This year I’ve been taking a lowkey approach to festival-hopping. Though last year I went everywhere from Palm Springs for Coachella to Philly for Made In America, this year I decided to keep things local and explore many of the festivals in the NYC area. In May, I posted a recap of the BAM Dance Africa Festival. And yesterday, I went back to Brooklyn for the 2014 Afropunk Festival.
Aside from having really cool indie music acts, Afropunk always has the best and coolest fashion and beauty vendors, the hottest street style looks and they almost always have amazing food truck vendors. So of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stop by and soak up some sun at Commodore Barry Park in Fort Greene.
What I love about Afropunk is their support of young, up & coming designers and artists. I stopped by to see my friend and fellow fashionista Samantha Smikle of accessory brand TNEMNRODA. She’s known for her bold & bejeweled eyewear, super chic midi rings and gems.
I tried on a pair of her TNEMNRODAluxe sunnies and fell in love. You can check out her selection of sunnies here. I already have quite a few of her rings. I posted about one in this outfit post.
So proud of this young business woman. She’s definitely proof that you can make your dreams come true with hard work and dedication.
I ran into the founders of an accessory brand called Red Period Co. Their tagline is “Be Bold [Period]”. They were definitely representing the brand well.
Another indie brand Tribal Immunity has beautifully remastered accessories and clothing with hand-painted designs. Love these handbags!
Obviously I couldn’t go to Afropunk and NOT shoot pics of the amazing hair. I saw so many women with dope hairstyles including this couple.
The summer fedora was an accessory staple at Afropunk. Love how this girl rocked hers with dark shades and a bold red lip.
I literally had to stop this girl and snap a pic because I was mesmerized by her big bold curls.
Also featured at the festival were a myriad of hair and beauty brands including one of my faves Nubian Heritage. They are under the same Sundial umbrella as Shea Moisture and they have some of the best and most effective natural products on the market.
Printed backpacks! There were so many cool vendors selling ankara, waxprint and kente pieces.
Jewelry designer Andrea Bocchio makes handmade crochet jewelry like these fun statement necklaces and bracelets of the same design.
Last but not least – the FOOD! What I love about Afropunk is that they always have an incredible selection of exotic food trucks. One in particular I stumbled on was a truck called Sweet Chili run by Top Chef finalist Lisa Fernandes. Lisa happened to be working the truck that day and I had a chance to talk with her. Anyway, she makes these Sriracha Fries that will make you wanna slap your mama. They are the perfect mix of sweet & spicy.
I had a great time at the Afropunk Festival.
What about you? Have you ever been to Afropunk Fest? Have a festival similar to this one in your city? Leave a comment and let me know!
Loving the bags! They’re so pretty and colorful! Great pictures!
I went to AfroPunk for the first time this past weekend and it was nice. I became a fan of some performers, most notably Loaf Muzik and Cakes da Killa and enjoyed the fact that D’Angelo actually showed up. He had the most energy.
I don’t go to a lot of outdoor concerts that are as restrictive as AfroPunk, but you’re bound to run into a few security people who take their authority way too seriously every once and a while. I woul definitely go again though and make sure to bring enough cash to actually partake in the buying some merchandise.
I also loved the fact that because the festival was inside that huge park, that there were park benches to sit down on and water founains to fill up your water bottles with. More concerts should be held in parks 🙂
I went in 2013 and had a ball. Im living in korea now but I hops to attend next year. Its the perfect place to go people watching