Fountain of Yus - #007
If you've been here from the start then I think it's fair to say we've developed a bond now (sorry, not sorry). In this issue we’ll be covering brand initiatives, mental health, community and more
Munya Chawawa releases Deep Issue Massage series
Munya Chawawa, a comedian who has risen to popularity through his humorous social commentary has launched a new series: Deep Issue Massage.
In partnership with men’s care brand Harry’s, the show looks to explore men's mental health. The series consists of Munya and fellow guests discussing their personal battles with mental health over a massage. Some of the guests include Jordan Stephens and Kojey Radical, who have both been very open about their battles with depression in the past.
The series was born out of an insight that 1 in 3 men believe seeking humour in everyday life is vital. It’s only fitting that the brand then used this to partner with Munya as his skits not only provide comic relief but meaning too, therefore allowing his guests the means to comfortably speak about their struggles with mental health.
From a brand perspective, this is also a brilliant concept from Harry’s as it brings the brand front of mind through content done in partnership with the right talent, which is guaranteed to increase the brand’s positioning in culture.
The concept is also authentic, being a men’s care brand it makes sense for them to tackle the prominent issue of men’s well-being and challenge attitudes around men being open about their mental health.
In society it is not only still taboo for men to be open about their mental health but also for them to go on self-care retreats together, this series challenges these stereotypes in a manner that is simply refreshing.
Catch a snippet of it here
Apple pay it forward
Apple expanded its Today at Apple Creative studios programme to offer career-building mentorship, training and resources to young people who face barriers to receiving quality creative education. Running from August 2nd - 26th, the free initiative was also in partnership with the Mayor of London and allowed participants to learn the fundamentals of filmmaking, strengthening their directing, writing and shooting skills through learning from highly acclaimed mentors, Gabriel Moses, Basma Khalifa, Nathan Miller and Saba Kia. The participants made a collaborative film on ‘What it means to belong’ whilst receiving ongoing feedback from the mentors who encouraged them to think about how their talents can encourage social change in their communities. The programme also taught the young creatives how to enhance their skills through their devices, namely the iPhone 13 and MacBook Pro, with photographers even being gifted an iPhone 13.
In conjunction with this initiative was a workshop series co-curated with People of Colour Creatives (POCC), featuring sessions from POCC filmmakers on how to break into different genres of filmmaking and the filmmaking process: from pitching and ideation to production and collaboration across genres.
Overall this was a great initiative from Apple as it democratised access to creative education, a field of education that is traditionally siloed and inaccessible to underserved communities due to affordability. On top of this, these workshops provided Apple with an opportunity to promote their products as a creative tool, especially with repositioning the iPhone as a credible camera device.
Basement Approved bring the community together
Cultural community platform Basement Approved hosted the Basement Cup in partnership with New Balance which saw 16 UK culture collectives battle it out for glory at Trent Park Country Club.
Some of the collectives included Bone Soda, Baiteze Squad, Muslim Sisterhood, Goal Diggers and Places + Faces, who were the winners. These collectives of course brought their community with them, which saw prominent public figures like Clint, Vuj, Alhan and Ocean Lewis to name a few, all battling it out on the pitch.
To top it off, seasoned Selektahs Jordsss, Taylah Elaine & Jeeniius were serving bangers & mash throughout the day.
The tournament was a great way to bring communities and their fans together and goes to show the power of football as a bridge. With only a few of the collectives involved being football-led, the tournament further proves that the overlap of football into culture in recent years is only a natural reflection of its place in society.
See what went down here
Skepta reinvents the wheel, again
Right after a triumphant return to the decks via a techno-heavy set at Circoloco in Ibiza, Skepta has now reintroduced himself as an artist. According to Skepta, he picked up painting out of boredom during lockdown which led to him producing a stellar painting, worthy of a spot on the famous gallery walls of Sotheby’s. Tilted ‘Mama Goes to Market’ the painting portrays a market scene in Nigeria which features a mother carrying a baby on her back, just as Skepta’s mum used to when raising her gifted children.
The artwork will be auctioned amongst a curation of work from other artists, including Chito, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Slawn, a full circle moment for Slawn considering earlier this year he would send his fans to galleries to enquire on where is work was being exhibited, knowing very well that it wasn’t there.
We live in the era of the multi-faceted artist. With a lot of creatives successfully expressing themselves across different mediums, Skepta is an embodiment of this spirit. From DJ to producer, musician, designer and now turned painter at the age of 40, Skepta is showing us that it's never too late to reinvent the wheel, let alone wind it back.
KFC dive into the fashion world with JustHype collab
Famous fast food chicken restaurant KFC collaborated with UK fashion brand JustHype for a 47-piece original collection, consisting of hoodies, tees, joggers, bucket hats and all things in between.
To celebrate the collaboration, JustHype hosted a launch party at its store. The party was an opportunity for fans to get a first look of the collection, while also enjoying free drinks and food.
In attendance were a host of talent and influencers as well as DJs dishing out tunes all night.
In my opinion, the collection isn’t that good but still serves as another example of brands trying to increase their cultural presence by tapping into new worlds, often fashion and gaming.
That said though, this is a collection that will appreciate in value over time. In a few years time someone will be digging through a pile of clothes and come across an item from the collection and instantly feel the need to buy it as it’s a ‘Rare piece’. The decrease of supply in the future will increase desirability of the items from this collection, therefore sustaining the collection into the future.
Catch a glimpse of it here
Yuseful Notes
Comme des Garcons collaborate with Pokemon for a capsule collection
PSG continue to strengthen its cultural footing with latest collaboration with GOAT
Samuel Ross returns with the fourth instalment of Black British grant
That’s all for now
Tomorrow never dies,
Yus