What do you stand for ?

Taking to the streets, ANTI Collective asked New Yorkers about their values, beliefs and what's important to them.

ANTI collective has continued to lead in the way in the expression of individuality via its “What are you ANTI?” campaign. As a brand that feeds off the streets and the eclectic fusion of souls that this brings, ANTI has collaborated with New York identities and asked them what they are most passionate about in a time of considerable change through a series of “What do you stand for?” interviews.

Navigating an unprecedented time in the world, key individuals from our New York street campaign share their salvations and strategies of dealing with a world going through a time of considerable renewal, forcing us to look internally and rediscover the very force which guides us. To empower the new and inspire us to lead in art, business and creativity.

What are you ANTI? Together we are ANTI collective. Anticollective.com

Joanna @jopranaa

Tell us your story? 

My name is Joanna. I am 27 years old, Puerto Rican, born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. I am the owner and creator at Prana Sense (@pranaforsense), an online herbal company focussing on mental, emotional, and physical healing.

Tell us what you want the world to know about you.

I am a strong Hispanic woman from a background of strong Hispanic women. I come from strength, self-sufficiency, independence, pain and resilience. I believe what makes me who I am is my honesty and my dedication to my growth. My father always said to me; “You have to take care of yourself first if you want to be in the position to take care of others.”

What do you stand for?  

I stand for honesty from the heart. I think that honesty, even in the most minute ways, is intimidating for humans. I believe we must be honest with ourselves primarily in order to grow and find healthy ways to express even the smallest honesty to others.

How are you feeling and coping with the COVID-19 crisis?

Personally, I have been appreciating and taking advantage of all the free time I now have to focus on my craft, my (online) education and my sleep. I chose not to stress about bills and just did what I could. The circumstances are already stressful and out of my control, so why stress the parts I can’t do shit about?

Elle @ellebaness

Tell us what you want the world to know about you.

My name is Elle, I’m a recent college grad who studied writing. I grew up in Rockland, New York but I spend a lot of time in the city. I surrounded myself with a lot of creative people growing up so naturally, I blossomed in the arts. I paint, write, model and style. I want to inspire people to find themselves and love themselves, to be original and create things that represent them.

What do you stand for?  

I stand for equality, representation for POC, all kinds of love, like self-love and open-mindedness.

What are you ANTI? 

I am anti ignorance; everything is about perspective. When we see everything through not just our eyes but others as well, we learn all we need to know.

How are you feeling and coping with the COVID-19 crisis?

I think that the virus is bringing us all together in an interesting way. We’re learning more about ourselves and our loved ones, learning to appreciate each other and the world we live in. As a creative, it’s hard to create while thinking about the negatives going on the world but I also feel like all the more reason to create. We need positivity.  My family works as nurses in NYC fighting for people’s lives and I’m overwhelmed thinking about their safety

Iyanla Kalifa Galletti

Tell us what you want the world to know about you

I’m 21 years old. I was raised my entire life in the Bronx; the most impoverished area in all of NYC. Raised by a young single mother who battled alcoholism, domestic violence, and toxic relationships but did everything to maintain a roof over our head and food in our stomachs. I am a curly-haired, freckled, mixed, pansexual girl. I’m a Gemini. Everything in my life includes duality and fluidity. I’m not just a model but a poet and performance artist.

What do you stand for?

I stand for freedom of expression, Understanding, and equality.

What are you ANTI?

I’m ANTI bullshit.

How are you feeling and coping with the COVID-19 crisis?

In coping with COVID-19, I’ve mostly been feeling extremely dazed and a bit anxious. Anticipating what the next bit of news will be and how it affects my life/future as I know it. Eventually, I am hopeful that things will be fine if not back to “normal”.

Slater @makeupbyslater

Tell us what you want the world to know about you.

I’m from California but I’ve been in NYC for close to 9 years. I went to NYU to study Chinese and stuck around after I graduated. I first “came out” while I was living in Shanghai my freshman year of college. During my second year, at NYU’s campus in NYC, I got my first taste of queer nightlife and community. That’s when I started fooling around with makeup and performing. I kept experimenting when I went back to China during my junior year and eventually found opportunities to perform within Shanghai’s gay scene. Eventually I accepted drag wasn’t the career for me, but I always loved the makeup aspect of drag. Once I finally figured out how to do my own face, I thought maybe I could be a makeup artist. I knew I needed to educate myself on working with features besides my own, so I had friends come volunteer their faces for me. Through trial and error I built my kit and eventually, when I felt more confident in my abilities, a clientele. For the past four years I’ve been freelancing makeup.

 

I think the next chapter of my life is going to be law school; I’ve been studying to take the LSAT this spring. I did notthink in the past that working in the legal area would be for me. I always figured I looked too queer and acted too queer and my politics were too radical. I thought I would have to sacrifice part of my identity. But now, with the support of my family, meeting more LGBTQ people in law, and the realization that I can be the change I want to see, I feel more and more optimistic that I can become an empathetic lawyer working from within the system to make a difference for marginalized communities.

Kimy

Tell us what you want the world to know about you.

I grew up surrounded by nature in a little town in South Korea and I’ve been always liked making things; even when I was little. I like visual things and touching that’s why I can say that my career in hairdressing is endless fun. I meet many people in my job and that makes me feel ready to learn more about the energy, difference, personality, listening or skills of every single client.

What do you stand for?

I stand for people, love and freedom. Everyone deserves to love each other and deserves to have their own voice, regardless of their gender, age, race or social status. I also stand for integrity.

How are you feeling and coping with the COVID-19 crisis?

This is a sad and desperate time for the world at the moment. A lot of people have lost their family and job but we are going to get through this together.

Rebecca @rbatzz

Tell us your story?

My story, huh. I guess it’s hard to pinpoint where it all begins when I feel like I’m reborn so frequently. In this one lifetime I’ve been so many people, but still very much so myself throughout it all. I was always drawn to being multiple things at once. They’d ask me, “What do you wanna be when you grow up?” to which I’d respond, “A ballerina, cowgirl, vampire princess” with ease. Like, duh, what else? That’s a pretty graceful, rowdy, but emo kinda royalty I still see myself as. I don’t think there was ever a moment in time where I wasn’t indulging several hobbies simultaneously, living in my own world, or following my own rules. Thus paving the way for me to be who I am now. Human. Maybe.

What do you stand for?

‪I stand for manifestation. Life’s (mostly) what you make of it. Obviously, there are people who are born with or without certain privileges, but our choices and reactions are what define us. Be careful of what you put out in the world; whether it be with words, your energy, or what you allow to continue to happen to yourself.

‪What are you ANTI?

‪I am ANTI close-mindedness, people who refuse to learn or change, olives

Kris @hardkore_mf

Tell us what you want the world to know about you

Kristian Feliz, 28 years old, Aquarius from NYC, residing in Bushwick. Could be launching a fashion label. Might be planning the next rave. Wouldn’t be anything without family. Would die for my friends.

What do you stand for?

I stand for creating a safe, loving and accepting world for all

What are you ANTI?

I am ANTI hate. I am ANTI oppression

Concept
ANTI
Photographer
Ben Cook
Casting
Cheeky
Hair
Nick Irwin Global Creative Director @ Anticollective.com