Tag: Wise Remedies

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AGENDA Debuts ‘Age of Power’ Collector’s Issue #4 by Kaylene Peoples, honoring cultural icons and fashion masters; dedicated to co-founder Lee L. Peoples

AGENDA-COLLECTORS-ISSUE-4-AGE-OF-POWER-COVER
For Immediate Release:
Los Angeles, CA | 11/27/2025
Featuring a cover story by Shahada Karim and runway photography by Arun Nevader, the issue unfolds through full fashion features led by Kevan Hall’s 2026 Look Book, an editorial on Epperson (Project Runway alum) and Black Design Collective’s Kutula. Cultural spotlights include Kim Novak’s art, Lisa Lu, and Lana Ogilvie, alongside explorations of Mature Runway and the influence of fashion icons Iris Apfel and Lyn Slater (Accidental Icon). Reflections on influence from Anna Wintour and Michael Feinstein align with the closing Fashion Archives tribute, honoring designers we lost too soon—from Vivienne Westwood to Giorgio Armani.

 

Los Angeles, CA, November 27, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ —

 

AGENDA announces the release of its landmark ‘Age of Power’ Collector’s Issue #4, a masterfully curated print edition exploring the evolution of influence across fashion, culture, legacy, and visionary leadership. Edited and published by Kaylene Peoples, a multi-award-winning creative known across music, publishing, and visual/editorial arts, and founder of KL Publishing Group, the issue represents her latest large-scale editorial achievement, continuing the legacy of AGENDA’s landmark editions including Issue 8 “Savage Beauty,” Issue 15 “A Mid-Summer’s Dream,” Collector’s Issue #3 “Changemakers,” and Special Edition #3 “Untraditional Bride.” Peoples was recently named among MSN’s “Top Ten Trailblazing Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2025” (Microsoft), further solidifying her position as a leader in modern media (Link).

“The Age of Power issue reflects not simply triumph or status, but the silent authority that comes from perseverance, integrity, and vision,” says Kaylene Peoples. “It is a study of creators and changemakers who did not merely rise to prominence—they defined it. This issue was built to last.” – Kaylene Peoples

The cover story, ‘Age of Power,’ is authored by Shahada Karim, AGENDA’s Beauty Editor, whose narrative direction establishes the issue’s central perspective, focusing on women over 40 who sustain high markers of health through evidence-based nutrition and consistent fitness practices. The oldest participant providing testimony is in her late 60s and in the best physical condition of her life. The stars of this feature include Shahada Karim, Marie Kazadi, Marcia Burke, Marla Adelman, Synovia Jones, and Jackie Benavente, wearing Kevan Hall gowns and Karim’s athleticwear line, Habibi Sport. Shahada Karim also writes an exclusive product review of HIKOTA, a breakthrough Japanese skincare formulation known for bio-stabilization technology and cellular renewal performance.

“Movement is essential. Nourish the body, stay active, and let the natural release of endorphins guide clarity and purpose. Your body is a gift—don’t take it for granted.” — Shahada Karim

Interviewed by Sheryl Aronson, Walk of Fame inductee Lisa Lu (THE JOY LUCK CLUB, CRAZY RICH ASIANS) reflects on her early career, including her breakout performance opposite James Stewart, and on becoming one of the first Asian actresses to secure leading roles in Hollywood. Across her seven-decade career, she has helped open doors for future generations, using her artistry to advocate for visibility and representation on screen.

