Page 5 → Toronto
Good Genes and the Canadian Tuxedo: Levi's Takeover at the Ace Hotel
Francis Okezie| April 31 2025
Toronto’s love affair with denim and live music hit a high note as Levi’s took over the Ace Hotel, blending heritage, style, and sound into an unforgettable night.
“Those are cute jeans” and “You’re cute jeans!” were memes I quoted to everyone I spoke to. On Thursday, April 24, I entered a hotel lobby illuminated with blue and red lights strobing the tall interior of the space. Once I took a step past the receptionist desk, I was transported to a denim rodeo— people in sleek silhouettes of jean blues and rustic washes filled the lobby while afrobeats and dancehall buzzed through the speakers.
At Good Genes, everything was Levi’s themed (even the drinks), and the Levis’ logo was positioned at every corner. Every detail was intentionally curated for and by the creative community of Toronto. After all, Toronto loves a theme! Ahead, I’ll break down what happened at Good Genes, for those who don’t live in Toronto - or those who didn’t secure their spot before RSVP for the free event swiftly filled up.
Levi’s affinity to creativity, community and fashion was prevalent at Good Genes. Levi’s partnered with Ace Hotel because of its affinity to Toronto culture and its incubation of emerging creatives. With Beyonce’s Chapter 3: “Refrigerator” launch, the timelessness of denim, the Canadian tuxedo and western aesthetics trending in fashion, the party was an extension of Toronto's love for jeans and its symbolic value of culture, fun and versatility.
Good genes, created by Bia, was a party for “fit throwers and real music lovers”. Bia launched the denim party on her birthday at Apt 200 and later collaborated with Levi’s and Ace Hotel to sponsor her second rendition of the event. “It’s a play on words between genes and jeans, the point being to look good and feel good” she remarks.
Bia & Kiecasso were the DJs that night, playing a mix of Afrobeats, Rap, Dancehall and countless body-moving sounds. As the party continued, more and more faces appeared in all denim grooving and chatting with their shoulder neighbours. As the lights went down and the crowd thickened, the space was saturated in shades of indigo, with over 200+ people in the lobby mingling and swaying to the high-energy sets. Through this event, Levi’s brought together Toronto’s love of music and denim, celebrating both the rich history of denim in Canada and the iconic birth of the Canadian tuxedo.
The denim party naturally became an homage to the Canadian tux, the fashion artifact has an extensive history that has molded the way we wear jeans today. Everyone (including myself) attending this event had denim ensembles, whether jacket and jean or denim top and skirt—the taste of blue was commemorated at Good Genes. In a similar fashion, Ace Hotel married their expertise in martinis and Levi’s notability in denim to create the cocktail of the night—501 Martini—a nod to its iconic-classic jean style. The 501 Martini was a blue-curaçao drink with a cherry at the bottom, complementing the red Levi’s emblem.
Guests included Abigail Fiawornu (Creative), Jazmine Carter (Influencer), Jade Farhat (Influencer), Taha Arshad (Influencer/Comedian), Fred Anoya (Influencer), Natalya Ames (Creative), Jules The Lawyer (Influencer), Just Jenneh (DJ), Josh Koby (Photographer), Hugo Filipe (Photographer), Tré Akula (Creative Director), Kaitlin Narciso (Media Producer), Jasmine Alisha (Influencer), Jethu2Jet (DJ), Kiecasso (DJ), DJ Rennie (DJ), BIA (DJ), DJ Kharish (DJ), Lexson Millington (Influencer), Melo Griffith (Creative), Dana Alexia Evans (Influencer), Ash Flores (Influencer), Dorian Who (Influencer), Iman Ximann (Stylist), John Javier (Influencer), Serena Halani (Photographer), Isaiah Peck (Dancer/Influencer), Pattys Films (Photographer), Devin Michaels (Influencer), Sandra X Dee (Comedian), Kane Britanico (Influencer), Yandi Ramos (Influencer), Melissa Chai (Creative Producer), and Liam Wilkings (Creative Director).
Last Thursday, Levi's, Ace Hotel, Good Genes and a myriad of creatives, DJs, and BIPOC tastemakers lit up the night, weaving a tribute to the Canadian Tux in head-to-toe denim. Fashion, music, and community collided, all stitched together by a shared love for denim. To those who missed the denim rodeo and are wondering if it’ll occur again, I had the privilege of chatting with the Marketing and Communications manager of Levi’s, Swati Garg, and she’s almost confident of its return, “Ace Hotel Toronto has been an incredible partner, helping us unite true denim and music lovers in an authentic way. We're excited to continue growing this partnership”.” Until then, keep rocking both your good genes and good jeans!
Why so serious? WDYM Whack Magazine Launch and The Adaption of Wackiness in Creating.
