top of page
iza el nems
vogue...lovers + friends
creative direction for vogue magazine, born from the lovers & friends personal series which intimately documents young native nycers in their bedrooms.
whaffle
“i grew up pretty much all throughout brooklyn! up until the age of five, i spent my early years at my grandmother's home in east new york until i was 5. i lived there with my grandmother, mom, sister, cousins, and aunts in a three-bedroom railroad house. it was honestly just like the movie crooklyn, but at some point, there might have been 12–15 of us living there. however, with what little we had, i never felt like i didn’t have. my favorite childhood memory is watching tv or movies with my grandmother. she always called them her "stories. we would always watch old 70s movies or shows like diff’rent strokes, sanford & son, good times, law and order, and golden girls. i didn’t really understand most of those shows, but i was always interested. my mom, sister, and i hopped around for a bit and ended up in red hook. we lived in red hook until i was a freshman in high school (edward r. murrow). when my sister graduated middle school, we (my mom, sister, and i) moved to the lower east side. i spent a year in college in this apartment, then i moved to la for two and a half years. i came back in 2019, my mom and sister moved out, and i converted into a 1970s time capsule-style apartment. everybody always feels at home at their grandmother’s house, so that's what i wanted to create. i wanted to fully capture the experiences my elders talked to me about, what i saw at home, and what i saw growing up on tv. i feel at home in the 70s because it reminds me of my childhood—not because i grew up in that time, but because it’s what i consumed growing up. i feel like new york has lost a sense of community. i feel like back then you could go on any block, and everybody knew each other and looked out for one another. i feel like now things are a bit more individualistic. i think the people in the city aren't on the same page a lot of the time, and you can see it in the art. the city is forever changing, and i think new york is all about adaptability; you either grow with it or grow out of it. the group of friends i have was formed by our love of history, culture, and our city. we want to make sure people know what new york was and what it will be in the future.”
tasmin + arsun
lovers tasmin + arsun on avenue c. “i’ve lived in the east village all my life, arsun was born in tribeca and grew up in riverdale. we met at laguardia highschool on the upper west side. arsun was a music major and i was in drama. we’ve been in love and best friends ever since. growing up in the city i always hung out with my friends in parks - tompkins, riverside park, central park, east river. arsun hung out in washington square park a lot.”
the jahan family
sisters arifa (21), israt (19), ifrath (11), and lisa (3) photographed on argyle road, where they have been living since 2012 with their two additional sisters and parents. the three oldest were born in bangladesh, ifrath was born in dubai, and the two youngest were born in brooklyn. from bangladesh to dubai to flatbush, the eight person family first shared a one bedroom apartment on the first floor of the same building, living in two bunkbeds. ten years later, in 2021, the family moved to a three bedroom apartment upstairs. ny is never easy, and the jahan family’s move was anything but, yet over time argyle road and it’s neighboring bengali community has left an overwhelming impact on arifa and her sisters—originally not speaking a word of english, the family would be joined by their neighbors to various appointments, where members of their block would translate from english to bengali—creating a patchwork of togetherness that has thread a new life for each of them individually and as a unit.
seashell
seashell, photographed on vanderbilt ave in what used to be an industrial building turned fire station turned home, the later designed decades ago by an architect for his wife. after she passed away in the early ‘90s, the architect sold the building to seashell’s boyfriend’s parents. the building, nearly a century old, was later split into two adjacent apartments, where the four of them now live, parents and lovers separated by a thick concrete wall. seashell spent her youth between canarsie and mill basin in brooklyn. today, many of you may know her as the monarch of neighborhood spot dr. clark’s.
