Kenzo Takada: Introducing Fashion to Japan

Everyone knows that Paris is the fashion capital of the world. The pinnacle of fashion success lies in the heart of France. With that being said, making it to the top is anything but a walk in a beautiful Parisian park. Kenzo Takada is a prime example of the hard work that it takes to make it in the Paris fashion world.

Kenzo, born in Himeji, Japan in 1939, is the first Japanese designer to be recognized by French fashion professionals, while also being considered one of the most influential ready-to-wear designers. Kenzo first became interested in fashion after looking at his sister's magazines. He knew that Japan was no place for a fashion designer, so it wasn't long before Kenzo was on a boat to Paris intending to only stay for six months. However, as soon as he landed in Marseilles he knew this would become his new home.  

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Steve McCurry: Capturing the Deeper Truth

The 21st century has marked some of the most heightened technological advancements. Who would have thought that Facebook would lead to quick international communication? Or that the "selfie" would actually become a part of everyday language? Through social media platforms, Instagram and Facebook have created a world of photography for the everyday person. Though unprofessional and mainly edited using filters, people are constantly communicating through the lens of their iPhone, making human connections that exemplify what relationships can become.

For one man, American photographer Steve McCurry, this is exactly what the evolution of photojournalism is about. Born in 1950, McCurry has documented over 30 years of evolving photography, clinging to people-centered art. The connections, the emotions and the words that are silently projected from his work are eloquently depicted in years of travel and experience.

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Wangechi Mutu: Exploring the Exploited

Her work is complex and has multiple meanings and even some contradictions that hold truth. Her means are peculiar. Rather than a paint brush and a canvas, she uses magazines, pornography and even animal skins to create elaborate collages. Wangechi Mutu’s style is nearly impossible to define. It resembles the work of Pablo Picasso with the way her designs play on abstraction while simultaneously referencing surrealism with her darker themes. Mutu is primarily known for her perspective of women’s bodies, especially African women. She critiques the manner in which society objectifies women by using the very tools that society utilizes to sexualize women in the first place such as magazines and pornography, which are two mediums that are known to objectify women and their bodies.

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Pasek and Paul: Two Men & A Trophy

The dynamic duo has struck gold again! Benji Pasek and Justin Paul, appropriately known as Pasek and Paul, took home their first Grammy at last week's 60th Annual Grammy Awards. The team has raked up at several notable award ceremonies like the Grammys, Oscars and the Tony awards within the last year. This means that they are on their way to becoming the youngest to reach the entertainer’s holy grail, EGOT.

There are only 12 entertainers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony Award, or EGOT, for their contributions to showbiz. Pasek and Paul are only an Emmy win away from joining the ranks of stars like Barbara Streisand, Whoopi Goldberg and Harry Belafonte.

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Riz Ahmed: The Midas Touch

Decades before he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, he was just  another working-class British Pakistani man. Years before he became the first male actor of South Asian and Muslim descent to win an Emmy, he was just another brown face in the entertainment industry. Weeks before he won the SAG award for best male actor in a miniseries, his father told him it wasn’t too late to become an investment banker. But time and time again Rizwan “Riz” Ahmed, has exceeded expectations. He’s no longer the frightful teenager that had knives held at his throat because of the color of his skin. Today, he’s a cultural icon, influencing the world for the better. In fact, when he’s not in front of the camera breaking through Hollywood’s not-so-diverse glass ceiling, he’s either rapping about social justice issues or encouraging activism and philanthropy. One thing is certain. Regardless of the stereotypes he’s been subjected to Wembley, London born actor, rapper and activist Riz Ahmed has the Midas Touch.

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