DNA MAG, ISSUE TWO // NOBODY'S PERFECT by DNAMAG

DNA MAG ISSUE TWO

NOBODY’S PERFECT

DNA (the shop) W W W. D N AT H E S H O P. C O M

LETTER FROM THE

editor

The theme of our Summer issue is Nobody's Perfect, and it's quite ďŹ tting since our issue is a little behind our planned deadline and Summer is almost over. But, that's life! And what's great about it, is that it's a lot easier when you embrace the good, the bad, and roll with the bumps along the way #LifeLesson. Nonetheless, we are so excited to share our sophomore issue with you, which includes the work of Natalie Yang, who shot two beautiful stories (in digital and ďŹ lm) around the coast and hills of San Francisco, our beloved home base. Photographers Aline Velter and Veselina Tsankova contributed their one-of-a-kind perspectives with their photo journals straight from New York Fashion Week. Plus, we're sharing what we're currently loving, crushing on, and on our radar in fashion, art and social media. Enjoy the dog days of Summer!

xo,

photo credit DEV HYNES SHOT BY VESELINA TSANKOVA location ECKHAUS LATTA FW15 SHOW, NEW YORK CITY

contributors ALINE VELTER

NEW YORK, NY @alinevelter FEATURED IN "NYFW AW15" HOMETOWN Santa Maria, RS, Brazil OCCUPATION Freelance photographer WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU FOLLOWED ON INSTAGRAM & WHY? Bradley Theodore (@bradleytheodore) // I am fascinated about street art and Bradley combines art and fashion so amazingly. His colorful art consists of fashion icons like Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Anna Wintour and Tom Ford.

NAT ALIE Y ANG SANTA CRUZ, CA @littlesunlady FEATURED IN “Art We Love,” “Great Highway,” “Nobody’s Perfect Zodiac” HOMETOWN Marin County, CA OCCUPATION: Founder and curator of SandCastleCollective.com WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU FOLLOWED ON INSTAGRAM & WHY? The Adventure Handbook (@theadventurehandbook) // They post beautiful

CAITLYN MAHAFFEY

SAN FRANCISCO, CA @styledbycm

FEATURED IN "Nobody's Perfect Zodiac"" HOMETOWN Eagle, Idaho OCCUPATION Student at the Academy of Art University & Freelance Fashion Stylist WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU FOLLOWED ON INSTAGRAM & WHY? Stone Cold Fox (@stone_cold_fox) // I had never heard of them but my friend spoke highly of the company. Once I looked at their page, I was obsessed. Great clothing and inspiration for looks.

V E SE LINA TSANK OV A NEW YORK, NY @veselinatsankova FEATURED IN "NYFW AW15" HOMETOWN Soﬁa, Bulgaria OCCUPATION Photographer WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU FOLLOWED ON INSTAGRAM & WHY? A model friend of mine that I have a future project with.

masthead

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lirany Vasquez @pltjewelry CREATIVE DIRECTOR Myra Joloya @myrajoloya ART/DESIGN DIRECTOR Allison Tuazon @alliesmallz EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Natalie Yang @littlesunlady

Interested in contributing? We're always looking for creative talents to collaborate with, if you're a writer, artist or photographer, email us at dnathemag@gmail.com. For press and advertising: contact@press-agents.com

06 GIRL CRUSH // CHRISTINA PAIK 10 MENSWEAR MONDAY // VIRGIL ABLOH 16 WHAT WE LOVE // OK REAL 18 INSTALOVE // #INSTACREATIVE 26 NYFW FALL 2015 32 CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT // JACQUELINE HARRIET 44 COVER STORY // NOBODY'S PERFECT ZODIAC 58 THE GREAT HIGHWAY

02 5

GIRL CRUSH 6

CHRISTINA

PAIK

by Natalie Yang

Christina Paik picked up a camera for the first time after injuring herself as a figure skater. She is now one of the industry’s most influential photographers, sticking close to her unique style and point of view to communicate the deep interest she has in the people she photographs. Although considered

fashion

photographer,

Paik

prefers to focus her images on her subjects. She names all of her editorials after her muses and their location, creating an authentic sense of intimacy not only between her and her subjects, but between her photographs and the vast audience viewing her work.