sasha + friends
sasha and friends photographed in bushwick, where she has lived with roommate and best friend jess since july. originally from bed stuy, sasha has a newfound appreciation for her apartment after living alone in a studio for the past 2 years. “living with my best friend makes my home feel like home because every day i’m excited to go home to her, see her and cook with her. i feel like we’re super domesticated and have been even prior to moving in together. it feels like a huge blessing to have that.” from the age of 15 onwards sasha has had a record wall, “a wall full of different music records that defined different eras of my life that i got from my neighbor when i was in 8th grade.” when sasha was in first grade, her mother and she moved into a brownstone “that my mother was able to afford after spending about 7 years selling jewelry on the corner of clinton and nordstrand–just to live there. her drive and ability to make everything look so easy (because i didn’t even know that growing up) is awesome.” sasha’s most distinct childhood memory is her 10th birthday–”it was the most monumental age to me then and still to this day. i remember turning 10 at my best friend’s house and everyone congratulating me on entering double digits and me feeling like i could never get older like being in my double digits was the peak of adulthood and humanity and existence. it’s crazy now because i'm 22 and so fearful of aging, when all i ever wanted as a kid was to grow up.”
i ask sasha how she has seen the city change over time. her response: “oooooooof.”
“when i first moved into my childhood home right next to my house was a barber shop that had been there since 1972 and right across the street was this home that was painted all monochromatic eclectic blue and there was an old lady that lived there and she used to be outside everyday saying hello to everyone. that house isn't there anymore, it’s now an apartment building kind of complex and that barber shop is now a cafe called “the willy b general.” i’ve seen the neighborhood change immensely, seen fort greene spill over to where i was in bedstuy and become just a very gentrified area. before i was there jay z grew up there, he went to my middle school, and jay z was known for growing up in the projects. and when i moved there it was a very white neighborhood and now…you can't even imagine.”
“my friends i met in the summer of 2021. we all were social media tik tok instagram mutuals, influencers whatever the fuck you want to call it and i think we were honestly the only people from those platforms that weren’t the most annoying shitty wack ass n****s and um i think that played a big part into us being attracted and gravitated towards each other and to this day were all still friends 3 years plus and i think it's because we were able to see through the bullshit together and realize that as a group we are so powerful and not just because of the things we do or the way we look but because of the things were interested in and how much we care about each other and how we are legitimately not gonna let each other fall or stress or fail we’re just one anothers’ rocks and we put so much of our love and trust in one another and i think that’s what makes us such a strong friend group.”
i ask sasha how she has seen the city change over time. her response: “oooooooof.”
“when i first moved into my childhood home right next to my house was a barber shop that had been there since 1972 and right across the street was this home that was painted all monochromatic eclectic blue and there was an old lady that lived there and she used to be outside everyday saying hello to everyone. that house isn't there anymore, it’s now an apartment building kind of complex and that barber shop is now a cafe called “the willy b general.” i’ve seen the neighborhood change immensely, seen fort greene spill over to where i was in bedstuy and become just a very gentrified area. before i was there jay z grew up there, he went to my middle school, and jay z was known for growing up in the projects. and when i moved there it was a very white neighborhood and now…you can't even imagine.”
“my friends i met in the summer of 2021. we all were social media tik tok instagram mutuals, influencers whatever the fuck you want to call it and i think we were honestly the only people from those platforms that weren’t the most annoying shitty wack ass n****s and um i think that played a big part into us being attracted and gravitated towards each other and to this day were all still friends 3 years plus and i think it's because we were able to see through the bullshit together and realize that as a group we are so powerful and not just because of the things we do or the way we look but because of the things were interested in and how much we care about each other and how we are legitimately not gonna let each other fall or stress or fail we’re just one anothers’ rocks and we put so much of our love and trust in one another and i think that’s what makes us such a strong friend group.”
