Hello Mr.

For many of us, the answer to “where are you from?” isn’t so straightforward. Collectively listing every place you’ve ever lived would paint a more complete picture than just saying, “Oh, a small town in Michigan.” More than the geographies of our past, the lessons we carry with us give context to who we are and form the foundation on which we create a stronger understanding of ourselves. Drawing from his childhood obsession with classics like The Little Mermaid, Bobby Abley’s Disney-inspired clothing designs are universally relatable, but derive from several different upbringings. Similarly, our cover mister and poet, Saeed Jones spent much of his early years trying desperately to escape the South, finding out, at the end of it, he would have to return there in order to get in touch with his own past in order to write what he needed to write. No matter what we think of our history, the places we’ve called home are at the core of who we are. We can try to distance ourselves from it, or use it to show how far we’ve come, but only after we've embraced it can we finally turn our attention toward the future.