Determined Nation Magazine

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

EVOLUTIONIt’s hard to believe how far Deter-

mined Nation has come since its conception back in October of

2010. Last year this time we put out the first edition of our “Suit/Sweat: Fashion Issue.” For most of the pho-tos, we had a point and shoot cam-era, no lighting, and a prayer that everything would come out O.K. I’m pleased to say that since then, we’ve not just grown but evolved for the better, as most living things should. For this second edition, we had the honor of working with the great pho-tographer Giane Morris of Posh Iris Photography (check it out on face-book, you won’t be disappointed), we had the privilege of working with new models and models from the past is-sue, and we got a new camera (no longer point and shoot).

I bring these things up, not to flex or boast, but to bring up the fact that each and every day, as individu-als, we must find a way to grow and evolve for the better. If we continue to do the same thing that we did yes-terday, we will continue to be in the same place that we were yesterday. Find ways to develop yourself and your craft each and every day without the fear of work, and you will surprise yourself when you look up one day and see how far you’ve come.

The color of this issue is purple to represent the idea of beauty, nobil-ity and royalty. So as you grow and evolve for the better, hold yourself to the standard of the king or queen that you are. Make It Happen,

Garrett HayesEditor-In-Chief

STAFFBusiness Analyst and Event Planning: Perez Ansah-Mensah, Justin Jones-Frazier, Niyankor Ajuaj

Marketing and Advertising: Keenan Bender, Kaiti Taylor

Writers: Danielle McConnell, Susanne “Zuzu” Wheeler, L.A. Harden, Moonier Said, Raquel Robertson, Valerie Rammes, Niyankor Ajuaj

Editing: Zuzu Wheeler

Photography: Perez Ansah-Mensah, Danielle McConnell, Jasmine Whitaker, Marray Napue, Garrett Hayes

Wanna help with writing, graphics, photos or events? Have art, poetry, or music you want featured? Feel free to e-mail us.Submissions/Contact Us:[email protected]

‘Like’ Usfacebook.com/determinednationmagazine

Follow [email protected]

More Info:determinednationmagazine.comSPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER GIANE MORRIS OF POSH IRIS PHOTOGRAPHY- “Suit” cover photo by Posh Iris

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:“There’s a difference between living like a

king/queen and being a king/queen. Living like one only last for so long.”

Chambray Shirt: This new classic staple is popping up everywhere, and is one of the most versatile pieces you can add to your closet. It can be dressed up with a skirt and cardigan, or down with some skinny pants. But don’t pair it with regular-wash denim – that will look like den-im overkill.

Stripes: This graphic element is sure to catch the eyes of passerby. Whether vertical (more practical with pants) or horizontal (bet-ter on shirts/dresses), and in an array of colors, stripes add more of that little something to an outfit.

Black & White: While usually reserved for colder weather, black and white has gotten some fresh air and even fresher silhouettes to take it into spring. Opt for skinnier pants or shorts and shirts with shorter sleeves, but choose items with cre-ative elements (like prints) to keep it feeling new.

Colored Sneakers: Lightweight canvas sneakers have always been around, but they get a new, confi-dent look for spring. Brands like Vans and Converse are asking men to step up and embrace more color, like Kelly green and lemon yellow. These sneakers will be sure to put more spring in your step!

Slim-Fit Buttom-Downs: We’re in the 21st cen-tury, after all. Update your wardrobe with slim-cut button-downs in an array of colors and prints, and watch as the compliments come rushing in.

Summer Plaid: Lightweight fabrics are key for warmer weather, and men can keep it cool with a colorful sum-mer plaid. Whether on a button-down or on shorts, these plaids up the ante for spring.

It’s a good thing Colorado has four seasons. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of the cold. And just when you think you’ve had more than enough, it becomes spring. This spring, the fashion is as fun and flirty as ever, with creativity and usability pres-ent in the same package. Here are some of the cool trends for the warm weather.