whaffle
“i grew up pretty much all throughout brooklyn! up until the age of five, i spent my early years at my grandmother's home in east new york until i was 5. i lived there with my grandmother, mom, sister, cousins, and aunts in a three-bedroom railroad house. it was honestly just like the movie crooklyn, but at some point, there might have been 12–15 of us living there. however, with what little we had, i never felt like i didn’t have. my favorite childhood memory is watching tv or movies with my grandmother. she always called them her "stories. we would always watch old 70s movies or shows like diff’rent strokes, sanford & son, good times, law and order, and golden girls. i didn’t really understand most of those shows, but i was always interested. my mom, sister, and i hopped around for a bit and ended up in red hook. we lived in red hook until i was a freshman in high school (edward r. murrow). when my sister graduated middle school, we (my mom, sister, and i) moved to the lower east side. i spent a year in college in this apartment, then i moved to la for two and a half years. i came back in 2019, my mom and sister moved out, and i converted into a 1970s time capsule-style apartment. everybody always feels at home at their grandmother’s house, so that's what i wanted to create. i wanted to fully capture the experiences my elders talked to me about, what i saw at home, and what i saw growing up on tv. i feel at home in the 70s because it reminds me of my childhood—not because i grew up in that time, but because it’s what i consumed growing up. i feel like new york has lost a sense of community. i feel like back then you could go on any block, and everybody knew each other and looked out for one another. i feel like now things are a bit more individualistic. i think the people in the city aren't on the same page a lot of the time, and you can see it in the art. the city is forever changing, and i think new york is all about adaptability; you either grow with it or grow out of it. the group of friends i have was formed by our love of history, culture, and our city. we want to make sure people know what new york was and what it will be in the future.”
iza + sophia
self portrait by sophia wilson + iza el nems, creators of the series.
talya + tyler
twins talya + tyler, photographed on bleecker st in one of the last rent stabilized apartments of the building, in the same home where their father was raised and grandmother resided in for the last 60 years of her life. the first of many of the 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔 & 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 series.
seashell
seashell, photographed on vanderbilt ave in what used to be an industrial building turned fire station turned home, the later designed decades ago by an architect for his wife. after she passed away in the early ‘90s, the architect sold the building to seashell’s boyfriend’s parents. the building, nearly a century old, was later split into two adjacent apartments, where the four of them now live, parents and lovers separated by a thick concrete wall. seashell spent her youth between canarsie and mill basin in brooklyn. today, many of you may know her as the monarch of neighborhood spot dr. clark’s.
tasmin + arsun
lovers tasmin + arsun on avenue c. “i’ve lived in the east village all my life, arsun was born in tribeca and grew up in riverdale. we met at laguardia highschool on the upper west side. arsun was a music major and i was in drama. we’ve been in love and best friends ever since. growing up in the city i always hung out with my friends in parks - tompkins, riverside park, central park, east river. arsun hung out in washington square park a lot.”
armando
armando nin was born and raised in alphabet city, where he lived in the same apartment on 9th street between avenues b and c for the first 23 years of his life. since 9th street, armando has only moved two other times–though never leaving downtown manhattan. back in the east village, armando describes his current apartment, where he has been residing since 2018: “my really cozy bed and tub is what makes my home feel like a home because i’m the only one ever in it.” looking back on childhood, armando remembers the nyc black out in 2003–one of his favorite childhood memories, where for a few hours there was no power and the streets were in a frenzy. “i saw several bonfires two stories tall in tompkins square park set by the homeless.” the city is constantly evolving, armando mentions. “nowadays i can drop my phone on ave d and it’ll be returned to me.”
the jahan family - lisa
sisters arifa (21), israt (19), ifrath (11), and lisa (3) photographed on argyle road, where they have been living since 2012 with their two additional sisters and parents. the three oldest were born in bangladesh, ifrath was born in dubai, and the two youngest were born in brooklyn. from bangladesh to dubai to flatbush, the eight person family first shared a one bedroom apartment on the first floor of the same building, living in two bunkbeds. ten years later, in 2021, the family moved to a three bedroom apartment upstairs. ny is never easy, and the jahan family’s move was anything but, yet over time argyle road and it’s neighboring bengali community has left an overwhelming impact on arifa and her sisters—originally not speaking a word of english, the family would be joined by their neighbors to various appointments, where members of their block would translate from english to bengali—creating a patchwork of togetherness that has thread a new life for each of them individually and as a unit.
