Musing’s From The Editor Editorial

Editorial

Jun 4

Written By Nigel Isaiah

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From The 5th Floor

And there, five miles from Midtown, in Harlem, a five-floor double flight walk-up, was the 2025 spring collections.

Photography by: Ammar Jamal

It’s April 10, 2025, and I’m sitting in my room, wiping tears from my face — not the sad kind, but one of those deep, soul-cleansing cries. The kind you don’t see coming, but when it hits? Man, it hits. Viola Davis sparked it. She said, “The only two people you owe anything to are your six-year-old self and your 80-year-old self,” when talking about taking on her new role in G20. That sat with me heavy.

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So, I tried something. I called up my younger self — “coming-of-age” Nigel — and had a real one-on-one. I apologized. I said sorry for being hard-headed, for fumbling opportunities that could’ve made the road a little smoother, like turning down that EOP program at a dope private college just ‘cause it wasn’t my first pick. Or flunking out when I finally did go. I had to own up to that. And I definitely had to admit that being too proud to take an internship or assistant gig made breaking into fashion in New York back in 2014 a whole lot harder than it needed to be.

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I looked that version of me in the eye and said, “My bad.” Because sometimes, the hardest part of growth is forgiving yourself for what you didn’t know back then.

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But I didn’t stop there. I also thanked him. I told him thank you for dreaming crazy-big, for holding on to faith the size of a mustard seed. For praying every night to get to NYC, to sit front row at Fashion Week, to work for a magazine, to become a fashion editor — even when the path wasn’t clear, and the world didn’t make space for someone like us to do it. I told him I see him. That I appreciate him. That I’m here — blessed, evolving, building something beautiful — because of his tunnel vision, his stubborn belief, and the covering of a God our grandfather made sure we knew early.The tears that came from all that? Man, they were loud. But they were holy. They were confirmation that the prayers were heard. That the work is being seen. That keeping God first and building this “luxury on the Black-hand side” vision ain’t in vain.

So with that energy, Ammar and I built Book 2: Holla If You Hear Me. We wanted to center the voices and stories that don’t always get a mic but deserve the spotlight. Inside these pages, you’ll find an interview with our cover star Michael Evans Behling, who opens up about his Midwest roots, navigating race and adoption, and stepping into his power as Jordan Baker on All American. You’ll see coverage from Met Gala festivities alongside designers Grace Wales Bonner and LaQuan Smith, and an editorial with model Ahmad Cissé —seen throughout this spread— showcasing the best of Spring 2025 menswear.