“Today, at 98 years old, I embrace the star as a testament to resilience and perseverance. I am deeply honored to stand in support of the next generation of rising Asian actors, whose paths I hope will shine even brighter.” — Lisa Lu

The 2025 Collector’s Issue honors visionaries who transformed fashion through conviction, craftsmanship, and cultural influence. The closing Fashion Archives feature, “A Tribute to the Masters We Lost,” reflects on the legacies of Alber Elbaz, Thierry Mugler, Virgil Abloh, Issey Miyake, Valentin Yudashkin, Roberto Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood, and, finally, Giorgio Armani, whose quiet power and continuing refinement conclude the issue. Kevan Hall appears in an in-depth feature with an exclusive preview of his 2026 Look Book, Bloom, with full fashion reviews included inside the issue. “What unites Bloom is Hall’s unwavering control over detail and proportion. From racer dresses to embroidered gowns, every piece holds its own authority, each one infused with Mediterranean softness yet rooted in disciplined construction.” —AGENDA

The Collector’s Issue also includes an editorial review of celebrity designer and former Project Runway alum EPPERSON, whose Spring/Summer 2026 presentation, ‘The Romance of Self,’ was shown. “Harlem designer EPPERSON frames romance as self-love in his Spring/Summer 2026 collection—a poetic statement of resilience, rooted in community and rendered with ruffles, tiers, and ease.”

Additional features include Kaylene Peoples’ Fashion Talk essays, “Anna Wintour: The End of an Era” and “Silver Foxes: A New Aesthetic — Seniors Ruling the Runway,” which examine how maturity, wisdom, and presence are reclaiming the fashion conversation. These pieces explore aging not as limitation but as cultural leverage, redefining visibility and authority on the runway and beyond. The issue also highlights the influence of fashion icons Iris Apfel and Lyn Slater (Accidental Icon), whose careers exemplify longevity, independence, and style without compromise.

Additional highlights feature Ty-Ron Mayes, Fashion Whisperer columnist and Fashion Editor, whose “STYLE EVOLUTION – From Runway to Real Life” examines fashion’s transition from spectacle to personal expression. His editorial direction includes the feature on supermodel and entrepreneur Lana Ogilvie, photographed by Ezequiel de la Rosa, reflecting the evolution of influence from runway to enterprise—an embodiment of power in motion. The section is further supported by AGENDA’s Haute Off the Rack, as well as John Mayes’s photography exhibition UP CLOSE!, which explores identity through proximity, revealing how image shifts when seen without distance or pretense.

AGENDA welcomes back acclaimed photographer Arun Nevader (former live event photographer and Managing Editor of AGENDA 2007–2015), whose runway work continues to define the pacing and visual strength of fashion coverage across multiple seasons. His photography spans Paris, New York, and Vancouver Fashion Weeks, capturing collections with precision and editorial clarity. Recent highlights include mature model Erin Leigh at Paris Fashion Week walking for Sheng Tang Peony, Patrycja Plesiak, Sabokbar, and The Toé (Maison des Métallos, Paris; photography by Arun Nevader/Getty Images, September 25–26, 2024). Coverage extends to New York Fashion Week Powered by Art Hearts Fashion at The Angel Orensanz Foundation (February 6, 2025), featuring Electric Circus NYC, Bad Sisters, Mr. Triple X, Haus of Harleen, and Matilda Couture, alongside Carlos Pineda, Maribel Julcahuanca, Diana Couture, and Pia Bolte. Also featured is Chandra V’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, Spring Blooms, photographed by Nevader at Vancouver Fashion Week. Each show is presented with full fashion analysis and designer reviews.

Curated by Debbie Lee, the Black Design Collective features include the Upcycle Denim Project 2025—presented at Art Hearts Fashion Los Angeles Spring/Summer 2026—which proved that discarded denim could become a canvas for both artistry and activism. With each stitch, pleat, and patchwork detail, designers transformed pre-loved denim into couture-level garments that tell stories of resilience, culture, and sustainability. “This project isn’t just about fashion,” says TJ Walker. “It’s about reimagining what we already have… creating beauty while honoring the craft.”

Kutula, a standout of the Collective, has dressed politicians, musicians, actors, and families and found its way onto the biggest stage in Hollywood: Marvel’s BLACK PANTHER. Yet for all the sparkle of red carpets and film premieres, Kutula’s heartbeat has always been the same. It is about family. It is about honoring roots. And it is about showing the world what Black excellence looks like when translated through fabric. This interview is insightful and deeply resonant as fans mourned the passing of Chadwick Boseman. “Fashion is not just fabric; it’s culture, identity, memory,” Myumbo said. “Chadwick helped change the imagery of what Black excellence looks like on screen. We’re proud to have played even a small part in that.”

