nelson mandela dedicated his life in order to abolish apartheid in south africa and ended up being a celebrated politician and activist but also, revolutionists, leaders and bright minds, such as melcom x and martin luther king have died to establish equality in the states. this makes me wonder, how the conditions in the states diminish all that they have accomplished and it becomes clear that the racist structures still run deep in the u.s.a. therefore, their cause fighting for justice, equality and simple human rights has still the same relevance today as back in the 60s.

i followed the case of trayvon martin and saw disturbing and violent videos, where unarmed black men were held down and shot dead simply for being black- this makes me angry. because not only the shooters but also the justice system in the u.s. seem to assign the life of a black person and those they leave behind hardly any worth, as the shooters often go free. it makes me angry that the judiciary doesn’t acknowledge these deaths as what they are, it’s murder and no justification in the world could explain that away.

the #blacklivesmatter movement started about 4 years ago when unarmed 17 year old trayvon martin was killed by the volunteer neighborhood watchman george zimmerman, who was discharged of second-degree murder and manslaughter. one little disgusting twist in this story is, that zimmerman auctioned off the gun he shot the boy with for $250,000 after he walked free.

a year later, jordan davis -another 17-year old african american boy was shot over an altercation about too loud music at a gas station, where he and his friends wanted to buy a pack of gum and cigarettes. the shooter pulled out his gun and fired 10 rounds into davis car. this shooting and its victim jordan davis are the subject of the documentary 3 1/2 minutes, in which the danger young black men in america encounter are discussed.

shortly after that, eric garner suffocated, because police officers held him down and choaked him to death, so he wasn’t able to breathe, which he repeatedly yelled out. this caused athletes, artists, and actors to start supporting the movement by wearing ‘i can’t breath’ shirts at public events. at that point, marching and chanting people across the states were everyday images when watching the news.

artists were inspired to express and manifest their attitude in all forms of art, such as music, paitings and poemns. my favorite song, which represents the #blacklivesmatter movement to me is actually part of the soundtrack selma and is called glory by common and john legend.

the names i mentioned are only a few from the long list of unjust deaths in america. men, women, and children are part of this list of shooting victims , who lost their lives for no reason other than being black.

this movement is so powerful and important that it spread to europe. many people in europe demonstrate against this injustice in america and organize their own #blacklivesmatter demonstrations in many cities, such as Berlin, dublin, frankfurt/main, stockholm and copenhagen. look up the dates to participate if you are nearby!

the #blacklivesmatter movement is a modern civil rights movement and does not only concern african americans in the u.s. and blacks across the world but everyone, because those who keep silent accept it!

i too cannot rest, since if there is no justice there’s no piece!

madsteez is known for his large-scale artwork centering familiar icons from pop culture and strange faces intigrated into abstract landscapes. his signature brush is psychedelic and vivid with crazy color blends and textured with oil- and spray paint. being blind in his left eye makes his eye for detail and multi-layered artwork even more impressive.

madsteez’ work has been around the world, since he held solo exhibitions in nyc, l.a. and tokyo and many more places in north america. his work of art also made it to europe, as it was displayed in london, germany, and art basel in group showings.

the list of names, who request his talents is long and includes nike, volkswagen, and many other corporations and collectors. one of his recent projects was an inquiry from the rapper the game himself, who has been a huge prince fan since…well, always. his recent and way -too -soon death brought the game to honor prince not only by releasing a song named purple rain but also by eternize him in a madsteez painting.

the tribute painting to prince is named ‘purple rain’, which madsteez finished within about 100 hours during one weekend. madsteez is such an interesting artist with a very unique and recognizable style. if you are interested in art then he is definitely worth checking out!

to celebrate the euro cup 2016, nike hit the stores with a big launch last month already with another silhouette from the skateboard division. the nike sb dunk high ‘tricolor’ is another classic nike sneaker, which has been launched in all kinds of variations but this time, as the name indicates, it’s a shoe in a tri-block colorway: challenge red, royal blue and white. the chosen color combination apparently caused some confusion, as it was called the ‘most patriotic’ sneaker, as it reflects the colors of the american flag. in fact, at a closer look, it becomes quite obvious that the arrangement of the bold color blocks, which reach underneath the translucent sole, reflect the colors of the french flag. these french-themed kicks feature a golden swoosh, which gives them a special highlight. these vive la france trainers are available at select stores and if you haven’t seen them yet have a look below:

nike is not the only brand to launch a limited edition and euro cup 2016- themed sneaker. adidas’ sportswear division originals had the same approach and topped it off with a special collabo with no other than beverage giant coca cola, who is also a uefa euro cup sponsor. they teamed up to create the climacool1 shoe just like they did in 2002 for the uefa world cup. the climacool1 features a breathable mesh upper, synthetic overlays on the toe area and the sides, while the sockliner and the outsoles are perforated for additional breathability. the adidas originalsxcoca cola silhouette features the coca cola color patterns red with golden highlights. have a close look at the climacool1 below:

the adidas originals x coca cola shoe just hit select stores including the coca cola online shop yesterday.

if you are thinking of copping any of these trainers, be quick both releases are known to be sold out quickly!

the air jordan 12 ‘flu game’ is a very special launch, since it is one of the more iconic silhouettes with quite the history. initially this shoe came out in ’97 when michael jordan played against the utah jazz in the nba finals. during that game he scored 38 points despite suffering from the flu- thus the creative and memorable name ‘flu game’.

six years after the original launch the ‘flu game’ was released as a retro jordan until another six years later, in 2009 it was launched once more as an updated version with additional details. however the original style from ’97, which features a black-based upper and varsity red  sole, outsole and details such as the jumpman on the tongue will land in stores today.

if you are a true sneaker head and you want to cop these, you’ll have to be quick because the ‘flu game’ is a hot release and definitely a collector item.

have a look at the images below to see what these sick jordans look like up close

this music man is at home at every music genre, he sings, he writes, produces and raps. if you asked me what his singing voice sounds like, i would discribe it as omarion with more refined vocals, chris brown’s voice with more volume and jason derulo with more swag. he switches within verses from rap to a soulful harmony and seasons his rap verses with a hint of dancehall but also some southern gravity tunes. this make his parts super dynamic and interesting to listen to.

devvon terell started out as a youtuber, who mixed and covered songs, which ultimately landed him several features and a collabo album (from coast to coast) with the refreshingly down to earth, not so serious and talented rapper futuristic, who is among others known for his #onetake video series. if you haven’t seen any of them, have a look at my favorite video below, which is a remix and male version of lady lashurr’s queen speech.

devvon terrel makes appearneces in some of futuristic’s #onetake videos, which initally gave him some fame in the music world. when watching the #onetake videos, it becomes clear that both, futuristic and devvon terrell, are gifted and casual artists with a sense of humor as well as a particular and increadible sense of fashion.

the living weird0_o receintly released his first album named ‘weird sexy cool’, which i understand as an hommage to tlc’s ‘crazy sexy cool’. he is quiet new in the professional music game but definitly one to watch, since he is rising and an increasingly demanded artist.

both artists futuristic and devvon terrell are on my must-listen- to and must-watch lists, since both are colorful, bouncy, stylish and just fun to watch. check out one of my favorite collabo pieces and the #onetake video ‘sub me in’ by futuristic x devvon terrell- enjoy

in 2016 the main franchise will be another classic adidas originals shoe, which disappeared for almost 20 years in adidas’ archives. this sneaker is the gazelle 1991 version with its recognizable suede upper and serrated leather adidas stripes.

the gazelle has a long history and has been adopted by many generations since it originally emerged in 1966. back then, this shoe was made from kangaroo suede and came in two colorways: red and blue. while the red edition was the indoor sports shoe, the blue version was for outdoor training.

the gazelle model received colorful make overs from ’66 untl the ’90 but it always had a slim and sleek  cut. this was changed in 1991, as the sneaker’s silhuette was adjusted to the more chunky and bulky trend of that decade, so that kate moss, noel gallagher of oasis and jay kay of Jamiroquai discovered the sneaker for themselves.

this year the gazelle will be pimped with vibrant and bright colors, while it keeps its suede upper and its chic and athletic look. the gazelle can spice up a chic and classic look but it would also look great in a more street and casual style.

watch out ladies and genetlemen this is a unisex sneaker and will be the hot item this year after it hit the stores on first of june. the gazelle og will be dropped in 53 colors by fall and can be copped for about eur 80 ($80) across the world in stores and online.

have a look at the pics below- do you think you’d cop them?

apparently this is not where the company’s love for starbucks stops, as one of nike’s classics got a new look, which was inspired by the coffee chain’s color palette.

this time the sporting goods house transformed the nike dunk low, a classic basketball shoe from 1985 and turned it into a premium skateboard sneaker.