Gear Up for Spring

Photo: madewell.comPhoto: jcrew.com

Louis Vuitton. Photo: style.com

Photo: vans.com

J. Crew. Photo: style.com

Photo: unliqlo.com

Women:

Men

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Gear Up for Spring

Photo: vans.com

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SHWEIKI MEDIAAD

What does fashion mean to you?Fashion is an emergence of innovative ideas evolving around people’s lifestyles and the society. Fashion is not just clothes. It’s everything, including technology.

How would you describe yourself as a designer?I describe myself as go-with-the-flow designer. I would illustrate new ideas through rough sketches and have a plan to make the outfits. But once I start draping and

sewing, I ended up doing something completely different. Not that I’m indecisive, but new ideas pop up every time I put my hands on the fabric. So I am willing to adapt and change.

Joy RojanavongseOwner/Designer of Pim.Era Clothing

“My admiration became an inspiration”

A style for the working and playful woman, PIM.era is made up of beauti-

fully vibrant clothes that are created by an equally inspiring woman. Joy

Rojanavongse graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in apparel and merchan-

dising Production. She is the owner and designer of PIM.era.

Pimtheera, Joy’s true first name, stands for, “fearless vixen with vi-

sion, respect, and value.” With her style and determination she is noth-

ing less. “Era” stands for Evolved Revolved Aesthetic. At a young

age she admired Japanimation and began drawing her own designs. “My

admiration became an inspiration,” she states. “The inspirations innovate

from aesthetics and evolution of fashion.” Her goal is to take elements and characteristics from each time frame and add something more

modern.

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photos by Giane Morris of Posh Iris


Joy RojanavongseOwner/Designer of Pim.Era Clothing

Joy started her fash-ion line in Denver and now works out of Colo-rado Springs, CO Her designs first appeared in AsianAvenue Magazine introducing PIM.era. From there she participated in sev-eral different fashion shows, with Colorado All Star for Breast Cancer 2012 and Red Ball Fashion for AIDS Awareness 2012, being her latest ones. Joy’s future goal is to market PIM.era lo-cally, then outward nationally, and eventually inter-nationally.

inspirevol 2. iss. 7What is your biggest inspiration?

Contemporary arts. Contemporary arts are mod-ern and they can relate to what is happening now. They capture people’s attention by colors and forms. We won’t un-derstand the true meaning as pictures can be de-scribed in a thousand words. The result of it is timeless and a never-ending expression.

How would you describe what you design?PIM.era’s designs are simple, functional, but dramatic. The flashy patterns with loud colors set the state-ment. Sometimes, I will add complicated design for a dramatic re-sult.

Any advice?Designing is similar to engineering. Un-derstanding your target market, the de-mands, what works and what doesn’t work, and how effective the product is, are very important. Most essential part is understanding who you are and what mood you are setting for your target.

To book Joy for a fashion show or to check out more of her clothing line check out PIM.era on facebook.com/PIM.era or contact her by phone, (720) 251-4851.

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SUIT

Motivation: My pain is my motivation. I’ve been through a lot throughout my life, but the hurt and suffering that I experience not only makes me stronger, but makes me work harder so that I never

experience it again.

plus a Look at the Inspirations, Motivations, and Aspirations of the Featured Models

Marray Napue

Formal, Business and Business Casual Fashions


Inspiration: The people I meet, my fam-ily, and children inspire me to be the best I can be, help others, and change

someones life, and be a role model

Aspirations: To continue to grow in every aspect of my life, bettering my-self, my career, my business ventures

and the people around me.SUIT

Trenice Lane

Omar NunezFormal, Business and Business Casual Fashions


Aspirations: I desire to work with the U.N in some way and also develop as an actor, artist and entertainer, travel, work somewhere within the health field and

within sustainable devlopment.

Inspiration: Artwork, graffiti, and above all else, the people around me inspire

me to give my all to everything I do.

Destini McKenzie

Ariel Saree Davis

Sesugh Solomon Tor-Agbidye


Aspirations: I desire to work with the U.N in some way and also develop as an actor, artist and entertainer, travel, work somewhere within the health field and

within sustainable devlopment.