photos via www.christinapaik.com 8

After attending high school at Walnut Hill, an art school in Boston, Paik went on to study at Parsons School of Design. Now spending her days between Paris and New York, Paik uses her photography to create and document moments in ways that memories cannot do, and to tell narratives that viewers donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always need to be aware of. She is drawn to shooting portraits because after spending her earlier years constantly on the move, she felt no sense of home and began shooting people to document a comfort she was trying to create for herself amongst others, and this is what home meant to her. Very few photos of the talented woman herself can be found and all of her self-portraits are faceless, revealing a mysterious notion of privacy. She explained in an interview with Complex Magazine that she prefers to take self-portraits because it allows her complete control over the photograph. Paik shoots mostly with ďŹ lm, and now spends a lot of her time shooting for brands like Stussy, Off-White and Kith. From her genuine interest in those around her to her magnetic use of natural light glowing over a beautiful subject, we have fallen completely in love with Christina Paik. She not only takes her work as an artist into its own realm that we are lucky enough to see a peak into, but also throws all of herself into her craft- something we admire more than anything, which is why she is our ultimate Girl Crush.

www.christinapaik.com instagram // @_christinapaik 9

MENSWEAR MONDAY

c/o VIRGIL ABLOH by M. Joloya and Natalie Yang

Chicago born Virgil Abloh, runs in good circles, creatively and socially. As Creative/Art Director of Kanye West’s DONDA think tank, he has been the Rapper/Designer’s right hand man for the last decade. Another hat he wears is Co-Founder and owner of RSVP Gallery, a conceptual

retail

store

Chicago.

However, Abloh is formally trained as an Architect and a Civil Engineer with a Master’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He considers himself an, “Architect in training” with intent to drive design and culture into a basic niche.

photos via @virgilabloh, www.off--white.com 11

With his vast experience working

Abloh has said that his inspirations

with Kanye, this path has already led itself

combine Mies van der Rohe, a Ger-

in the ﬁeld of creative consulting. Abloh

man-American architect and America’s

hopes to ﬁnd longevity by way of design

sweetheart, Martha Stewart.

and creative thinking for his generation.

collection is based on the aesthetic of

As a kid in Chicago, born into the Michael

vintage mountaineering lifestyle outer-

Jordan era and now as an adult, he is a

wear, mixed with a concrete jungle vibe, a

product of the hypebeast generation while

la Wall Street. You cannot scroll through a

still heavily inﬂuenced by 80’s grafﬁti tags.

Paris Fashion Week, Menswear Week and

It is within these creative guidelines of

New York Fashion Week Instagram feed

which he has been raised on, what he has

without seeing at least twenty #offwhite

observed on the streets, inﬂuenced by

images in a row.

American athletes and even pop culture,

Women’s RTW collection, Abloh noted to

that Abloh wants to take design to the

Style.com that the season was designed

mainstream, properly, in his own way.

for the “Clearly” girl he has in mind. ‘I only

Off-White

For the Spring 2015

smoke when I drink, and she says “clearEnter Off-White.

ly” at the start and end of a sentence.” Virgil Abloh’s level of coolness is

Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh was born from

captured

an art project/blog called Pyrex Vision, a

whether it’s being part of the #BEEN

representation of the importance of youth

#TRILL art, meets streetwear with dj’s

culture. For the ‘post-Tumblr’ generation,

collective (that is the easiest and fastest

Pyrex Vision grew into a small line, a

way to explain it), brain-storming with

duality of athleticism and streetwear

Kanye, managing production and design

culture. Now, the project has transitioned

for Off-White, and now a furniture range

into “Off-White” a name derived from the

launching soon, he IS street culture’s

color of a blank canvas, onto which he

architecture in training.

throughout

his

creativity,

projects his design vision.

off---white.com instagram // @virgilabloh

VIRGIL ABLOH

Off---White.com 14

WHAT WE LOV

OK REAL

"EGO MAKES PEACE HARD TO FIND." by M. Joloya

A friend of mine turned me on to Ok Real, because she knew my favorite hashtag was #wordstoliveby. Ok Real is an online curation of moments, thoughts, personal stories, words of wisdom, life lessons from real women who have learned and lived.