“For Kim Novak’s appearance at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where she received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, she wore a Kevan Hall matte jersey gown with hand-painted silk organza accents by artist Ellen Forbes. The silhouette and palette reflected the season’s quiet drama,” Hall noted. “Every moment with Kim was a story.”

As discussed in the issue, Novak has spoken of turning to art not as departure, but as survival. Critics note the unguarded honesty of her work . . . so unlike the perfected screen persona of her youth. Following the loss of her husband, Robert Malloy, in 2020, she reflected, “I didn’t want to be Kim Novak, movie star. I wanted to be Kim Novak, alive.” The issue also includes artistic features on Susan Steinbarth (clay and mosaics) and Meryl Toan (oil painting), alongside a career retrospective and an interview with business leader and runway model Dr. Cindy Banton. A special exploration into generational identity is revealed through the Family Search interview.

Also featured is Wise Remedies, authored by Melanie Wise. In “Lost Anatomy: Rediscovering the Body Beyond the Visible,” Wise examines how modern medicine has increasingly disconnected from the body’s natural intelligence, referencing a time when healing was rooted in energy, balance, and generational knowledge. She notes that for centuries, practitioners of traditional herbal medicine, homeopathy, and faith or energy-based healing achieved proven results by understanding the body beyond its physical form. “Long before clinical diagnostics, true healing came from recognizing the body’s innate wisdom and treating the unseen as carefully as the visible,” says Wise.

The ‘Books to Film’ column by Zac Baldwin, examines adaptations that continue to shape cinematic culture, ranging from GONE WITH THE WIND to JAMES BOND, exploring what worked and what didn’t, unknown facts about the conversions, and great reviews of the successful books-to-movies that we all love.

Another highlight features Michael Feinstein, interviewed by Sheryl Aronson, Arting Around, who discusses his approach to songwriting and production, particularly in GERSHWIN COUNTRY. In the album, he revisits the music of George and Ira Gershwin through the voices of country artists such as Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Brad Paisley, and Rosanne Cash. The result is not nostalgia, but transformation.

Printed in full bleed, the 200+ page volume sets a new benchmark for independent luxury press. Every spread is designed with archival standards, with a hardcover edition in development for extended distribution. More than a milestone in independent publishing, this issue holds personal significance. The Collector’s Issue also serves as a tribute to Lee L. Peoples (1940–2025), founding Executive Editor at KL Publishing Group, whose editorial structure helped shape the magazine since its transition to print in 2014. Her legacy remains permanently inscribed on the masthead.

“This issue is deeply important to me. My mother, Lee, co-founded both AGENDA and KL Publishing Group. She helped shape this magazine from the very beginning: first as copy editor, proofreader, book reviewer, and writer of the ‘Syntax Me!’ column, and later as a consultant offering invaluable guidance. Though I am deeply saddened by her passing, I’m comforted, knowing her influence lives on in every page. AGENDA would not be what it is today without her.” — Kaylene Peoples

Available now through Amazon worldwide and select retailers, the ‘Age of Power’ Collector’s Issue #4 maintains uncompromising production standards, with a hardcover adaptation currently in development.

“Power begins with meaning. Use language with purpose; speak clearly, think precisely, and let every word carry intent.” — Lee Peoples, Co-Founder of AGENDA

EDITORIAL TEAM & CONTRIBUTORS

• Kaylene Peoples – Founder, Editor-in-Chief, Creative Director, & Senior Fashion Editor & Writer
• Lee L. Peoples (1940–2025) – Co-Founder & Executive Editor
• First Take PR Photography – Front Cover Art Design and Graphics
• Ezequiel de la Rosa, Photographer – Back Cover
• Ash Gupta  (Joel Wicecarver Asst.)– Lead Photographer, “Age of Power” Feature
• Shahada Karim – Journalist, Cover Story Author & Beauty Editor
• Ty-Ron Mayes – Columnist & Fashion Editor
• Arun Nevader – Runway Photography Lead
• Debbie Lee – Curator, Black Design Collective Feature
• Melanie Wise – Wellness & Cultural Contributor
• Sheryl Aronson – Columnist & Interviewer
• Zac Baldwin – Literary & Film Review Columnist

The late Lee L. Peoples, co-founder of both AGENDA and KL Publishing Group, consulted on this issue and remained a vital guiding force until her passing.

