We Wear The Mask!

Who would've thought... that wearing masks as a first line of defense during a global pandemic could be fashionable!

“We Wear The Mask” is actually a poem by poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. It was the main piece of literary work I remembered from African American Lit class in college and it basically spoke about the facade that many blacks wear (wore) to hide their inner pain... The mask in the poem referred to people hiding their true feelings behind a false expression. In this particular instance I wanted to share about the physical aspect of wearing tangible masks... something that the whole world has been prompted to do due to covid-19. Masks aren’t just an “Asian thing”... they're now a pandemic thing and afterwards will be a fashion thing.

After the world stopped, folk started adapting to the new normal! Designers and companies alike began their process of mass producing masks... If you know a lil about history, then this time might have reminded you of the close of WWII... The 1918 Pandemic where an estimated 50 million people died from the Spanish flu and masks were the uninfected’s main line of defense. Ironic Right? If you're interested, check out https://designyoutrust.com/2020/02/vintage-photos-of-people-wearing-masks-during-the-1918-influenza-pandemic-one-of-the-deadliest-natural-disasters-in-human-history/ to see more visuals and to learn yaself something!

I saw plenty of my designer friends jump in the action to be of service... and I was so proud that I wanted to both support and join them. Following will be visuals of the different masks I have and the ways in which I paired them! I wanted to step up the game and show this world how to properly SLAY a pandemic, and the rest of the world afterwards. What's happening right now is history in the making, like 1918... so make sure you're remembered and in somebody's textbook!

First Things First... My Mask... a part of my Drip Appeal Collection! If you’ve kept up with my happenings then you’re aware that I’ve been custom dripping leather jackets for a lil while now... Due to the season changing I decided to broaden my appeal by drippin' other fabrications as well as accessories... and due to The 2020 Pandemic I dripped on some masks too! The main appeal with my drippin' is the fact that I use neon paints that are blacklite reactive, meaning they'll glow-in-the-dark... so not only would u look bomb regularly due to the vibrancy of the colors, but as soon as u step into any specialized lighting then BAM... u about to Glow TF Up on these hoes... https://www.haveubeenjenxd.com/shop

I have quite a few inspirations in life but some of my top ones are Tupac, Rihanna, Grace Jones, Prince and Missy Eliott. I feel a strong connection to all of them because of their individual prowess. They are known for being unapologetically themselves and giving the world the Fxck U/Respect Me type of vibe while simultaneously trendsetting in categories... That's how I am... That's EXACTLY how I am so no wonder I'm attracted to their energy!

Tupac is def a reason why I'm such a fan of bandannas, and black ones moreso than anything *I just love the color black and that I'm Fxckin BLACK*... so as I checked up on my girl Zina Lanay's collection to see which one I wanted to order, as soon as I seen her black bandana mask it was a no brainer... I had to have it... I already had my outfit together before I pressed PAY too... lol! I'm such a lover of hoodies, so the first time I ever visited LA we went shopping @ Santee Alley and I saw this Tupac hoody immediately! That was also a no brainer too cause I copped it right away before buying anything else! http://www.zinalanay.com/

ImaniLia Fashions was the first designer I supported during the pandemic. Before even purchasing her mask I wasn't wearing one at all. I had one of those blue ones, but I just felt like it wasn't fly enough for someone like me to be wearing, so I knew that if I couldn't find a mask that I was attracted to and wanted to wear regularly, then I knew that I wouldn't wanna wear one at all.

ImaniLia does a lot of traditional African fabrics. Since it was going to be my first mask purchased then I knew that it had to be somewhat neutral, to give me a wide range for wearing with outfits... Normally traditional African fabrics are very colorful so when I seen the black/white tribal one I was like "That's It"... I mistakenly ordered the wrong size so my elastics were a bit loose on my ear. I knew I had to life hack that shxt because 1) I can't be wearing a mask that won't stay on cause that defeats the purpose and 2) ain't no refunds on masks... so I connect my elastics in the back via a safety pin and love the fit it creates! https://www.imanilia.com/

Here I'm jus showing myself rocking it with another Drip Appeal Customized Leather, a hoodie and my favorite 3-layered chain!

This face shield I got from my girl Styleista! We used to be co-workers at Equinox a long time ago and both knew that each other were creatives... hell I even paid her to make me a shirt that I wore for my birthday one year! I remember one time I came across her post and saw a face shield and said "Wait A Damn Minute"... It actually reminded me of the over-sized visors I used to love to wear. I initially ordered a white one because that was the only color she had available at the time... but then I hit her up again inquiring if she would make them in black... and low and behold she was already on it and had made some... BAM... I copped it! LoL... I knew that I could rock the black one more because that white one will def get dirty if I'm gonna be wearing it with a beat face etc... Cause yes full face is showing, so if I need to serve face then that's jus what's gone have to happen lol! https://www.styleistasstudio.com/

Here I'm wearing a garter shirt... Since the face shield gives plastic, I thought it would be dope to wear my denim jacket that also gives plastic and chain detailing. You can't really get into the dopeness of either item because of the crop, but they're cute cute! I also decided that this would be the perfect way for me to showcase my line of nose chains "Nose Cxndy"... I remember one day thinking to myself "Damn, I can't wear my nose chains with these masks" and that kind of depressed me slightly because I LOVE rocking them. That's also practically why I bought this shield... so that I could give my regular degular schmegular look and still be protected. Here I'm pictured wearing a single link nose chain called "Chrome"... Will be made available soon for others that wanna give while still being protected too!!!