Its founder Amy Woodside, a New

Zealander based in New York City created Ok Real to provide a resource and a network for inspiration, total honesty, motivation and a way to feel connected. The OK KIT is a mental tool-kit, which includes categories from body, mind, heart and ways to motivate happiness and yes, realness whether it pertains to your career, friendships, relationships and you. Then there's the one on one features offering authentic stories from women who are trying to make differences in their lives. These women offer #OKREALTALK Tips to help you get through a day, a goal or learning from mistakes. I get the newsletter and follow them on Instagram (@heyOKREAL) and yeah these quick minute real life afďŹ rmations do it for me.

www.okreal.co instagram // @heyokreal

"STOP TALKING, START DOING.” -OK TIP 17

INSTALOVE

#hongkong #losangeles #london #milan #newyork #paris #sanfrancisco

#ins tacr eati ve A round-up of creative artists and inďŹ&#x201A;uencers to follow from around the globe. curated by M. JOLOYA & NATALIE YANG

@superwowomg

@jourden

@somewherexnowhere

@ground_zero_official

@thatfoodcray

#hongkong 19

@samimiro

@lolarosethompson

@celestialterrestrial

#losangeles

@best_coast

@anninamislin

@danielle_romeril

#london

@flomorrissey

@jonikirton

@fr3nchiejane

@faustinesteinmetz

@sarahmazzetti

@andymassaccesi

@whereiseefashion

@silviabergomi

@jjmartinmilan

#milan 22 Free Square Dots Graph Paper from http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/squaredots/

@dusendusen

#newyork @iiindiiia

@emiliamuss

@azaziegler

@its_meandyou

@lesliedavidstudio

@mmparisdotcom

@callaparis

@laetipaul

@jacquemus

#paris 24

@jessicasilvermangallery @zioziegler

@saltystate

#sanfrancisco

@aubreykia

@shopcamp

N 25

NYFW FALL 2 26

2015

“NO ONE SHOULD COME TO NEW YORK TO LIVE UNLESS HE IS WILLING TO BE LUCKY.” -E.B. WHITE

For New York Fashion Week's Autumn-Winter 2015 collections, we partnered with two student photographers from New York Film Academy. Veselina Tsankova and Aline Velter were looking to get inspired, in the most ambitious city in the world, during the most hectic and fast paced week. Through their lens, both of the young photographers gave us their personal and cinematic like views of fashion week.

VESELINA TSANKOVA www.veselinat.com ALINE VELTER www.alinevelter.com

designers 1. babyghost // 2. dusen dusen // 3. eckhaus latta // 4. duckie brown // 5. sandy liang // 6. duckie brown photographer VESELINA TSANKOVA 28

designers 1. chromat // 2. chromat // 3. timo weiland // 4. robert geller // 5. robert geller // 6. timo weiland photographer ALINE VELTER 30

CREATIVE SPOTLIGHT

photographer // JACQU ELINE HARRIE T // new york city

interviewed by Natalie Yang

DNA MAG: When did you start shooting?

DNA: How did you get into shooting street

JACQUELINE HARRIET: I started shooting

style for Reﬁnery 29 and covering New York

when I was ﬁfteen. They had recently

Fashion Week?

discontinued photography classes at my

JH: When I moved to NYC to attend NYU I

high school so I ended up teaching myself

knew early on that I wanted to build a

from scratch. I began shooting digitally and

portfolio straight out of the gate. Having

progressively chose to shoot ﬁlm, nowadays

grown up in the outskirts of Sacramento,

I'm shooting about 60 percent ﬁlm and 40

California I felt like I had hit a ceiling as far

percent digital. I had a few really great

internships and opportunities in the realm of

people in my early teens that encouraged

photography. I read Reﬁnery29.com during

me to experiment and get a basic education

my senior year of high school and admired

in photography, my fellow photographer

their visual style and unique content so I

friend John Hill who ﬁrst showed me how to

reached out to them early on. I interned for a

use a ﬁlm camera and then my step dad

semester during my sophomore year and

who encouraged me to sign up for a night

when I came back from studying abroad

class at our local community college.

