Produced in Collaboration with Invisible Collective & TONL
Outdoor Afro Inc. and REI Co-op celebrate and inspire Black connections and leadership in nature with the launch of their co-created technical hike apparel collection. A new chapter for national not-for-profit Outdoor Afro Founder and CEO Rue Mapp, Outdoor Afro Inc. is the corporate partner of her 13-year organization and the co-op's inspiration for this innovative line of clothing.
The first drop in the multi-launch collection arrives with the sun-soaked campaign “We Are Nature.”
The co-op partnered with Outdoor Afro Inc. to consider representation both in front of and behind the camera, leading the campaign to feature a mix of Outdoor Afro leaders, REI partners and models as the on-camera talent.
Campaign photography was captured by Joshua Kissi and Fela Raymond from TONL, a creative company seeking to transform the idea of stock photography with diverse representation, and film content was created with Nate the Director from Invisible Collective and Maya Table from Curator.
On capturing the glorious exuberance of connecting with nature on video, Nate the Director commented, “The rhythm of the piece was big for me, making sure we could have those valleys and peaks within the flow and pacing was important, and we had the tools to showcase that. Nature has its own sense of peacefulness and high energy, so we put our talent in situations within nature that could provide us with those opportunities.
The seamless collaboration between the film and photography crews comes through in feel-good radiance of the piece: this is the real idyll, the right people, the right gear, and the right atmosphere.
“I always love the collaboration that working alongside photography crews on a project offers. Especially when I have the opportunity to work with the amazing Joshua Kissi and team!” said Nate. “There’s a beautiful synergy that comes, you get to see an artist capture the same talent in the same environment in an entirely different way and it inspires creativity on the spot. Both sides are able to push each other in that way.”
MUAHS Awards Unveils New Award Category For Theatrical Productions
The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS) IATSE Local 706 will debut the highly anticipated new award category, Broadway International, to their awards ceremony on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel, presented by Giovanni Eco Chic Beauty. The new category will expand the recognition of outstanding Make-Up and Hair Styling Artists to encompass all live theater productions, including Broadway International live productions. With the addition of Broadway International, the ceremony will now shine a spotlight on beloved theatrical productions from around the world, recognizing the hard work and creativity of Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists in this genre. The MUAHS Guild Awards also honor Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists in motion pictures, television, commercials, and music videos in 23 categories. “We are so pleased to announce the addition of the Broadway and International Live Theater Production category. The MUAHS Guild Awards are now all-inclusive and participation is worldwide for film, television, and theater. We are very proud to be one of the very few awards shows that recognize the extraordinary work of Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists in theater productions,” said Julie Socash, President, MUAHS, IATSE Local 706. “I couldn’t be more excited to learn of the addition of the Broadway and International Live Theater Production category to the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards. I look forward to these amazingly talented artisans from the theatrical world receiving recognition for their hard work, expertise, and dedication to their crafts,” said Angela L. Johnson, President, Make-Up and Hair Stylists, IATSE Local 798. The qualifications for Outstanding Make-Up... Read More