Jazzi, founder & sweetheart of Reparations Club, a retail + community space curated by Blackness™, POC, and a few good allies reached out to us over a phone call in 2018 as she wanted NBNW to be part of her curated space.

We were moved by her story as she invested her inheritance her mom left to create a space dedicated to her mother and further developing the independent arts community in Mid City. This low key neighbourhood is bubbling with black owned businesses and spaces and are on a mission to increase the number of black owned businesses hopefully resisting the eventual gentrification.

On an annual trip to LA, we got to hang with Jazzi in the space, watch the epic Mary J Blige BET tribute performance and got to know some amazing people.

Meet the people we were inspired by and got lucky enough to capture through this shoot.

Trae Harris, we fell in love with at first hug. A warm, clear & hilarious energy, she is an artist of many talents. Actor, writer & performance artist to say the least, Trae brought all the looks and energies to pierce through the lens.

Antoine, Art History lover, Howard University graduate, is obsessed with black visual culture, inclusive engagement strategies & arts for social change. We met him down the street at the Underground Museum and his smile literally lights up the whole damn street.

Beth Gibbs, the lowkey legend is a humble talent that has been grinding and innovating in the streetwear scene from time. Founder of her own line BEPHIE and Co-Founder of UNION, this firecracker energy cuts through all the chatter of the boys club.

Grandmother Eula, Jazzi’s matriarch brought only laughs & straight jokes during the shoot. She had lots to say while watching the Mary J Blige tribute performance and we were there for all of it.

Nena Soulfly aka Lady Soulfly is our soul sister across the borders. This is our second LA shoot collaboration and we are so thankful for her mad talent, support to always bring the freshest take on hair art, adornment & make up like no other.

Gizelle Hernandez captured the images like the pro star she is. With limited space, time and a whole bunch of ideas, this is the first shoot we’ve worked on together and she brought justice to the beauty.