that summer, they began assigning me work 33

as a freelance photographer. I love working

shoot I blurted out nervously that I was

with Reﬁnery29 because they’re incredibly

sixteen, I was so scared she wouldn't take

creative

me seriously because of my age.

their

approach

and

allow

favorite shoot was during the summer of

for experimentation.

2012, I had just come home from my ﬁrst DNA: What are you most drawn to when

year at NYU and was feeling majorly down

taking a photograph?

being stuck back in the suburbs but I texted

JH: The environment that surrounds my

Andrea and we did an impromptu photo

subject, I pay a lot of attention to the

shoot in the rundown 99 cent store near my

individual in front of the lens, but I'm

house, treating it like a ﬁlm set with its

constantly trying to create or ﬁnd a

kitschy wallpaper designs and rows of

relationship between the subject and all the

colored cans of food.

surrounding details in the background. I

Andrea was dressed in

think I also ﬁnd myself unconsciously

this really wild outﬁt I had

visualizing the photograph as a whole, in a

styled

graphic

was staring at us in the

sense,

the

composition

and

the shapes.

and

everybody

“WHEN I’M SHOOTING SUBJECTS IN PUBLIC SPACES I TRY TO DO SO QUICKLY AND UNDER THE RADAR...”

parking lot and in the aisles of the store. When I’m shooting subjects in public

DNA: You’ve been told by many that your

spaces I try to do so quickly and under the

photographs have a cinematic quality, is this

radar but in this case it was funny because

intentional?

people were trying to do their grocery

JH: I adore cinematography and that’s

shopping and were so confused by the

something I’m exploring right now. My Dad’s

whole situation. A photograph I took of

a huge ﬁlm buff and I think the movie theatre

Andrea holding a watermelon is my favorite

shaped my original vision of the world

image I’ve taken to date and it proved that

around me since I lived a pretty routine

you don’t have to spend money or be in

day-to-day life until I went off to college. I

some

deﬁnitely look at daily life occurrences as

good work.

extravagant

situation

make

narratives and when I’m photographing I try to think in sequences or of decisive

DNA: Where would you like to see yourself

moments that could read as ﬁlm stills.

in 5 years? 10 years? JH: Right now I'm trying to split time with

DNA: What has been your favorite shoot to

NYC and California: I'd love for that to be

date and why?

completely possible but I know I’ll have to

JH: When I'm visiting my hometown I shoot

pick one semi-permanently soon.

a lot with a friend of mine named Andrea

years I’d love to still be freelancing, shooting

Margaret, we both grew up in Sacramento

editorial portraiture for publications, working

and she was the ﬁrst professional model I

ever photographed when I was sixteen! She

cinematography work as well. 10 years…I

just reminded me the other day how ﬁve

can barely predict where I’ll be in a month! I

years ago when I picked her up for our ﬁrst

sort of enjoy how whimsical being a

strong

reel

highly

In ﬁve

visual

photographer or a ﬁlmmaker is at times,

rush hour).

every assignment is different and can lead

California is for photographic reasons but

you to something completely life-changing

it’s

down the line. I like being surprised and

friends in comparison to a place like NYC

steered down various paths.

where

I do love how spread out

a little harder to meet new circles of you’re

working

within

small

radius where you’re bound to bump into DNA: What's your favorite thing about New

people, literally.

York? Least favorite? JH: I love how much punch you can pack in

DNA: Having lived in both CA and NYC,

one single day. A lot of times I’ll leave my

have you grown to love one place more than

apartment in the early morning for a meeting

the other? Why?

and end up running into somebody I know

JH: I think I’m more visually drawn to

out of pure chance which might eventually

California because of its nature and overall

lead to a packed rest of the day with this

abundance of color, as well as the more

person. It’s like a chain reaction, you can

relaxed

end

interesting

overwhelming even when life is running

experiences based one single decision you

smoothly which motivates me to work hard

made to walk down a certain street. My least

and think about the next step…it keeps me

favorite is my lack of access to car

on my feet.

having

all

these

energy.