Aspirations: After I finish colleg, I’m looking forward to pursuing a career in the performing arts field full time as I have a love for singing, acting and mod-eling. I want to continue showing my appreciation for the different forms of art and be part of the wonderful expe-rience of entertaining others but most importantly, learning more about each of the fields and expanding my knowl-

edge base

Inspiration: I’m inspired to better myself in a posi-tive way, howev-er possible and through bettering myself I betterthe world around me.

Ariel Saree Davis

Terence Clay

Sesugh Solomon Tor-Agbidye


Aspirations: Continue expand-ing my life/business as an artist/producer/writer/videographer/in-structor and inspire others to fol-

low in their dreams.

Future Aspirations: I would like to attend the University of Montana Western and work to become a

high school English Teacher

Kat Lewis

Solomon Vaughn


SWEAT

SWEATthe

tudent odyS BWe are so much more than

the clothes that we wear, the size of our bodies, the

way we look, and the style of our hair. But so much do we succumb to the pressures of superficial practices and material possessions, belong-ings and rituals that don’t always completely define who we really are, but are rather shallow and illusive tangible adjectives. So as a radical/artistic way of demonstrating that we are more than the clothes we wear, more than just our appear-ance, our models stripped them-selves of their material belongings and kept only the possessions that defined them the best.The human body is so readily per-verted and sexualized, especially within the media, when it should be

looked at as a natural sculpture of beauty, the way ancient civilizations used to view it. So before you move forward to viewing the “Sweat” sec-tion of this issue and as you view the pictures on the next page, we ask that you not only view with an open and artistic mind, but a mind focused on the beauty of the human body (no matter shape or size) and the fact that we all are so much more than what we put on. The whole purpose of this issue is to not only highlight fashion, aspiring designers and lo-cal boutiques, and aspiring models, but to also highlight true beauty to hopefully show readers that, while you can draw your own conclusions about people and more specifically, the individuals modeling, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.



SWEAT


“I strike poses for my cul-ture, my generation, my love for sharing energies that capture new and life changing experiences”- Terence Clay

“Modeling is a different way to express myself. It’s a form of art, and I love art”- Destini McKenzie

“It’s [modeling] a way to communicate non-ver-bally. A picture is worth a thousand words and I can share who I am through it.”-Marray Napue

“We’re all pieces to a bigger picture, so we need to em-brace our assets while also recognizing that our imper-fections are what make us beautiful”-Sesugh T.A.

“Modeling is a way to be a positive role model in someones life. The media has a way of telling every-one how to look, I want to show that it’s ok to be comfortable with who you are.” -Trenice Lane

“Nakedness is viewed as ta-boo in our society, but the human body is beautiful. I want to show there is noth-ing taboo about displaying a perfectly natural thing: ourselves.”-Keenan Bender

“It’s [modeling] a way to communicate non-ver-bally. A picture is worth a thousand words and I can share who I am through it.”-Marray Napue

“Nakedness is viewed as ta-boo in our society, but the human body is beautiful. I want to show there is noth-ing taboo about displaying a perfectly natural thing: ourselves.”-Keenan Bender 15w w w . d e t e r m i n e d n a t i o n m a g a z i n e . c o m

AKIN

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NG Akins has a wide variety of clothing

and accessories made for the individ-ual looking to live life out of the or-dinary. Suzanne Akins’ clothing and accessory shop is all handmade items. On some pieces of clothing she has her signature wing imprint in which her motto for Akins is, “Find Your Wings.” The wings are supposed to encourage motivation in all men and women to push themselves to their greatest po-tential!

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vol 2. iss. 7MRKT SKAT

ESHO

PMrkt Skateboards is a sporting goods store that also carries clothing and shoes. Eric and Nate Likewise own a store with an awesome variety of skateboards and services and their shop is defi-nitely a must see. You’ll find cool gear for your outside adventures, along with being a part of a store that supports the skateboard community.

