The next drop on Sainté’s calendar is the JD + New Balance 1906, who he’s the face of, starring in the campaign alongside some of his longtime friends. “When I’m working with anyone, it’s always about building that relationship first, and none of my relationships are fake,” Sainté says, not just on his personal relationships, but also on the relationship he’s built with New Balance, “It’s not random at all, the love and support is real, it’s there.” It’s highly likely to catch Sainté in a pair of NBs on any given day, and as we sit in his flat, there’s New Balance trainers dotted around, and he can pick up each one and tell you a little bit about it and why he likes it.

After the shutters closed on a wholesome evening hosted by Gauchoworld in En Face, I sat down to speak to both Jacks and Ben about En Face, which was kept warm by familiar faces, even on a chilly winter evening.

In the last five years, the founders of online store PASTDOWN, have come a long way. On face value, PASTDOWN is a catalogue of designer and sportswear products. From well known brands to regional gems, the pair serve a nostalgic generation that, just like the founders themselves, “are looking to own things they couldn’t get when they were younger”. As we converse in the PASTDOWN stockroom, it’s clear the brand is an ode to everything that the boys love, giving them an excuse to spend time researching and sharing their ever-evolving yet ever-present love for fashion.

For ourselves firstly, we just wanted to always be repping the perfect tracksuit.” And a year and a half later after initial discussions, the first drop from PASTDOWN INTEGRATED DESIGN is ready – an amalgamation of “referencing everything we like, putting it into one product.”

Set in a school hall in the shadow of the Musée de l’Armée, we walked around with Hugo Lecot, who is the show’s connecting glue, unbound by a single title that could describe his contribution. On our journey through the backstage area, we met with a selection of people who are integral to the success of the show, and in helping the family brand, founded by three brothers - Richard, Michael and Steve Hsieh - who are originally from Taiwan, turn heads in the European market.

To describe exactly where we are speaking, it’s easier to start from the beginning to understand how we got here, in a space filled with all of his “passions and interests in one place”. Whilst his love of photography came first, Armand always had an interest in design. “You know when you’re young and people ask ‘What do you want to be when you’re older?’ My answer would always be an architect…That never happened,” Armand explains. Although it wasn’t meant to be his profession, he kept it as a hobby —taking an interest in interior design and furniture more generally.

A story about Bior Elliott could be told through the unfinished books he’s written. Although now recognised as an art director and designer, his first creative explorations came through writing words on a page. Before long, those musings became lyrics in a song, and Bior was making music with his friends as part of a collective. Without a doubt, some artists focus solely on what happens within the four walls of a booth, but for Bior, he always had an obsession with how his collective was branded, ensuring that their message was being portrayed both sonically and visually.

In addition to ensuring her voice is heard, she feels a massive part of her role is to empower models, as she’s “been there” herself, so she knows “how they feel”. An unquestionably empathetic being, Manu believes part of her job is to give models licence to express themselves, the same way a set designer, a stylist, a director is encouraged to. “It’s about giving models freedom, allowing them to be more than just a mannequin,”.

Showcased for only a week in a restaurant in Châtelet, it was so successful that Diadié decided to continue it at another location to match a fraction of the demand that came his way. “It was really enjoyable and motivating to do the [first] pop up,” says Diadié. “It sold out in 24 hours. A French chef owns this restaurant [Sélune, the location of his second pop-up] and he gave it to me for two weeks, and so far it’s been amazing.”

From Nepal to Hackney via Wales and Winchester, meet Cheli Gharti, who created GOOD WORKSHOP with a simple goal in mind: “It’s very hard to change the world just by myself. It’s just adding a little bit of goodness to what I do.” After studying Fashion design in Winchester then going on to work as a seamstress for a few fashion companies, lockdown was the game changer.

When you think of the word ‘fashion’, what comes to mind? Physical garments used to express yourself and who you are? Reuben Selby’s ‘The Will to Form’ AW22 show asked one very simple question, why stop there? Set in three interconnected rooms, with limestone, grass and sand as the ground the models would parade upon, the show was the climax of a five-day takeover of The Copeland Gallery.

A normal party would’ve been good enough, sure, but with the application of some Aeliza branded eyeglasses, the experience was taken to a whole new realm. When you’re as calculated as Jack Harper and Nosa Aiworo of Aeliza are, what went down on Saturday night was inevitable.

In celebration of Wall Street Mafia’s latest drop coming to their store today, we thought it was only right we sat down and chopped it up with Haroun, Kehinde, Moses and Teni - the boys behind the brand taking London, and beyond, by storm. By no means has it been a linear journey to establish the brand, it’s been a series of ups and downs that have seen the brand becoming more than just that.

It’s truly been a year like no other. Although beginning like any year would’ve, the arrival of COVID-19 has changed our lives for good.It’s meant for a difficult year for many, as we exit our second lockdown, optimism is still yet to arrive. Many people are still coping with loss: of community, of family members, of jobs and income.