ABOUT:

KL Publishing Group, founded by multi-award-winning composer, publisher, and creative visionary Kaylene Peoples, is the parent company of AGENDA magazine, VIRTUOSO BASS, SCHMOOZE JAZZ, THE PERFORMING ARTIST, and JAZZ INFLUENCERS. As one of the first independent publishers to successfully deploy full-bleed print capabilities on Amazon, KLPG continues to redefine media innovation across fashion, culture, and music with over 22 titles in development. Peoples was named among MSN’s “Top Ten Trailblazing Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2025.”

Release written by: First Take PR

Media Contact

Sean McKenzieAGENDA Magazine1 (213) 576-9946 press@agendamag.comhttps://www.agendamag.com
Zac Baldwin
SOURCE AGENDA Magazine
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AGENDA Midsummer 2021 Issue Is Dynamic, Featuring Cover Model Lindy Flowers in “A Midsummer’s Daydream.”

165 pages of killer content features BDC’s Rodney Epperson & Aaron Potts, Verified’s Monica Dogra & BlacKkKlansman’s Kevin Willmott. We talk corsets, health, beauty, models & movies from best-selling books! Agenda Issue #15 packs a powerful punch!

Lindy Flowers, model, wife, and mother of two, is Agenda’s stunning cover model for the Midsummer 2021, Issue #15. She has graced Agenda’s cover once online, was featured in several fashion spreads, and was even Agenda’s spokes model before the magazine expanded to print. Flowers has walked in shows for Oscar de La Renta and Bill Blass, appeared in countless fashion editorials, as well as several magazine covers. This issue, she stars in “A Midsummer’s Daydream”—a swimsuit editorial that celebrates women. The all-female team for the shoot includes photographer Cathy Cunningham, wardrobe stylist Sabrina Feldman, makeup and hair by Alma Mahmood, and produced by Kaylene Peoples. The editorial was shot on location with swimwear ranging from La Blanca to Solid Striped. And Hailey Flowers, a dancer and Miss Junior Teen Nevada United States 2019 & 1st Runner Up Miss California’s Outstanding Teen 2021, is featured in the editorial “Sun-Kissed,” making this a mother-daughter “fun-in-the-sun” collaboration.

“The great thing about the industry is it’s ever changing. When I started at 19, it was supposed to be a short shelf life, over by 25. There’s a whole group of fantastic models that has steered a path in terms of growing older. I think people can relate to models of all different ages and sizes now, whereas before, everybody was trying to fit into a size 0.” –Lindy Flowers, Agenda Cover Model

Photographer Ash Gupta debuts Verified, featuring Indian music sensation and podcast host Monica Dogra; and Manasvi is featured in Gupta’s “Out of the Woods” editorial.

Monica Dogra and Manasvi

In “Romanticism Redefined,” designer Rebecca Taylor previews of her Fall 2021 looks, “ . . . with resolved gestures, newfound romance manifests in eyelet, pleats, and embroidery in robust interactions.” –Rebecca Taylor

Agenda Issue 15 Contents

Beauty by Shahada Karim reviews May Lindstrom, SMD Cosmetics, and Bynacht in “Seasonal Skin Saviors”; Introducing a new line of incredible body creams and candles by Bond No. 9 in “Reintroducing Bond No. 9; and Agenda’s beauty editor explores the Rose Hermès collection in the article “Hermès and the Summer Flush.”

