Ninawa’s upcycling may be the future of fashion, but owner struggles to stay sewing in Cambridge
For the past two years, Aelen Unan has been both homeless and a small-business owner. Her Ninawa Zero-Waste shop promotes sustainable fashion by turning unwanted clothing into upcycled dresses and tote bags – but it too is about to be homeless as her time at the Popportunity small-vendor market in Central Square runs out.
A week of events in Cambridge and Somerville: Drag, fireworks and ‘The Hijacking of Rights’
In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, there are talks on “Much Ado About Mushrooms” and “The Hijacking of Rights in America”; a story slam and poetry; a drag night with local queens Coleslaw and Severity Stone and drag king Travis Tí; dance and music; “Moana” and “School of Rock” for free; and July Fourth comedy and fireworks.
A week of events in Cambridge and Somerville, from a Juneteenth parade to ‘Medusa Reclaimed’
In a look ahead at a week of Cambridge and Somerville events, there are continuing Juneteenth celebrations, a Harvard Museums Summer Solstice Celebration, visit by the author Ottessa Moshfegh and musician Lou Barlow, Nepal Festival, silent dance party, Pit-A-Palooza, “Medusa Reclaimed” and much more.
Mixed reactions to Will Smith’s slap
By now, everyone has seen or heard about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars for joking about his wife’s short hair – the result of alopecia, an autoimmune disease. As shocking as Smith’s slap was, so too are the mixed reactions to the assault within the Black female community, who either praised or condemned his violence.
Grendel’s Den has 50 years of stories to recount (and is doing it in the ‘People’s History’ podcast)
At 50 years old, Grendel’s Den is not only going strong, but has come to embody the essence of Harvard Square and how it (always) “used to be cool.” The podcast we’re putting together, “A People’s History of Food and Drink: Five by Ten in the Den,” is meant to bring people back to the nostalgia of each of its decades.
A very grand Shoe & Leather Exposition Building went up along the Charles in 1909, but didn’t last
A Classical Revival building by an architect known for Roman Catholic churches featured five domes with two exhibition wings and a circular theater with seating for 3,000, and the world’s first Shoe & Leather Exposition drew 30,000 visitors on opening night. But success was short-lived.
Zimbabwean soul and American cool are unified in Bless by Bless’ CambridgeSide fashion pop-up
Bless Mazarura’s Bless by Bless capsule collection of limited-edition “luxury wardrobe essentials” is available at a pop-up shop at Cambridgeside until the end of the year, displaying the designer’s African-influenced fashion and uniting continents through his Army of Luv nonprofit line.
Taking orders from TikTok kids, vintage stores are selling through stock from the ’80s and ’90s
Gen Zers’ fervor for ’80s and ’90s fashion helps determine what makes it onto the racks of secondhand clothing shops in Cambridge and Somerville, but not as a result of the latest issues of Teen Vogue or posts from fashion websites. It’s the video app TikTok driving much of the style.
Subcouture shows to highlight fashion designers from Palestine to Ukraine, feeling very pre-Covid
With life returning to Cambridge after months of grim pandemic, so is fashion, music and art. Subcentral in Central Square has three days of it starting Thursday that might feel a lot like 2019, if not for the required masks and up-to-the-minute wear being provided by six local designers.