NYC

can

pretty

transportation, I really enjoy driving: it’s how I location scout spots that help bring life and

DNA: You just graduated from NYU and

color to my images. Walking in NYC on a

you’ve already started your own little

nice day is wonderful, but sometimes I wish

business while still shooting for clients- how

I could hop in a car and head to

do you manage your time?

neighborhoods less accessible by public

JH: I try to prioritize and make lots of

transportation. I tend to frequent the same

lists—of projects I’m working on now that

spots out of convenience.

need to be completed, ones I want to start, and ways I can feed my brain with

DNA: What's your favorite thing about

inspiration in the meantime. I watch a lot

California? Least favorite?

of ﬁlms and try and look at a lot of

JH: Hard to pick just one! I love that

visual content so that I’m always coming

California boasts such a wide variety of

across

“AS A PHOTOGRAPHER I NEED A CHANGING VISUAL ENVIRONMENT TO STAY INSPIRED.”

new

visual

perspectives.

Ever

terrains, especially in

since transitioning from student to now

Southern

California:

being a full-time photographer it’s been

within a few hours you

hard to make time to sit still but for

can go from beach to

now I’m enjoying being busy and producing

desert to valley to city to mountains; as a

a lot of content.

photographer I need a changing visual environment to stay inspired. Least favorite

DNA: Do you have any advice for young

is surprisingly not the trafﬁc (I love jamming

people trying to get into the world of fashion

in the car with the windows down during

photography? 37

JH: Say yes! A lot. I've taken many commissions that haven't had anything to do with fashion photography or other genres that I usually shoot in but those have randomly led to booking bigger gigs, like shooting Snoop Dogg

“TRUST YOUR INSTINCT!”

in January! But also, conversely…know when to say no. Trust your instinct! DNA: What did you do during your trip to LA? How was shooting with Snoop Dogg? JH: I ended up scheduling myself so tightly for the three weeks I was there, but I loved the independence of driving around and it was the first time I felt like I understood the lifestyle and the landscape of the city. I met up with new and old friends, hiked around Griffith Park, went to the beach, produced 7 shoots, and made a trip down to Joshua Tree for 3 days where I shot a short shoots, and made a trip down to Joshua Tree for 3 days where I shot a short up with new and old friends, hiked around Griffith Park, went to the beach, produced 7 shoots, and made a trip down to Joshua Tree for 3 days where I shot a short documentary! Shooting Snoop Dogg was a unique and fun experience; his character in the media is exactly who he is in person. Charismatic, funny, relaxed. There was something Motown playing in the background at one point and he started dancing in a circle with The Hills' Audrina Patridge and two actresses from Orange is the New Black.

www.jacquelineharriet.com instagram // @jacqharriet

DNA (the shop) W W W. D N AT H E S H O P. C O M 43

#NOBODYSPERFECTZODIAC featuring jewelry by pretty

photographer NATALIE YANG stylist CAITLYN MAHAFFEY stylist’s assistant BRIA ANDERSON models PAIGE ZOLLARS (JE MODELS) REECE PERKINS (JE MODELS) 44

little thing nyc

capricorn

12 / 22 - 01 / 19 ELEMENT earth

GOOD SIDE You're known to be tenacious, diligent and wise.

COLOR purple

FLIP SIDE You have a major dark side.

S H O P â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.j.mp/DNA-capricorn 46

velvet crop top KIMCHI BLUE jean skirt BDG

aquarius 01 / 20 - 02 / 18 ELEMENT air

GOOD SIDE You are a unique individual who marches to the beat of your own drum.

COLOR blue-purple

FLIP SIDE Such a know it all.