Melanie Wise sheds light on the importance of maintaining liver function in her article “Fight or Flight Mode Is Your Body’s Way of Saying CHANGE YOUR DIET!”

“Our largest expenditure of energy on a daily basis is our food. The more chemicals that we eat, the more processed the food is, and the more energy it takes to break it down. One of the easiest ways to get the body to right itself is to decrease the energetic load of digestion. Once you do that, suddenly and magically it goes “ooh . . . let me fix this and let me fix that!” And you’ll find that the whole system tends to work better.” –Melanie Wise, Wise Remedies

Zac Baldwin reviews a series of movies made from best-selling books—authors include Stephen King, David Baldacci, and Elmore Leonard.

“I waited with trepidation for the movie The Princess Bride to finally be made. It took a long time, but wow was it worth it! It captured the essence of the book, the humor, the unusual and riveting characters, and of course true love.” –Zac Baldwin, Book Reviews

AGENDA Issue 15 Masthead

Sheryl Aronson (Arting Around) interviews BlacKkKlansman’s Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott.

“Growing up watching award shows with my mother and having the fantasy that one day I was going to win an Oscar, was my dream. When it actually happened, I felt the privilege of it, because there are many great artists who have never won. It also opens up opportunities but gives you newfound responsibilities. You have to be willing to take things to the next level. That’s the most important thing it has meant for me. I felt it was a great privilege to have won an Oscar for a movie that I believed in. That’s something a lot of people don’t have an opportunity to do.” – Kevin Willmott, Academy Award-Winning Screenwriter

The Black Design Collective features designers Aaron Potts (APOTTS) and former Project Runway contestant Rodney Epperson (EPPERSON). In their interviews, they talk about their inspirations, as well as their creations in the interviews “APOTTS: Designed to Make Us Take Pause” and “The REBIRTH of Epperson.”

APOTTS and EPPERSON

Celebrity stylist Ty-Ron Mayes talks about athleisure wear and new ways to style sweatshirts in “The Sweatshirt Goes Next Level Fierce!”

“From Balenciaga to Givenchy, sweatshirts have leveled up. Once upon a time these sweatshirts used to be just super comfy tops for college kids and sports enthusiasts, but today’s sweatshirts are more glamorous then ever.” – Ty-Ron Mayes, Fashion Whisperer

The Midsummer 2021 issue has a frenzy of fashion with runway from Milan, Berlin, and Jakarta (British Council), featuring designers Hugo Boss, ThreeOnes, Xevi Fernandez, Outsiders Division, and Intoart x and John Smedley’s capsule collection. Fashion Archives opens Agenda’s time capsule with runway from the past (2013) by Sally La Pointe and (2012) Made in Africa by Arise, featuring top African designers, including images from pop vocalist Leona Lewis, photographed by Arun Nevader.

AGENDA Issue 15 Back Cover

Fashion Talk by editor-in-chief Kaylene Peoples authors a historical retrospective that delves into the practice of waist training in “Corsetry & Morality: The History of Tightlacing”:

“When I watch shows like Bridgerton where corseting is its own character, or the film Moulin Rouge with Nicole Kidman who suffered a broken rib from tightlacing, why aren’t I phased? Because I, like so many women, see the value in corsetry—after all, they do shape the body. Of all the snake oil being peddled today, it is the one accessory that follows through on its claims—wear it and look amazing! As far as waist trainers, the modified corset, they are body drill sergeants that train our waists to behave. They smooth our bulges and boost our self-esteem. So, the big question is whether to corset or not to corset . . . the choice is yours. Either let it all hang out or tuck that tummy in and leave to everyone else’s imagination what’s underneath! –Kaylene Peoples, Fashion Talk

About AGENDA:

The fashion and lifestyle magazine that has been telling the story behind the story since 2004, is a print and online magazine with a diverse readership, consisting mostly of women from various backgrounds, ranging from college age to 65 years old and beyond. Touted as ‘the intelligent read,’ Agenda is credited for being the first online magazine to stream video and documentary-style interviews. In print since 2014 (including the Special Editions and Collector’s Issues), the magazine has consistently put out breathtaking coffee table keepsakes with content, including fashion, beauty, photography, interviews, entertainment, and more. Agenda magazine is available in print worldwide! Visit https://www.agendamag.com (Social Media @agendamag)

The multicultural fashion and lifestyle magazine crosses continents, bringing a new perspective to the world of fashion and journalism. Agenda’s Midsummer 2021, Issue #15 has a 165-page count, and is a full-color glossy periodical. Listen to Podcasts for extended interviews of Rodney Epperson and Lindy Flowers at https://www.agendamag.com/category/podcast. Agenda is published by KL Publishing Group.

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Agenda Collector’s Issue 2021: “Changemakers” Shines A Floodlight On Women And People Of Color

Mar 15, 2021 (AB Digital via COMTEX) — The multicultural fashion and lifestyle magazine makes a statement as its editorial team incorporates Women’s History Month and Black History Month together in Agenda magazine’s “Changemakers,” featuring WITH HER FIST RAISED (the biography of Dorothy Pitman Hughes) as the lead story. Other features include the first Black male supermodel Renauld White, the first Black supermodel with albinism Diandra Forrest, playwright/actor Levy Lee Simon, women’s suffrage activist Susan B. Anthony; the work of celebrity photographer Michael Benabib, and the Black Design Collective’s Kevan Hall, Byron Lars, and Octavius Terry-Sims.

This is a world that has created holidays for every month and nearly every one of the 365 days in the Gregorian calendar. And based on each individual’s preferences, choosing which holidays are the most meaningful, and keeping them all “straight” can be daunting. However, two very significant months are very near and dear to Agenda magazine’s heart — February for African Americans and March for Women. In “A Letter from Your Editor,” Kaylene Peoples gives us insight on what sparked the idea for “Changemakers.”

“We’ve come a long way … or have we?  That is a question that is always up for debate.  As a woman in a man’s world, this saying is useful. Women have made strides over time, and particularly in the early 20th century. We won the right to vote. Then we won seats in Congress, and now we are the Vice President of the United States. A victory is a victory, right? However, as a nation, America is coming to the equal rights game a little late. Other countries have had women as chief executives for a while. Then there is another little problem:  Race, and why do we still have the divide. 

I started working on this collector’s issue with the thought of focusing on Black History Month. Then, I thought again. Oddly the two “minority” celebrations in our Jim Crow nation just happen to be adjacent: February (the short month) reserved for African Americans and March (on its tail) for women. Aren’t we fortunate to have our own month! All sarcasm aside, focusing on race and focusing on gender should be a moot point by now, yet it isn’t. The decision to combine the two months made more sense to me. And instead of calling it “Black this” and “Women that,” the title, ‘Changemakers,’ made the cut. Agenda Collector’s Issue 2021: ‘Changemakers’ is here to celebrate the achievements and ongoing pioneering of trailblazers, who just happen to be women and people of color!” – Kaylene Peoples, Editor-in-Chief of Agenda Magazine

“Changemakers” is filled with great stories and interviews, beautiful fashion editorials, and some surprises. From two “firsts” in the world of supermodels to activists, playwrights, book reviews, photography; beauty, health, and humanitarianism, the 2021 collector’s issue is not only exciting but interesting and informative.

Here’s what’s in the issue:

With Her Fist Raised: Dorothy Pitman Hughes and the Transformative Power of Black Community Activism

This biography was written by Professor Laura LeeAnn Lovett, a historian and author of other relevant books on women and race issues. Lovett talks about the process of completing her book about the life of Dorothy Pitman Hughes who is the co-founder of Ms. Magazine with Gloria Steinem, an effective civil and women’s rights activist, the first to start a child daycare center, and a former Miss America Franchise owner. Here’s what Laura had to say in this interview.