lula + michael
lovers lula + michael on east 7th. lula was born on broome street in a converted silk factory and michael in staten island, his house located on what is considered the highest point of nyc and down the block from stapleton houses, where wu tang clan members rza, shyheim and ghostface killah once lived. lula & michael now live together in the former seventh street squat, a five-story tenement that historically sheltered nyc underdogs—first immigrants and their families and later squatters, who began moving into the building in the late 70’s. originally found on craigslist by a best friend of hers, east 7th street was home to eight women over two years.
iza
self portrait by sophia wilson + iza el nems, creators of the series.
the gilstrap family
nyla photographed with her grandmother, jeanette, who came to harlem from north carolina as a toddler during the great migration in the 1940’s. she never looked back and regards harlem as home. shortly after graduating high school, jeanette met her husband, john, another kid from the neighborhood. she remembers double dating with her sisters and friends; “weekend school dances and the famed harlem night clubs were always a big thing growing up.” sports were an important pastime and “all the young men in the neighborhood played baseball and basketball–the popular sports at the time. my sisters and i would go to all the games to watch our brothers, cousins, and beaux’s play ball. we were hardball queens.” after working for years in the private sector for cable tv, jeanette became a teacher at roosevelt high school in the bronx, raising two boys while attending school herself at marymount college for her masters. everybody still lives in harlem and she is blessed with three grandkids today.
born and raised in central harlem, nyla remembers gathering with family and friends at the pool in her grandmother’s apartment complex. “on a hot summer day, anyone who's anyone could be spotted by the pool–aunts, uncles, neighbors, grandparents, distant cousins and life long friends, each with their own special contribution to the potluck-style spread. there was often a dj who got the entire crowd (ages 2 to 102) on their feet dancing. we'd spend the entire day chatting, eating, swimming, playing, and planning when we'd all be back next.” to nyla, the opening of the whole foods on 125th and lenox seemed like “one of the most glaring signs that harlem had been and would continue to change. parts of the neighborhood slowly began to resemble areas of the west village, as did the people on the street. we started to call our neighborhood ‘new harlem.’ today, i see kids in the neighborhood that look like those who weren’t allowed to come to my house when i was younger.” her father, john, mentions that “the biggest change about harlem currently is the gentrification of the community. it is now "multicultural.” it is a lot more expensive and most black businesses have disappeared. but fortunately, for me, the majority of my friends that i grew up with are still in the area so we're there for each other and reminisce about the fools' old days.”
born and raised in central harlem, nyla remembers gathering with family and friends at the pool in her grandmother’s apartment complex. “on a hot summer day, anyone who's anyone could be spotted by the pool–aunts, uncles, neighbors, grandparents, distant cousins and life long friends, each with their own special contribution to the potluck-style spread. there was often a dj who got the entire crowd (ages 2 to 102) on their feet dancing. we'd spend the entire day chatting, eating, swimming, playing, and planning when we'd all be back next.” to nyla, the opening of the whole foods on 125th and lenox seemed like “one of the most glaring signs that harlem had been and would continue to change. parts of the neighborhood slowly began to resemble areas of the west village, as did the people on the street. we started to call our neighborhood ‘new harlem.’ today, i see kids in the neighborhood that look like those who weren’t allowed to come to my house when i was younger.” her father, john, mentions that “the biggest change about harlem currently is the gentrification of the community. it is now "multicultural.” it is a lot more expensive and most black businesses have disappeared. but fortunately, for me, the majority of my friends that i grew up with are still in the area so we're there for each other and reminisce about the fools' old days.”
