This Saturday, November 16th, Un-Associated will be hosting the 3rd edition of The Un-Associated Poetry Jam alongside the Afrikan Student Union at UCLA and UCLA Residential Life. The Afrikan Student Union at UCLA has been a huge support system for Un-Associated since it’s birth last year August. Aside from helping to plan the 2 previous poetry jams, ASU has even awarded funds that continue to help Un-Associated function. All that being said – it was only a matter of time until something like this was going to happen – a collaboration on merchandise.

This Saturday means a lot not only because of our poetry jam, but it will also be the day we release our exclusive “Transparency+Vulnerability=Community” long sleeve shirts. This is the first ever collaborative article of clothing Un-Associated has produced, and it is only right that it be with the Afrikan Student Union at UCLA. The shirt will be sold as apart of a fundraiser for ASU at the event – and will be sold on our online platform following the conclusion of the event (if still available). All profits will go to ASU to help continue to create a space for African-American students at UCLA to excel, grow, advance and build. 

What does the shirt mean?

The design of this shirt features the Un-Associated, LLC fashion logo at the top of the torso, along with Times New Roman text underneath the logo and graphic that reads: “Afrikan Student Union” and “The Un-Associated Poetry Jam 3, Define the Days of Your Youth, Nov. 16th, 2019”. This text was included to commemorate the specific event that will take place this Saturday and also pay homage to the company’s tagline in “Define the days of your youth”. The graphic, which features as the centerpiece of the entire shirt, was drawn by a UCLA student artist named Quinlan (ig: @quinners). This design, envisioned by founder, Emmanuel Iheke, was meant to capture the concept of the shirts name (Transparency+Vulnerability=Community or TVC). The graphic includes 3 characters holding hands to symbolize community. Furthermore, the middle character has a heart that is visible due to a rectangular cutout in the character’s chest. This feature is meant to symbolize transparency and vulnerability.

Ultimately, the message that this design – and the shirt as a whole – is trying to communicate is that we, human beings, should be encouraged to be transparent and vulnerable enough to share our stories. And it is through us sharing our stories of pain and triumph that we are able to build communities of people that love and relate to each other in more ways than we ever predicted. That is what the poetry jam is all about. The Afrikan Student Union and Un-Associated, LLC want to create a space where young people can share their stories and relate to each other ultimately to build community and make sure everyone knows that they are not alone. 

We hope to see you all this weekend as we are set to serve you during a wonderful night of storytelling and community-building.