BOARDS, SHOES, CLOTHES


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SIC 9

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William Bell creat-ed SIC 970 in 2011, which is urban wear for active people. He graduated from Colorado State Uni-versity with a de-gree in Liberal Arts. He works as a youth counselor and is al-ways looking for a way to give back to people. Through his line of cloth-ing, his concepts and designs were inspired by equality and peace.

THAT’S SIC


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THAT’S SIC


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SOUL CLAPvol 2. iss. 7

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Created by Isaac “Focus” Cisneros and Ron Erick Olano, aka Cynereo, Soul Clap represents the music and dance culture. “It’s the first instrument before we had anything that was our sound. It’s powerful be-cause it comes from the heart, its our own feel-ing, thought, gift, love, for what we appreciate. Its our own sound! Can I get A Soul Clap!?”

CAN I GET A . . .

photo by Giane Morris of Posh Iris


vol 2. iss. 7SOUL CLAP

photo by Giane Morris of Posh Iris

photos by Giane M

orris of Posh Iris


Beautiful Healthvol 2. iss. 7 SOUL CLAP

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There is a common misconception, specifically in the minds of women, that surround the ideas of beauty. Our hair has to be straight (women of color) we have wear make-up and look flawless, and we have to have the super model stick figure bodies like in the magazines. It is these mentalities that infect our psyche, and in doing so we create these invisible frames that we force ourselves daily to try to fit into. I am 100 percent against the invisible rules of the world that make females, and in some cases men (body image), feel the need to constrict themselves. In that same breath, there are always good ways to make you feel better. This article surrounds health tips, and encourages you to be selfish in a good way. So if there are things that don’t necessarily fit into your de-sires, skip over them, but the hope is there will be something in this ar-ticle that connects with you, and is something you could introduce into your daily or weekly routine to af-fect your overall wellness.

Avocado is the first, and in my opinion, most appropriate food when working to-ward healthy skin. Most of us know avo-cado as a major ingredient in guacamole; however, this pear shaped fruit isn’t al-ways smashed and used as dip. Instead one could buy it in its original form and simply introduce half of the fruit twice a week to start. Avocado is an amazing source of vitamin E, which is linked to having an extra sparkle in your skin tone. Along with the beneficial sparkle, con-suming avocado is known to also increase the moisture held in your skin. I put half an avocado in my salads with dinner.

Brown rice falls in the skin clearing category as well. The blood flow in our bodies is an important aspect to our overall heath, but it is also linked to skin health. Brown rice provides an extensive amount of vitamins, antioxidants, and also proteins. By switching from white processed rice to brown whole grain rice, one is al-lowing the body the chance to intro-duce a healthier form of energy to the body throughout the day, rather than the immediate pick me up fol-lowed by an intense crash that often occurs with the less healthy sugar choices. Healthier sugar levels lead to increased skin health, try maybe get-

ting the brown rice at your favorite burrito spot

rather than the white rice. There is no taste difference, I promise.

We all are often not the fondest of any drink that doesn’t include some sort of flavor. But water is the most natural and cheap way to clear skin. If the impurities within our body are extinguished, our skin benefits. It shows instantly. Dark cir-cles under your eyes start to disappear, pimples and acne are gone, we have more energy, liveliness, and less stress. This, I would say, could be one of the hardest things to include simply because water is flavorless. Start with a glass a day and then maybe add a glass with breakfast and dinner. Any water intake is better than none at all.

B r o w n r i c e

W a t e r

A v o c a d o

Beautiful HealthDanielle McConnell

photo by african_fi

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Next step is an energy boost for the day, and the main thing I want to rec-ommend is eating breakfast. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it isn’t just because if you don’t eat you are starving by 11. Skip-ping breakfast is skipping out on easy energy to help get you to lunch and get you through the entirety of the day. This doesn’t have to be an intense four course meal. But eating a banana and some yogurt, having a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of orange juice can really get you started right. My suggestion is those oatmeal bars. They are quick, no prep time and you can grab them on the way out. I may not always be the most successful at making this happen, but when I do I notice an intense difference. If you have more energy, you look bet-ter, you feel better, and your day goes

the way it should, the major-ity of the time anyway.