the jahan family - lisa
sisters arifa (21), israt (19), ifrath (11), and lisa (3) photographed on argyle road, where they have been living since 2012 with their two additional sisters and parents. the three oldest were born in bangladesh, ifrath was born in dubai, and the two youngest were born in brooklyn. from bangladesh to dubai to flatbush, the eight person family first shared a one bedroom apartment on the first floor of the same building, living in two bunkbeds. ten years later, in 2021, the family moved to a three bedroom apartment upstairs. ny is never easy, and the jahan family’s move was anything but, yet over time argyle road and it’s neighboring bengali community has left an overwhelming impact on arifa and her sisters—originally not speaking a word of english, the family would be joined by their neighbors to various appointments, where members of their block would translate from english to bengali—creating a patchwork of togetherness that has thread a new life for each of them individually and as a unit.
amy + jules
lovers amy + jules on carlton avenue. amy spent the first 20 years of her life in hell's kitchen in a one-bedroom apartment with her mom and dad before moving to fort greene 3 years ago, where she currently resides with her mom. “a manhattan girl through and through, living in brooklyn is better for my brain now as i get older. it’s challenging to keep up with the changes of the city as people and spaces come and go….constantly distracted by what used to be. my mom and i lucked out on a larger space. i am still not able to afford to live on my own in the city but am okay with being patient until i have the stability to do so. at least i finally have my own bedroom!” amy smiles.
amy + jules met briefly as teenagers in ny, but it was only after attending the same university in washington dc that they formed a deeper connection, drawn to each other by memories of home and the kinds of people and energy they found missing at school. “we were just friends for a while. i got along with him well and we were always making each other laugh. it was easy to spend time together, oftentimes we would agree on things almost non-verbally. we have a common understanding and i will always feel connected to him. he just gets me and what i’m about with no misunderstanding.”
amy + jules met briefly as teenagers in ny, but it was only after attending the same university in washington dc that they formed a deeper connection, drawn to each other by memories of home and the kinds of people and energy they found missing at school. “we were just friends for a while. i got along with him well and we were always making each other laugh. it was easy to spend time together, oftentimes we would agree on things almost non-verbally. we have a common understanding and i will always feel connected to him. he just gets me and what i’m about with no misunderstanding.”
lula + michael
lovers lula + michael on east 7th. lula was born on broome street in a converted silk factory and michael in staten island, his house located on what is considered the highest point of nyc and down the block from stapleton houses, where wu tang clan members rza, shyheim and ghostface killah once lived. lula & michael now live together in the former seventh street squat, a five-story tenement that historically sheltered nyc underdogs—first immigrants and their families and later squatters, who began moving into the building in the late 70’s. originally found on craigslist by a best friend of hers, east 7th street was home to eight women over two years.
simone + tazha
best friends simone + tazha photographed on avenue d. simone’s grandparents were neighbors in an apartment building on bleecker street. after her grandfather brought her grandmother a package that had been delivered while she was out, they ran into each other again at a james baldwin talk and fell in love. in 1967, they moved into village east towers while it was still being built. “my grandfather found the building, but my grandmother had to be the one to meet with the realtors so they would not be discriminated against.” simone now lives in the same building with her parents, and her cousins, uncles, and aunt live in the apartment directly below.
michael + lula
lovers lula + michael on east 7th. lula was born on broome street in a converted silk factory and michael in staten island, his house located on what is considered the highest point of nyc and down the block from stapleton houses, where wu tang clan members rza, shyheim and ghostface killah once lived. lula & michael now live together in the former seventh street squat, a five-story tenement that historically sheltered nyc underdogs—first immigrants and their families and later squatters, who began moving into the building in the late 70’s. originally found on craigslist by a best friend of hers, east 7th street was home to eight women over two years.
iza + sophia
self portrait by sophia wilson + iza el nems, creators of the series.
