“Some people, if somebody called you a chonga, they would think it was insulting, like calling you ratchet,” says the Miami-born Cuban artist who goes by La Goony Chonga. But she’s all about the Miami subculture that she says is heavy on kitch, baby tees, and hoops. That aesthetic has sparkle dusted its way into her new EP, Descontrol, an I-don’t-give-a-fuck series of reggaeton-trap-hop bangers that command respect for their author, no matter how she presents. I can’t believe we’re still having to create our identities around presumed disrespect (thx, AC) but if we have to, might as well dance while we do it.
How’s this for empowerment: In the year 2021, Tiffany’s is about to debut a men’s engagement ring. It’s part of a massive, post-acquisition overhaul designed to bring back the young people who no longer care about legacy brands like this——or, presumably, showy wedding rituals. Obvious market grab aside, I’ve always thought that if engaged women have to signal their own downpayment, it would be nice to invite people of other genders to carry some mark of ownership, too (sry is my attitude toward institutions showing?). Tiffany seems to be targeting gay men, which, cool, but please also show me a straight homeboy is engaged, right?
Ugh but then is an extra ring just adding another expense to an already out-of-control wedding industrial complex? How many diamonds do we really need to buy to file our taxes jointly? Or can we make do with plastic beads?
Before we sign off, I want to make sure any budding designers in the room know about the Fashion Design Certificate from Parsons. In eight courses, this program uses real-world, project-based learning to build the foundational skills you need to be a designer (think: concept development, sketching, sewing, construction, draping, patternmaking, textile selection and more). Sounds dreamy, and that’s pretty much what you’d expect from the #1-ranked design school in the country. Fall registration is open now and courses start on August 30th, so if this is for you, get on in there, stat.