This mask right here is a classic. It's an archived print from Butch Diva! Butch Diva was one of the first NYC Designers that I fell in love with. Her collection "Spandex & Chaos" gave me all the feels, cause it was shxt I loved... jus tight and sexy and Dope AF! This particular mask wasn’t the initial one I had my eye on, but it was the one I needed!!! It happened to match my birthday jacket perfectly! This is a floor length jacket made by Apostolos Mitropoulos that I got from Patricia Fields *my favorite boutique EVER*... I bought this jacket in 2015 as a birthday gift to myself and coined it my “birthday jacket”... I told myself that every year no matter what I MUST wear this jacket on my birthday regardless... and thus far, every year since, I’ve worn it on December 16th! #SagNation Doesn't that shxt look like she took the fabric from my jacket to make my mask? I Fxckin Love It! http://butchdiva.com/

This mask was made by my fam Tajaré... the cousin of my best friend Berry! I’m soooo proud of her because she’s in a fashion program at my alma mater Buffalo State College. When I first heard that she was attending school there I got hyped cause I already knew what was what if she had any questions about anything. I ran through that campus and made a mark... and one of those marks was the reconstruction of The Fashion Students Association (FSA)... I faced departmental scrutiny during my reign because I snatched ownership of the organization from a feared professional and turned it into what it is today! I was The President and me and my team had a hand in reformatting its' structure.

As soon as I heard that Taj was making masks... I knew for a FACT I was supporting her. She's the future, she's into fashion, she's hungry for it, she's skilled, I see the excitement in her eyes whenever we discuss school and she's family! I actually ordered two... one was a black/white design and this orange one. I never really paid attention to how much I love the color orange, but it always shows up in my wardrobe someway somehow! And the also funny thing about this particular post is the fact that orange is Buff State's main color... so it's like I"m paying respect and connecting without even realizing it! https://www.instagram.com/sincerelytaje/

I’m a big fan of hoodies and leathers so that’s exactly what I wore here... a cropped hoody with yet another Drip Appeal Customized Leather *if you're counting that's three thus far* LoL!!!

The Quarantine Bae protective hat and shield I got from MINC! This was literally shared by a friend in a group chat and I was basically like OMG I NEEDS THAT! I looooove hats and wear them often so felt like this would be my everyday protection! The plastic detaches for versatility and if you want a double layer of protection then just wear an additional mask underneath like I did! Also be sure that the plastic isn’t crinkled tho because if so it can impair your vision slightly... I wore this with a sweatshirt that I remixed... you can’t tell because it’s not pictured, but I cut the sweatshirt just to reconnect it via safety pins! https://shopminc.myshopify.com/

This studded mask came from Akira... now BAYBEE... THIS is some Jenx’D Shxt... straight up... it’s sooooooo ME and I just had to have it in silver and in gold! I’m a huge fan of edginess and gaudiness so a spiked ass face piece sounded like just the thing I needed to add to my arsenal of fashionable shxt... Of course I had to get a lil dramatic with this one here, cause I mean, Why TF Not... so I wore this spiked headwear along with a combinational Zara vest that I got from Tokyo! I visited Tokyo in 2018 and y'all I was HELLA INSPIRED! I remember while there all I wanted was a piece of something that nobody would have in the states... Now I kind of fxcked up by going to a store that's everywhere, but I knew different regions carried different shxt and when I saw this vest... I knew it was gonna be mine... Denim & Leather & a Moto... Baby that's a Win Win!!! I also brought back some exclusives from a couple of boutiques too... and Whiskey, which I still have a shot left that I"m taking on my birthday this year! 20/20 https://www.shopakira.com/

That visit actually sparked me to wanna start my own mask collection upon returning, but didn't for a few reasons... I was gonna introduce 5 styles all named after the places I visited and loved: Akihabara, Roppongi, Shibuya, Harajuku and Tokyo! Still gonna do that too.. and now more than ever... so stay tuned for future merch drops! I'm THE PLUG!

I felt like the love child of The Blue Man Group and The Blues Brothers when I put this neon ski mask on with a top hat! I'm very attracted to streetwear and one of those items I love just happens to be ski masks! Of course they got a bad reputation so u gotta be mindful where u wear them... but u just may get a pass during the quarantine, I mean since we can actually wear masks in banks now asking for money!

That's actually what I love about them, that they're forbidden due to reputation, it's like u gotta just be a bad ass to still wear one knowing damn well u probably look suspect lol! That's also why I think it's dope to wear them when you're styled TF DOWN... like ain't shxt doper than some dripped out as style with a ski mask and a grill. Shxt, I think I just turned myself on... Hahahahaha

Now I didn't go that route, but I damn fa sho will, as soon as I get me another grill since I lost my other one at a baby shower... cause YES, my look for a baby shower included a grill. It was the perfect finish! LoL

Now I may can wear a grill with this mask but I def can’t wear it with a face full of makeup nor lashes... That's why this was the last look I did that day filming, cause I knew after that it was A WRAP! Wasn't too bad tho, pulled off a lil of an eyebrow or so but I was still intact, minus a lil highlighter etc... LoL! Here I wore it with a sheer bodysuit and a combat vest I got from Patricia Fields! The glow-in-the-dark trimmed rain jacket I got from Zara. This mask I purchased off the streets for $5 prior to corona hittin... and since these streets opening up lil by lil you'll see them around cause all venders are selling all types of masks, even if it's not their normal product. I saw sis selling her usual fruit along with masks. LISTEN... I ain't mad atcha... Get In Where U Fit In!

This is Me FITTING IN... Fitting Myself Into Society!!!