sasha + friends
sasha and friends photographed in bushwick, where she has lived with roommate and best friend jess since july. originally from bed stuy, sasha has a newfound appreciation for her apartment after living alone in a studio for the past 2 years. “living with my best friend makes my home feel like home because every day i’m excited to go home to her, see her and cook with her. i feel like we’re super domesticated and have been even prior to moving in together. it feels like a huge blessing to have that.” from the age of 15 onwards sasha has had a record wall, “a wall full of different music records that defined different eras of my life that i got from my neighbor when i was in 8th grade.” when sasha was in first grade, her mother and she moved into a brownstone “that my mother was able to afford after spending about 7 years selling jewelry on the corner of clinton and nordstrand–just to live there. her drive and ability to make everything look so easy (because i didn’t even know that growing up) is awesome.” sasha’s most distinct childhood memory is her 10th birthday–”it was the most monumental age to me then and still to this day. i remember turning 10 at my best friend’s house and everyone congratulating me on entering double digits and me feeling like i could never get older like being in my double digits was the peak of adulthood and humanity and existence. it’s crazy now because i'm 22 and so fearful of aging, when all i ever wanted as a kid was to grow up.”
i ask sasha how she has seen the city change over time. her response: “oooooooof.”
“when i first moved into my childhood home right next to my house was a barber shop that had been there since 1972 and right across the street was this home that was painted all monochromatic eclectic blue and there was an old lady that lived there and she used to be outside everyday saying hello to everyone. that house isn't there anymore, it’s now an apartment building kind of complex and that barber shop is now a cafe called “the willy b general.” i’ve seen the neighborhood change immensely, seen fort greene spill over to where i was in bedstuy and become just a very gentrified area. before i was there jay z grew up there, he went to my middle school, and jay z was known for growing up in the projects. and when i moved there it was a very white neighborhood and now…you can't even imagine.”
“my friends i met in the summer of 2021. we all were social media tik tok instagram mutuals, influencers whatever the fuck you want to call it and i think we were honestly the only people from those platforms that weren’t the most annoying shitty wack ass n****s and um i think that played a big part into us being attracted and gravitated towards each other and to this day were all still friends 3 years plus and i think it's because we were able to see through the bullshit together and realize that as a group we are so powerful and not just because of the things we do or the way we look but because of the things were interested in and how much we care about each other and how we are legitimately not gonna let each other fall or stress or fail we’re just one anothers’ rocks and we put so much of our love and trust in one another and i think that’s what makes us such a strong friend group.”
i ask sasha how she has seen the city change over time. her response: “oooooooof.”
“when i first moved into my childhood home right next to my house was a barber shop that had been there since 1972 and right across the street was this home that was painted all monochromatic eclectic blue and there was an old lady that lived there and she used to be outside everyday saying hello to everyone. that house isn't there anymore, it’s now an apartment building kind of complex and that barber shop is now a cafe called “the willy b general.” i’ve seen the neighborhood change immensely, seen fort greene spill over to where i was in bedstuy and become just a very gentrified area. before i was there jay z grew up there, he went to my middle school, and jay z was known for growing up in the projects. and when i moved there it was a very white neighborhood and now…you can't even imagine.”
“my friends i met in the summer of 2021. we all were social media tik tok instagram mutuals, influencers whatever the fuck you want to call it and i think we were honestly the only people from those platforms that weren’t the most annoying shitty wack ass n****s and um i think that played a big part into us being attracted and gravitated towards each other and to this day were all still friends 3 years plus and i think it's because we were able to see through the bullshit together and realize that as a group we are so powerful and not just because of the things we do or the way we look but because of the things were interested in and how much we care about each other and how we are legitimately not gonna let each other fall or stress or fail we’re just one anothers’ rocks and we put so much of our love and trust in one another and i think that’s what makes us such a strong friend group.”
cam + pat
friends then lovers now friends who are more like family, cam + pat photographed on canal and mott street, where cam has lived alone for the past 2+ years with her and pat’s 3 cats. born at mount sinai hospital and raised on the uws, pat now lives a short walk away right off hester street.