Lastly I want to introduce a way to read the signs your body may be trying to give you:E x t r a B o o s tNot enough zinc shows up as slow wound healing, fragile hair, hair loss. • Foods to eat: Meat, eggs, seafood, oysters.

Not enough iron shows up as spoon-shaped nails, cracks at corner of mouth. • Foods to eat: Beef, lamb, liver

Not enough VITAMIN C shows up as scurvy, bleed-ing gums, wounds don’t heal, bruising, weakness. • Foods to eat: Kiwifruit, cit-rus, fruit, vegetables.

Not enough vitamin B2 (ribofla-vin) shows up as cracks at corner of mouth, waxy dermatitis around creas-es of nose, oily skin with dry,

flaky patches.

Not enough vitamin B3 (niacin) shows up as flushed, sunburnt looking skin.

Not enough vitamin B6 shows up as skin rashes, dermatitis. • Foods to eat: Get

B vitamins from whole grains, nuts,

meat, liver, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables.

Not enough essential fats, ome-ga-3 and omega-6 shows up as dry, itchy scalp and skin. • Foods to eat: Fish, nuts, linseed, whole grains.

Courtesy of: http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/articles/2008/june/8-steps-to-healthy-skin-hair-and-nails

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Lastly I want to introduce a way to read the signs your body may be trying to give you:

last laughvol 2. iss. 7

TO NEVER WEAR TO THE CLUB (OR MOST OTHER PLACES)

CROCS, FLIP FLOPS, HOUSE SHOES- Mainly for the fellas, the fact that I even have to address this tell me that people just really don’t care sometimes. Quit being a croc and put on some damn shoes! Nobody wants to see your crusty feet.

AND 1, FUBU, PHAT FARM-E-mail and tell us when was the last time you heard one of the follow-ing statements: “You gonna get those new AND 1s.” “That FUBU jersey goes hard.” “Where can I get some Phat Farms like that?” Then we’ll take this off the list.

GLITTER- A little sparkle is ok ladies, but men don’t want to spend you only to turn you into disco ball.TOO MUCH MAKE UP- Ladies, you’re all beautiful in your own way, no need to turn into Bozo the Clown to prove it. Besides the parting gift of leaving your face on mens’ shirts is always a plus, not. TOO TIGHT CLOTHING-Mainly for the fellas- Skinny jeans are one thing, but get the right size. If I can hear your pants screaming they’re too tight.

A FANNY PACK-There’s no rea-son that anyone over the age of seven should be wearing a fanny pack If you happen to own one, open it, reach in, pull out five fingers and slap yourself. Thank you.

THE OBVIOUS

SHOE GAME

THE YESTERYEAR GEAR

ANNOYANCES

A TRENCH COAT WITH A BASEBALL CAP- Gentle-men, nothing says creeper like hanging out in the corner of a club/bar with a brown trenchcoat and a dusty Yankee’s baseball cap.

BASKETBALL SHORTS/SWEAT PANTS- While it’s understandable to want to be comfortable in the club, basketball shorts and sweat pants should stick to the gym and leisure activities.

HEELS-Before you throw a fit, yes I know heels can do wonders for a woman, but they’re pointless if it looks like she’s con-stantly stanky leggin’ every time she walks. You know who you are, find flats please.

EYE PATCH-Though most men are out on the weekends in search of booty, you’re not a pirate, nor are you Slick Rick, take off the eye patch and use sun glasses (this is one of the few times it’s o.k. at night). The fact that I even have to bring this up shows how trifflin’ people can be sometimes.

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THEM TOP TEN THANGS

Of the fashions that DN staff has seen worn by people while on their nights out on the town, these are the top 10 definite no no’s.


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