the latest release is called nike dunk low premium sb and it comes in khaki, white and pine green. the upper is colored in a marbleized deep brown and khaki, which is intened to resemble the  blending of cream in a cup of java. next to that, white and green are used on the sole, the outsole and the tongue, which are the same color patterns featured on starbucks’ to-go cups.

the latest release is a hot item for sneaker collectors and will be sold out quickly. if you want to cop these bad boys, think fast and get them online at rock city kicks for eur 89.90 ($100).

have a look at the slide show below to see some pics!

back in ’95 o.j. simpson ,played by no other than cuba gooding jr., was an american football player, loved by the nation, the media, had valuable endorsment deals and was simply sitting on top of the world, until his ex-wife and her boyfriend were found dead in their home.

o.j. simpson was the prime suspect and was prosecuted for the double homocide, which was the beginning of his downfall. this murder trial was broadcasted on national and international tv and thus, became the most famous trial in american history. top lawyer and simpson’s friend robert kadashian, played by david schwimmer (known as ross from the sitcom friends) took over his defence. this trial was about stardome, evidence, facts and racism claims, which added to the high profle of the case. simpson has always claimed to be innocent, so  that kadashian and john travolta in the role of one of kadashian’s partnering lawyers robert shapiro,  achieved a ruling in simpson’s favour.

the tv series, based on the book ‘the run of his life: the american people vs. o.j. simpson’, picks up the entire criminal case. from the moment the murder occurred, the viewer is taken on a very dramatic and exciting journey through the prosecution and defence of a former nfl superstar.

this series from early this year is definitely one to recommend, as it is a captivating story with a top-class cast and will raise the same question as 21 years ago: did he or didn’t he?

check out the trailer below and put this series on your watch list

the training collections are well designed, functional and the used fabrics specifically developed to meet the athletes’ needs are brilliant. nevertheless, having a closer look at the fashion aspects of these collections, i was rarely impressed.

apparently i am not the only person with that opinion, as the brand experienced declines in sales, especially in their training division. this is why nike invited the reknown itialian designer riccardo tisci, who is the creative director of lmvh (louis vuitton moët hennessy) – owned couture fashion label givenchy, to collaborate on a limited edition performancewear collection, named ‘nikelab x rt: training redifined’.

the collection is  very small and includes men’s and women’s items combining nike’s typical athletic functionality and performance orientated designs with riccardo tisci’s sense for couture fashion. this collection contains a plain black and white colored delivery, whereas the second part will feature vibrant skull and flower prints, inspired by brazilian, itlian and north american flora.

the italian designer is known to include sportswear items into his couture collections, which has become one of his trademarks. in an interview tisci stated that he believes activewear is increasingly significant for the fashion industry, as the global generation is approaching middle age and therefore, grew up with sportswear as a natural part of their wardrobe. thus, many brands include performancewear into their collections, such as calvin klein, tommy hilfiger, public school and many others.

riccardo tisci is not a stranger around nike’s headquarters, since he re-inveted one of nike’s most iconic sneaker- and my faviorite- the nike air force 1, on a regular basis in colaboration with the brand.

the nikelab x rt: training redefined collection items will hit the stores this summer and cost between € 30 and € 180. i am very exited about this collabo and can’t wait for this to hit the stores. stay alert, as this collection will be launched in july, just on time for the rio olympics!

however, these marketing outlets seem traditional, outdated and completely pre-digital age, after reading the article about diesel’s new and bolder ways to approach its target consumers; the launch of the diesel underwear line within the spring/summer 2016 campaign will be advertised on new digital platforms, which have been disregarded by other fashion brands. these very unconventional platforms are sites such as youporn and pornhub, and dating apps including tinder as well as grindr. diesel’s artistic director nicola formichetti justifies the choice of these platforms by indicating that diesel is not high fashion but street, a brand, which is sexy, funny and not scared to explore places other fashion brands haven’t conquered yet.

as diesel’s artistic director puts it, ‘the message is clear: before you jerk off look at this’- again, a very bold move of diesel that surely serves the company’s purpose but also might benefit the porn websites and dating apps.

a spokesman of pornhub stated that the campaign will launch on their website end of january. this is definitely a hot topic and controversial, which only contributes to the success of the campaign.

have a look at the slideshow below and get an impression of diesel’s underwear collection and the spring/summer 2016 campaign .