pat: “i remember being in the park young as hell free to roam around and meet other kids. and i remember being able to take the train on my own for the first time and it unlocked the whole world outside of my neighborhood to me. the city has had the biggest influence on who i am and the art i make.”
cam: “it all started back in 2012 when i became friends with a kid who said his older brother was in an experimental hip hop/punk band. me and my group of friends at the time started going with him to all the shows. the band was called ratking and it was a really special moment in new york city culture and anyone who was privy to it knows how lucky they were to witness it. it was so raw and old school - made up of three people; two vocalists and the producer. after going to multiple shows throughout my high school years, i ran into the lead vocalist, who goes by the name wiki, at another punk show at a diy spot in soho. i was upstairs in the bathroom line when he came up to me and asked if i knew who he could cop some weed from. i gave him my reference and we ended up smoking a joint together as we watched the show from the balcony. it wasn’t until later that year, when i was a freshman in college, that i went upstate to my friend's school to see his solo show on valentine’s day. i was in the front row and when it ended we all got on stage to dance - it was then that he invited me to a house party at his friend's crib in town. of course i went, but to my dismay he was preoccupied with somebody else. i went back to my friend's dorm room, upset, but he hit me up the next day to tell me he wanted to see me in the city. after kicking it back in nyc we were inseparable and it wasn’t long after that that we started dating. we’ve experienced a lot together the past seven years, and although we are no longer together, i know our friendship will always be strong.”
cam: “getting plopped into the city at such a formative time on such short notice was very intense for me. it truly felt like sensory overload. i am blessed to have made friends so easily and had a thrilling experience of my high school years here. it really is just like all the movies and then some. the freedom that being in a city like this gives you is unexplainable. being able to hop on the train for $2.50 (at the time) and go to every enclave of the…city was wild, especially coming from the suburbs of cali. not everyone is made for ny. you have to be tough not only in the sense of protecting yourself and having your wits about you but also tough enough to witness how rapidly the city changes and not hold on too much to the nostalgia where you yourself start to break you down. there is something to be said about how new yorkers are forced to acclimate to an ever transforming atmosphere.”
pat: “i remember being in the park young as hell free to roam around and meet other kids. and i remember being able to take the train on my own for the first time and it unlocked the whole world outside of my neighborhood to me. the city has had the biggest influence on who i am and the art i make.”
cam: “it all started back in 2012 when i became friends with a kid who said his older brother was in an experimental hip hop/punk band. me and my group of friends at the time started going with him to all the shows. the band was called ratking and it was a really special moment in new york city culture and anyone who was privy to it knows how lucky they were to witness it. it was so raw and old school - made up of three people; two vocalists and the producer. after going to multiple shows throughout my high school years, i ran into the lead vocalist, who goes by the name wiki, at another punk show at a diy spot in soho. i was upstairs in the bathroom line when he came up to me and asked if i knew who he could cop some weed from. i gave him my reference and we ended up smoking a joint together as we watched the show from the balcony. it wasn’t until later that year, when i was a freshman in college, that i went upstate to my friend's school to see his solo show on valentine’s day. i was in the front row and when it ended we all got on stage to dance - it was then that he invited me to a house party at his friend's crib in town. of course i went, but to my dismay he was preoccupied with somebody else. i went back to my friend's dorm room, upset, but he hit me up the next day to tell me he wanted to see me in the city. after kicking it back in nyc we were inseparable and it wasn’t long after that that we started dating. we’ve experienced a lot together the past seven years, and although we are no longer together, i know our friendship will always be strong.”
cam: “getting plopped into the city at such a formative time on such short notice was very intense for me. it truly felt like sensory overload. i am blessed to have made friends so easily and had a thrilling experience of my high school years here. it really is just like all the movies and then some. the freedom that being in a city like this gives you is unexplainable. being able to hop on the train for $2.50 (at the time) and go to every enclave of the…city was wild, especially coming from the suburbs of cali. not everyone is made for ny. you have to be tough not only in the sense of protecting yourself and having your wits about you but also tough enough to witness how rapidly the city changes and not hold on too much to the nostalgia where you yourself start to break you down. there is something to be said about how new yorkers are forced to acclimate to an ever transforming atmosphere.”