S H O P â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.j.mp/DNA-aquarius

teal floral dress H&M 47

pisces 02 / 19 - 03 / 20 ELEMENT water

GOOD SIDE Known to be creative, generous and sensitive.

COLOR lavender

FLIP SIDE Emotional wreck.

S H O P â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.j.mp/DNA-pisces 48

peachy tee H&M tie-dye shorts WITHOUT WALLS

aries 03 / 21 - 04 / 19 ELEMENT fire

GOOD SIDE You crave leadership roles, power and ambition.

COLOR red

FLIP SIDE So self centered.

S H O P â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.j.mp/DNA-aries

black lace bodysuit FREDERICKS

taurus 04 / 20 - 05 / 20 ELEMENT earth

GOOD SIDE Steadfast, determined and love stability.

COLOR burnt orange

FLIP SIDE Stubborn as fuck.

S H O P â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.j.mp/DNA-taurus 50

romper BDG top belt BRIGHTON bottom belt GAP

gemini 05 / 21 - 06 / 20 ELEMENT air

GOOD SIDE You rep the twinsies; sociable, talkative, and people are drawn to you.

COLOR orange

FLIP SIDE Totally psycho.

S H O P â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.j.mp/DNA-gemini

body suit (left) H&M body suit (right) ANNE COLE VINTAGE

cancer june 22- july 22 // water

06 / 21 - 07 / 22 ELEMENT water

GOOD SIDE Ruled by the moon, which means you are the gentle, nurturing type.

COLOR golden yellow

FLIP SIDE Moody bitch.

S H O P — www.j.mp/DNA-cancer 52

american flag beanie STYLIST’S OWN

leo 07 / 23 - 08 / 22 ELEMENT fire

GOOD SIDE Ruled by the sun and that makes you warm, generous, and authoritative.

COLOR bright yellow

FLIP SIDE Attention whore.

S H O P â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.j.mp/DNA-leo

denim shirt GAP white band bra SILENCE AND NOISE denim shorts FOREVER 21

virgo august 23 - september 22 // earth

ELEMENT earth

GOOD SIDE Intelligent, eager to help someone in need, and a total perfectionist.

COLOR lime

FLIP SIDE Neurotic mess.

S H O P â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.j.mp/DNA-virgo 54

08 / 23 - 09 / 22

vintage floral dress

libra 09 / 23 - 10 / 22 ELEMENT air

GOOD SIDE You're fair, balanced and hate confrontation.

COLOR green

FLIP SIDE You’re so vain.

S H O P — www.j.mp/DNA-libra

pink sweater dress H&M

scorpio 10 / 23 - 11 / 21 ELEMENT water

GOOD SIDE The most passionate sign of the zodiac.

COLOR mint green

FLIP SIDE Super freak.

S H O P — www.j.mp/DNA-scorpio 56

iron maiden t-shirt STYLIST’S OWN vintage white linen pants

sagittarius 11 / 22 - 12 / 21 ELEMENT fire

GOOD SIDE An eternal optimist, super independent, and quite outspoken.

COLOR deep blue

FLIP SIDE So damn blunt.

S H O P â&#x20AC;&#x201D; www.j.mp/DNA-sagittarius

lace shirt KIMCHI BLUE biker shorts CHAMPION

model CAMILLE MORGAN photographer NATALIE YANG location THE GREAT HIGHWAY, SAN FRANCISCO vintage clothing DNA (the shop) S H O P — www.bit.ly/allvintageeverything jewelry SALTY FOX S H O P — www.bit.ly/shopsaltyfox 58

S O N G — “This Is The Day” by the band The The https://youtu.be/S03UOkb9zU4 67

MEGA GREENS GALAXY PACK by GLOSSIER $22

S H O P — www.bit.ly/getglossier 68

EMERSON SLIDES

by EMERSON FRY $223 S H O P — www.bit.ly/emersonfry

LEATHER ENVELOPE FOR IPAD by SHINOLA $165

S H O P — www.bit.ly/shopshinola

GOOD THINGS 70

andy warhol

photo credit VESELINA TSANKOVA location MILK STUDIOS, NEW YORK CITY 71