T’is the season to eat, drink, be merry and buy those ever important last minute holiday gifts. And while everyone is scrambling to find the “right” gift why not give them a great gift that will surely be a surprise hit and support our multicultural community? It’s the gift that looks good AND feels good and in the end, isn’t feeling good and supporting one another the ultimate gift? We think, si!! So get to it, clocks ticking… here are 10 Multicultural Holiday Gifts that Slay.
AZTECA NEGRA
Created by Marisol Catchings, a San Francisco Bay Area native of Chicana and Black Heritage, Azteca Negra is a culturally-conscious line of beautiful textiles, handmade jewelry, accessories, and novelty pieces. All pieces are original designs created by the self-taught artist who comes from a long line of “beautiful, multifaceted woman artisans.” Many of the pieces are created using textiles from Mexico and African countries.
TEESINTHETRAP
From gold “Hustle” mugs, to “Fix it Jesus T-shirts” and “Yass” keychains, TeesintheTrap carries a little bit of everything that makes you smile. Created by Arsha Jones, Tees in the Trap highlight products from hip-hop, popular culture and everyday life–from a woman’s perspective. “Rock your own style. Don’t be afraid to take chances and do you.”
EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU
Name the literary award or best seller list and this book has likely won it or been on it. Written by Celeste Ng, Everything I Never Told You is the story of a Chinese American family living in 1970’s, small-town Ohio. Lydia Lee, the favorite daughter of James and Marylin Lee, is being prepared to carry out all her parents unfulfilled hopes and dreams when she is suddenly found dead in the local lake. What follows is the struggles of how the family must manage to not fall apart after losing the bond that kept them together.
APT B COLLECTIVE PRINTS AND JOURNALS
100% hand-crafted designs by the Puerto Rican creative duo of Kaming Joa Martinez (aka Chino) and Coral Margarida, Apt B features clever, beautifully designed prints and journals printed fresh-to-order. “Te Fucking Amo” is a standout.
http://www.aptbcollective.com/product-category/paper/
RICARDO SALAS PAINTINGS
Ricardo Salas is a self-taught , Mexican-American abstract artist who chose paint as his medium because it was his son’s favorite. In fact, his son’s fascination with colors and growth was a catalyst in his desire to pursue art. That, and a maxed out credit card, which he used to scrape paint on canvas, after canvas to create stunning works of art.
http://www.ricardosalasjr.com/
BEVEL SHAVING PRODUCTS
Taking his frustration from being ignored by cosmetics companies and turning it into an opportunity led Tristan Walker to create Bevel, a line of shaving products for men of color. Products include Shavers, Priming Oil, Shaving Cream, Brushes, Safety Razors and more. Bye, bye razor bumps.
CUBAN COFFEE STARTER SET
Cuban coffee is the stuff of legend and what keeps most people in Miami going on a day-to-day basis. This Cuban Coffee Starter Set includes the “Cafetera” or stovetop Coffee Press, La Llave Coffee, a Cup & Saucer, and Demitasse Spoon. Cafecito time.
http://www.cubanfoodmarket.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?
THE LIP BAR
Vegan, gluten-free, paraben-free and in gorgeous complimentary colors for all, The Lip Bar is “Challenging the beauty standard through products, inclusive imagery and pricing.” With names like, “The Purple Rain,” and “The Whiskey Sour” how could you go wrong?
RAMON PUIG GUYABERAS
Ramon Puig is known as the “King of Guyaberas” having been in business for over 70 years.
The beautifully handcrafted linen shirts have been a staple in Latin America, the Carribean, Mexico and the Phillipines since the 18th century and popular to this day. Puig has quite the cult following and touts the authenticity of his garments, “ You wouldn’t smoke fake Cubans (cigars) so why would you wear a fake Guyabera?”
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY: 50 WAYS TO CAPTURE BETTER SHOTS OF ORDINARY LIFE
Acclaimed street photographer, Eric Kim, shares how to develop your street photography skills and how to find the “decisive moment” and beauty in the mundane. If his sold-out workshops are any indication, your lucky gift receiver will be killing their Instagram shots in no time.
