To celebrate Black History Month, GIFTED is spotlighting ‘HEAVY’, by our very own Vicky Pasion.

Take a moment to sit and slow down with Soul Star Vicky Pasion. ‘To start the year, I’m proud to announce the support from the MOBOs for my next EP! As we welcome in a new month, I feel that it’s important to take some time to reflect and celebrate our wins - big and small.’

It’s warm under the duvet, and it’s cold outside. The sun is not streaming through the curtains, because it’s not ready to wake from its bed of clouds yet, either. The to-do list is piling up, but the motivation is not. Where do you go from here?

Rindon Johnson is a Berlin-based artist who creates his work with both physical materials and virtual spaces. In his integration of virtual and actual realities, he questions the ways in which the virtual and physical, as well as the imagined and the remembered, are connected.

Here at GIFTED, we lift each other up. Success is not a race to the top, completed by tearing others down. Instead, it’s a lifelong process.

This Martin Luther King Jr. piece stems from that place. I think that we all need to use our voice and talents in whichever way we can to help to fight injustice and raise awareness.

As part of Autograph ABP’s open call, they opened up space for kam + pita, friends whose pandemic survival work led them to cultivating an intentional playlisting practise.

‘King Richard’ is an inspirational true story. Expect to be affirmed on many lessons for success, and messages of humility, patience and honesty, which are bountifully woven throughout this story…

Name: Mohammed Aliyu

GIFTED: Director of Stickit Treats

My name is Mohammed Aliyu. I was born and raised in Nigeria for 8 years before moving to the UK, to a small village called Soham, near Newmarket.

Name: Sarra Haji

GIFTED: Artist, Illustrator and Designer

Hi, I’m Sarra, a self taught illustrator, digital artist and designer.

I live in England, however I was born in Czech Republic; I’m half Czech and half Tunisian.

RCRDSHOP recently held the first of a promising season of intimate ‘jam sessions’, at the atmospheric Tea Building on Shoreditch High Street - an underground studio a part of Soho House, London.

On what turned out to be a long night covering events during London Fashion Week, our final event brought us to the heart of Shoreditch, to the pop-up shop doors of CITY STATES, a clothing line launched in London in early 2020, with a sole focus on artist collaborations.

Last week Soho Live Jazz Week welcomed over 100 artists and acts, performing 17 shows across 10 venues. Needless to say, it was a bustling occasion for producers of an engaging 3 day Jazz music festival, highlighting both seasoned performers and rising artists alike.

To kick off London Fashion Week, Coach brought the spirit of the Big Apple to their flagship store for a nostalgic night of nineties NYC and the buzzing spirit of block parties.

Name: Nina Badkar

Gifted: Merchandising at Soho House

IG handle: @bee_nina_

By Rotation profile: byrotation.app.link/ninabadkar

Three words to describe how you’re feeling right now: Content. Excited. Grateful

Name: Stephanie Zeinati

Gifted: Founder and Creative Director of Megosa

IG handle: @megosa_label

Website: www.megosalabel.com

Three words to describe how you’re feeling right now: Creative. Anticipating. Grateful

Name: VJ Taganahan

Gifted: Fashion Designer and Consultant

IG: @ato_studio__

Website: www.atostudiolondon.com

Three words to describe how you’re feeling right now: Grateful, Blessed, Open

On Thursday 9th September, POCC, a creative network driving cultural impact, and RCRDSHOP, a live music platform dedicated to promoting rising musicians and artists, took over the Serpentine Pavilion in Kensington Gardens to host ‘The Sauce’ - an evening of live music, creativity and connectivity.

Three words to describe how you’re feeling right now?

Jovial, Present, Grateful.

Sometimes, the most profound gift we’re given in a lifetime is the gift of witnessing, i.e., of having our pain and joy witnessed and to witness another’s pain and joy in return.