“I’m really hoping that we go back and rethink what we know about history and reassess our assumptions about African American women and feminism. Dorothy is somebody who is self-made, who figures out what she needs to do, and figures out community needs and does it; she created the childcare office and program for the whole city. I think that understanding that the importance of that message of ‘you can do it, that what is possible comes from the community’ is really the most important part of this book, about her life, and what I take away from learning about her. — Laura L. Lovett, Author

An Unexpected Advocate: Susan B. Anthony Is Still Relevant Today

Susan B. Anthony is a well-known historical figure that fought her entire life for the suffrage movement, as well as being an abolitionist who played her own part in the civil rights movement. This article is a historical retrospective on this Quaker-turned-activist.

“We might question why a woman who was born in 1820, and a Quaker nonetheless, would champion such a dangerous cause, bound to deliver reverberating backlashes.  We might even consider the fact that she had no real resources other than the support of her parents; exampled by them removing her from the school that wouldn’t teach girls math and placing her in an educational program that offered her equal learning.

In 1863, together Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the Women’s Loyal National League, which orchestrated the largest petition drive in United States history up to that time; they collected close to 400,000 signatures in support of abolishing slavery. In 1866, they initiated the American Equal Rights Association, which campaigned for equal rights for both women and African Americans. This is what led to them publishing [the newspaper] The Revolution.” – Kaylene Peoples, Agenda

The Black Design Collective’s new president Kevan Hall, and new BDC members Byron Lars and Octavius Terry-Sims inspire us to consider buying Black. The Nielson Ratings reported that Blacks spend annually upwards of 1.7 trillion dollars, buying clothes and accessories. This piece of information has spurred a community of designers that promote, market, educate, mentor, and raise money for this nonprofit and fashion collective.

 

 

 

Agenda interviews the three designers:

Kevan Hall – Changing the Face of Fashion Retail with the Black Design Collective

“Who knew that when 2020 came around, a pandemic would hit like it did? We immediately shifted into gear as to what we could do to help our designers sustain their businesses, so we started doing a series of workshops. And these workshops were to help our folks figure out how to get a PPP Loan, Unemployment Insurance as an independent designer or contractor eligible for unemployment, where usually self-employed people couldn’t get it. They needed to know how they could get grants.” – Kevan Hall, President & Celebrity Designer

Getting to Know Byron Lars as he talks Barbie and Celebrities

Byron Lars prior to designing Black Barbie collectibles for Mattel,“I was on a very shallow level with Barbie and not on a soapbox about inclusion, but I learned it was really meaningful.  All those white dolls all those years, and the ones they just copied on a Black doll with none of the colors and sensibilities really had nothing to do with us.”

On designing for celebrities,“I don’t really put the celebrity moment ahead of my average customer, because it really does come back to the experience that you’re having. It just so happens that it’s their job to be public luminaries. And other peoples’ jobs are more about putting this dress on and crushing that meeting, because mama’s looking good! You know what I mean?  It really is pretty much the same charge, whether in the public eye or not.” — Byron Lars, Fashion Designer & Barbie Collectibles

There’s more than meets the eye with designer and CEO of GROOM.

“I am currently writing an autobiographical self-help memoir, detailing all my different lives from Olympic hopeful; getting married on the 2014 Grammy Awards; being a singer songwriter with two albums; and now a celebrity fashion designer.” – Octavius Terry-Sims, Designer

Levy Lee Simon:  Odyssey of a Harlem Artist

Award-winning playwright, actor, and director Levy Lee Simon talks about his three pandemic-related projects in his ‘Arting Around’ interview with Sheryl Aronson.

“I would like for people to support live theater during these difficult times, and have a different kind of experience in addition to watching Netflix and Amazon Prime. It is very interesting watching plays on Zoom and seeing the actors in these little boxes. And very soon the audience is caught up in the drama of the play. The solo performance was my debut, and I promise … I hoped I didn’t bore the audience.  The response overwhelmingly has been that I didn’t.” – Levy Lee Simon

Book Reviews

Milk Run is a novel by Zac Baldwin that is thrilling, has fast-paced fiction with not one, but two female leads; and Passing Myself Down to the Grave: A Woman’s Rise from Darkness is a memoir by Sheryl Aronson — an exposing personal journey through breast cancer, surviving, and coming out on the other side.

