPE” collection for fall/winter 2017 followed by a fashion show. We also have a bunch of collaborations in the works as well, and getting into more stores. We plan to push the message out more by touching the people.

Where do you see your band in the next five years?
In five years, I want to see the brand expand nationally. I want to have a store. Shipthecollection is a lifestyle brand. So, we are not only a clothing line, but we push a positive message through music, events, and to everyone.

Photography: @jamiltmcginnis

If you are interested in making a purchase, head over to their website: www.shipthecollection.com

Also, check out the remaining photos in our gallery below!

“This final project was implemented to celebrate the glory of melanin and to address the beauty in the various pigments of brown women.” -AmandaLuxe

Recently, I teamed up with a New York City urban enthusiast, Amanda Moore-Karim, on a special project entitled, “Jumping Colors.” Over the course of a month, Amanda assembled a strong team of models, stylists, and a great photographer (Myself), to bring her vision to life.A modern piece of art, Jumping Colors delivers a powerful message. It serves to highlight the beauty within ethnic beauty.

Amanda states, “It’s unfortunate that the Light Skin vs. Dark Skin epidemic still exists in our community; creating a divide amongst our people. It saddens me the stereotypes associated with a skin tone are still a thing. It can get annoying for a woman of light skin pigmentation to be perceived as bourgeoisie. It can get exhausting with the constant nasty jokes a woman of dark skin pigment puts up with. At the end of day, we’re all Black. We are all beautiful and should be grateful God has blessed us with this brilliant feature known as melanin–no matter the hue.”

From the perspective of lighter skinned African American male, it’s very sad that our race is still split along color lines. Whether I’m receiving unfair treatment from other races or experiencing resentment based on my “light skinned privileges” (Reinforced by insecurities within our own race), my “blackness” has always been attacked from both sides. Growing up, my siblings and I were raised to see a spectrum of brown. My father is a dark skinned African American man, and my mother is a light skinned, African/Native American woman. Since my parents have completely different skin complexions, they made us full aware of our melanin beauty. Plus, black was always black in the Carmichael household.

However, as an adult, I realized that everyone was not raised with the same mentality. This is why Jumping Colors really hit home to me. From the darkest chocolate to the lightest vanilla , we have to appreciate and love our blackness. It all starts within.

For the full post, head over to her website: http://www.amandaluxe.com/blog-2/2016/2/29/inspiration-behind-jumping-colors

Check out the some of the photos below!

Credits:

– Models: Nakea Tyson (Pink) | Chanel Love (Green) | Bianca Jeanty (Blue)
– Photography by Bryce Lennon
– Skirt Designs by Cecily Habimana
– Styling by Candace Rogue
– Art Direction by Amanda Moore-Karim