U.S. Edition
To read about the rest of the Culture Shifters, including actor Da’Vine Joy Randolph and activist Emily Barker, return to the full list here.
Tessa Forrest is the kind of person you meet and immediately feel connected to.
The 28-year-old graphic designer behind the popular Instagram art project Subliming.jpg has an ease and a warmth about her, which came across within the first five minutes we spent together. Of course we weren’t physically together, we were on Zoom, because we’re still in the midst of a pandemic, and the Brooklyn dweller spent the more frigid winter months in the back house of her boyfriend’s parents’ place in Ventura, California.
Highsnobiety
Earlier this month, I watched Pierpaolo Piccioli Valentino’s celebrated creative director and poetry aficionado go live on Instagram with Koreen, the former model and photographer behind the wildly popular, feel-good IG page @werenotreallystrangers.
During a lengthy chat, the two discussed their new Valentino-branded deck of playing cards a riff on Koreen’s best-selling card game of the same name that, through a series of thought-provoking questions and statements, aims to drive connection with others.
According to the Italian Maison, the livestream pulled in over 4.5 million viewers. On giant billboards, street signs, and hand-drawn on walls around the world, statements including “THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME WHEN I DIDN’T FEEL LOVABLE,” “You Deserve the Empathy You Give Others,” and “You’re Comparing Yourself Again. Stop That” were displayed, serving as promotional teasers for the partnership. Text on text on text.