Looking at Music Royalty Through the Lens of Michael Benabib

Michael Benabib is a celebrity photographer who has photographed the most iconic musical artists in the world, including Michael Jackson, The Fugees, Miles Davis, and more. Agenda highlights some of those rare, captured moments.

“I set up my lights, and I tried to take a picture that told a story by showing the board in the studio. Miles [Davis] was great, and was really interested in what I was doing. He asked about my technique, the camera I was using, and he wanted to see all the Polaroids. He was just totally involved. It was a great experience for me.” – Michael Benabib, Re-quoted from Thelastmiles.com

Beauty by Shahada Karim

It’s all about self-care with reviews of products by African American female business owners in the following reviews. “Danessa Myricks and the Beauty of Color,” “Gavin Luxe and the Sensual Sense,” and “EPARA: The Science of Beautiful Skin.”

Getting Back to Basics with Regards to Women’s Health

When it comes to health, Agenda has a discussion about women’s wellness with Melanie Wise of Wise Remedies in this candid conversation …

“When I train people for injury rehab or other reasons, I’m not looking for lifetime clients. I want to teach them what they need to know and get them out the door.  I want people to be in the driver’s seat of their own health. I don’t want to be their cheerleader, and they don’t need a cheerleader, what they need is good health.” — Melanie Wise, Wise Remedies

Fashion Whisperer Ty-Ron Mayes produces three timeless editorials

“Celebrating Renauld White, a Living Legend and Stylish Trailblazer”; “The Nomadian,” featuring model Jean-Mary Aubourg; and Diandra Forrest’s “Blonde Noir, the First Black Supermodel with Albinism.”  Included in Forrest’s editorial is an eye-opening and consciousness-raising interview.

“I think it’s been long overdue for us to be looked at as the unique beauties that we are. A lot of the times in the entertainment business, people with albinism have been portrayed as something supernatural or odd or freakish-looking, and I love that we are being seen in a different light.” — Diandra Forrest

Agenda pays tribute to those who’ve been the first to achieve or those who’ve changed history. Throughout the entire magazine, Agenda magazine spotlights Kamala Harris, Angela Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Halle Barry, Sidney Poitier, Tuskegee Airmen, Toni Morrison; Donyale Luna, Harriet Quimby, Shirley Chisolm, Ruby Bridges, Lauryn Hill, Marguerite Higgins, Sandra Day O’Conner, Barack Obama, Kathryn Bigelow, The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed the “Six Triple Eight, Angela Davis, and honoring those anonymous activists who did their part to help bring forth equality!” A changemaker, simply put, is anyone who is taking creative action to solve a social problem—first, by actively tackling that social problem demonstrates they are motivated to act!

“There is no going back, there is only moving forward.” – Melinda May, S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agenda Collector’s Issue 2021: Changemakers is available in print and digital.

Featured on Talk Agenda Podcast are interviews with Black Design Collective president Kevan Hall, Byron Lars, and author of With Her Fist Raised Laura L. Lovett.

To Listen to Talk Agenda

Agenda Collector’s Issue 2021: “Changemakers” is sponsored by Bella Composers.

ABOUT AGENDA:

Agenda is the fashion and lifestyle magazine that has been telling the story behind the story since 2004. Agenda has a diverse readership, consisting mostly of women from various backgrounds, ranging from college age to 65 years old and beyond. Touted as ‘the intelligent read,’ Agenda is credited for being the first online magazine to stream video and documentary-style interviews. Since the very first Special Edition “Fall Is Fascinating,” in 2014, the magazine has consistently put out breathtaking coffee table keepsakes with content, including fashion, beauty, articles, photography, interviews, reviews, historical retrospectives, commentary, entertainment, and more. Agenda magazine is published by KL Publishing Group and is available worldwide!