talya + tyler
twins talya + tyler, photographed on bleecker st in one of the last rent stabilized apartments of the building, in the same home where their father was raised and grandmother resided in for the last 60 years of her life. the first of many of the 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔 & 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 series.
tatanka + mom
tatanka: “i grew up all over. originally downtown, then moved to hell’s kitchen and brooklyn for high school. now i reside in gramercy and have been here for the past 8 years. a distinctive childhood memory has to be 9/11 for me. i was close enough downtown to be able to see the aftermath from my window. it really showed me just how big and small this world really is. the fact that one event in downtown new york, could have global implications whose ramifications are still being felt today is something i’m still trying to wrap my head around. i think the city has changed in many ways, some for better and some for worse. but the city is always changing so i try not to be too nostalgic of past times. some things that bother me are rising costs, community displacement, and the need for affordable housing. i have seen many families i am close with be priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in. this is probably my biggest gripe with how fast the city is changing….also fuck ubers. public transportation used to be the great equalizer which forced people of different backgrounds to interact with each other. now i know people who have lived here for over 3 years and have never taken the subway. but there are positives as well. i really like the street dining that emerged during and post-covid. it was a great example of how adaptable and resilient new yorkers are. it’s a change that makes the city feel a bit more communal. on that note–don’t let assholes frighten you with this migrant crisis. immigrants are what made new york the greatest city in the world.”
christine: “i first came here when i was 16 and stayed at the sacred heart convent in the upper east side. at 17 i was working at the gift store of the met, and lived somewhere on lexington ave. after college i came back to new york and lived on 158th street in harlem. this is when i was with the black panther party. i then briefly moved to the bronx on grand concourse but i never went home (i think i slept there twice the whole time i lived there). after having my daughter, my husband and i moved and hopped around apartments til i moved to bowery for 10 years. i was able to get that apartment with the money i won from a bill cosby trivia show. i won because of my experiences with the panthers, and much to everyone’s surprise, was able to answer all of the civil rights and black history questions. from there i moved into the silver towers nyu housing on bleecker st. that’s where i had tatanka and the rest is history. from there i moved to hell’s kitchen and then now gramercy. the 70’s was completely dilapidated. hookers, junkies and porn theaters everywhere. yet despite all that, i have never seen the homeless problem as bad as it is now. when i was raising my first two kids, my apartment was 350 bucks a month for over 2,000 square feet. now of course there was no heating or ac, but at least the space was affordable on even a standard income. i don’t know what your generation is going to do if it keeps going on like this!”
christine: “i first came here when i was 16 and stayed at the sacred heart convent in the upper east side. at 17 i was working at the gift store of the met, and lived somewhere on lexington ave. after college i came back to new york and lived on 158th street in harlem. this is when i was with the black panther party. i then briefly moved to the bronx on grand concourse but i never went home (i think i slept there twice the whole time i lived there). after having my daughter, my husband and i moved and hopped around apartments til i moved to bowery for 10 years. i was able to get that apartment with the money i won from a bill cosby trivia show. i won because of my experiences with the panthers, and much to everyone’s surprise, was able to answer all of the civil rights and black history questions. from there i moved into the silver towers nyu housing on bleecker st. that’s where i had tatanka and the rest is history. from there i moved to hell’s kitchen and then now gramercy. the 70’s was completely dilapidated. hookers, junkies and porn theaters everywhere. yet despite all that, i have never seen the homeless problem as bad as it is now. when i was raising my first two kids, my apartment was 350 bucks a month for over 2,000 square feet. now of course there was no heating or ac, but at least the space was affordable on even a standard income. i don’t know what your generation is going to do if it keeps going on like this!”
bottom of page