Safety Pins's Blog (175)

While I never regret any of my own tattoos, I won't be attending another tattoo party where you can not only snag a 2 for 1 tattoo special, a free beer is also thrown in to sweeten the deal. The result? I am left with 2 very sloppy tattoos that look like it was drawn from a sharpie by a 5yr old, which serves as a constant reminder that cheap prices will not guarantee you quality work. With the economy in turmoil, there are many people aching for more tattoo work but unable to…

This year has been a great year for Fashion Icon, Mother, Celebrity DJ, Model and Carol's Daughter Brand Ambassador Solange Knowles. Her style is funky, eclectic, adventurous and daring while maintaining effortless elegance. She is isn't afraid of vibrant colors or bold patterns. Her style screams confidence and personality. - BlackFashionByJavii…

Amber Jasmin Morrow is a Makeup and Hair Artist based out of New York City and Los Angeles. She has had the pleasure of freelancing for such brands as Maybelline Cosmetics, and touring North America with shows such as Monty Python's Spamalot, The Color Purple, and soon joining the cast and crew of Rock of Ages. When Amber isnt living out of a tour bus and traveling for work, she enjoys spending her summers in the sweltering heat that is NYC, eating awesome food, traveling out of…

With her mysterious viral videos, we see a glimpse of Doxi Jones, but not the whole picture. She teases us with images of her eyes and lips, discussing her thoughts and pulls us into an intimate one-way conversation. A marketing idea she proudly proclaims as her own. While sitting down with the Title 9/SRC/Universal Republic recording artist at a studio in Manhattan, I am immediately thrilled to see not only is Doxi stunning but she has some beautiful skin ink. I wondered at…

Fashion trends are like friends. They come and go with the season, sometimes for no apparent reason. Some friends you hang out with because they hang out with all your other friends. Some friends, no matter how popular, quirky, witty or cute they are, they're not friend you keep around forever. Friends: Trend: The Bow Tie.…

This nurse in training spends her days learning how to help people stay healthy and prevent disease. And she does it all while showing off some serious ink. Hellooooooo Nurse! Meet Jellybean. To submit your tattoos for Tattoo Of The Week, send pictures + answers to the questionnaire below to mika@afropunk.com.…

In the male dominated industry of tattooing, it is a refreshing change to meet Steph Modified. Born and raised in New York City, the professional tattoo artist is the Afropunk version of Tank Girl; she's fearless and ready to take on the world. Steph Modified has been working on her craft since she was 16 years old. On her journey to find her new home, tattooing at Ink Chyx hasn't been easy, but her artistic talent is paving the way for Steph Modified to become a leader in the…

It’s impossible to say when the first hat was pulled over someone’s head either as protection or for fashion purposes. One of the first hats in History included the Phrygian cap, which became identified later as the 'liberty cap' given to slaves in Greece and Rome when they were made free men. Since then, hats have come and gone as symbols of status, uniform, fashion statements and more. Whether you wear your hats for religious, royal, weather, or fashion purposes, here's to the…

Mika Kenyah is aware that the demure tone of her voice is somewhat misleading: her personality is assertive. During her years of working in corporate advertising firms, she often found herself hiding her four tattoos (her two largest: a half sleeve of a phoenix and another half sleeve of a peony flower), but gaining respect with her peers for her professionalism and dependability. When Mika, 28, eventually revealed her body modifications at work, she said she noticed people…

Beach season is here, and looking HOT and original at the beach isn't always that easy. So instead of mixing some really old pieces together or hiding behind shorts and a T-Shirt, check-out the Afro-Bikini line from designer Adama Paris. The print bikinis come in different designs and styles that should appeal to all kind of body types. We talked to Adama Paris to find out more about her label.



Interview by…

The best thing about personal style is that it's yours, it belongs to you. If you don't like it, change it, switch it up, make it something you'd be proud of. This week I felt like switching things up a bit as well. In an effort to see how the styles of some of my favorite BlackFashion followers has changed by comparing a photo of them then to the now.…

Since WTT, Lil Wayne and A$AP all decided to make statements out of the American Flag the new trend has become exactly that: The AMERICAN FLAG. Punks who were never one to be blinded by trends are now clamoring to the American flag trend. My question is: Are they who they really say they are? 'Punk' used to be considered Anti-fashion, and argued that punk should be defined by their music or their ideology, yet it seems that with the right amount of tattoos, ripped or tattered…

Always dope to come across talented under-the-radar designers. So when young, freshly graduated artist Amina Martucci hit us up about her knitwear collections (including one called 'Strange Fruit', we assume named after the classic song made famous by Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and more), we had to check them out. And we were not disappointed.

She told us: "I've been following Afropunk for a while now, and I love how it is so rich in culture! I've just recently graduated…

"Everyone's trying so hard to be different but they all look the same." In fashion as well as everything else we do, we're influenced from what has come before us and what's around us right now. Check out our Black Fashion Tumblr blog's 3 most reblogged images of the week.…

Hey! I am Ms. K and I am living in Brooklyn, NY. I grew up in Germany with a German mum and a Ghanaian dad. African cloth and prints were always part of our home and my life. Today we'll be talking about Bombe Surprise, a label from London. The collection and designs are inspired by the wax prints that designer Nina Ribena saw at one of London's many markets and the multicultural vibe of the city itself. Even though some of the designs might be a little too crazy for myself, I…

Some people have a perception of style as something or someone right out of the pages of VOGUE magazine: uncomfortable, yet fashionable because the shirt they're wearing costs $800. That's not style. Style is the power to freely express oneself using the clothes from our closet or the curtains you turned into a shirt that looks like it cost hundreds.…

AFROPUNKS! You already know that how you wear it is more important than what you wear. Meet Javii, a member of the AFROPUNK community, and our new fashion partner. For the last six weeks, we’ve been working with her to host pop-up street style shoots around NYC. (Big thanks…

Meet THA ORIGINAL GATA™, self-proclaimed "feline of all trades", a vocalist, actress, comic book model. Sporting 17 tattoos, she takes her ink seriously. Don't forget to send us pictures of your tattoos and your answers to the questionnaire below to afropunkcommunity@gmail.com to be featured as our tattoo of the week.



Who are you?

Tha Musician

I'm the lead vocalist for a balls to the wall band called Negro Childe. "Negro Childe is a fusion…

This week's tattoo feature calls herself, Renegade Barbie. As scary as that sounds, we like her name, almost as much as we love her 60+ tattoos she has planted all over her body. Renegade...ahem...Ms. Barbie is not only a model, but she is one half owner of 2 Cool 2 Cry Tattoos and Piercings located in Atlanta, GA. This week we feature the model/entrepreneur/hot mom on Afropunk.com and don't forget to send us pictures of your tattoos to afropunkcommunity@gmail.com to be featured…

AP member Roxy Stardust hails from Las Vegas and is a self-described revolutionary in the making. She got the word "Iconoclast" tattooed on her collar bone/shoulder area to reflect this anti-establishment stance. She rocks 6 tattoos, some of them very large pieces. Check them out, and if you'd like to be our Tattoo Of The Week feature, answer the questions below and email us at least 3 pictures of you and your tattoo(s) at afropunkcommunity@gmail.com.…