Francis Okezie| APRIL 29 2025
From talks with Mp3girl000(Angel) about the shopping and music scene in London to an Alte-driven dance sesh, here’s what you missed at the WDYM Whack Magazine Launch.
Last Tuesday, Angel, creative writer and editor, premiered the first edition of her magazine—WDYM Whack. The contents of work in London, where Angel collaborated with three other editors, inspired by the creative scene she experienced abroad. The four editors, Angel Agbontaen(Toronto), Sara De Ledesma(Toronto), Shizuku Sogawa(Osaka) and Julia Corso(New York) collaborated on creating the travel guide and fashion magazine. Their main mission was to expand the accessibility of artistic creation for smaller artists and to embrace ‘wackiness’ in what is usually a rigid creative space.
WDYM Whack is a trailblazing work that imbues readers to let loose in the midst of rampant seriousness. The name, WDYM Whack, is a rhetorical question to taste and experience, what do you mean Whack? WDYM Whack was originally brought together by Angel, who would post fashion and art images in a throwaway instagram account. Wackiness is Angel’s sense that calls for a playful and fun attitude towards creation. Not to deduce the amount of structure and professionalism in the magazine, she stresses that the joy of creating comes from the ability to think elaborately—pivoting away from seriousness in the creative process, From then, it converged to a magazine after her term abroad at the University of Westminster. The magazine guides the readers to the best nail artists, fashion ,music and writers/directors, whose main message was to challenge the conventions set in popular culture, forging a non-conformist approach through media.
The buzzy and sleek studio space, Ok studio, housed the launch. The party had DJs Amanieyes and Hotstonerchick on the decks, playing Alte, Psychedelic Trap and Hyperpop. Throughout the event, attendees were invited to mingle and discuss their fashion evolutions, reminiscing on what’s in, what’s out, and what’s utterly unwearable in the subculture they live under. Guests from all respective backgrounds—stylists, photographers, DJs, visual artists, fashion journalists and creatives in the city gathered to welcome the first and new edition of WDYM Whack. The magazine was remarked as “Bold”, “Ethereal”, and the “embodiment of community”.
Courtesy of @WDYMWhack on Instagram
Finally, the event concluded with Angel presenting her ideas and welcoming those who attended. “Words can’t express how appreciative I am,” she proclaims to a smiling audience. “Inspiration comes more from images you see on Pinterest, or what celebrity you’re following. It comes from strangers on the street, it comes from your immediate surroundings and that’s what I’m trying to cover.” WDYM Whack reflects the importance of the mundane, and how we reflexively contribute to what’s happening and what’s cute, so to that they ask—What do you mean, Whack?
I realized when building this website that all of my experiences originate in Toronto: photography, projects, modelling, djing, and other creative pursuits. Having a full page dedicated to Toronto would be redundant, considering that 80% of this website is set in Toronto. Recognizing this, I think it’s important to start a new, strategic method of storytelling my experiences in Toronto. Toronto is my home; it acts as the foundation of my cultural atmosphere. Growing up in the multicultural district of North York, I’m familiar with the cultural events of the city, every Ribfest, every concert, every pop-up, every exhibit—it’s a sixth sense to me. I’m blogging Toronto starting now, in 2025, and I plan on building from where I left off. This process feels commemorative because I’m writing about the place and people who ignited my love for art and the cultural significance of art: The AGO and my parents.
The Culture: Hip Hop & Contemporary Art In The 21st Century
It’s January 22, 2025–the coldest day of the year— the streets of Toronto an ashy grey, brittle, with tumbleweed adjacent activity. With every breath, you're surrounded with vapour, walking the same strip you’ve walked for years feels like an expedition. I took my parents to the AGO to see the newest exhibition on the 5th floor, “The Culture: Hip Hop & Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. This exhibit proves not only to be a pinnacle of black culture, but with its portentous artifacts, this shows the current cultural sphere we live in, its pop culture.
Moncler “Maya Jacket” 2000s
Take the Moncler Jacket as an example. The jacket is covered in an intimate room illuminated by yellow light, presenting the red Maya jacket. This jacket is a cultural trinket and a vital resource to hip-hop, in the affluence of wealth, rap, and fame. The Maya jacket is a puffer hip-hop listeners want; seen worn on Drake, Central Cee, and Future— it can be regarded as a hip-hop grail. In 2015, Canadian rapper Drake wore Moncler's bright red "Maya" bubble jacket in his hit music video and future meme source—"Hotline Bling" which solidified the brand's ongoing affiliation with hip-hop culture.
Telfar is the most popular black bag brand, full stop. Telfar gained it’s popularity in 2020 with the “black owned business” boom of consumerism. Telfar Clemens released his vegan leather shopping bags in over 50 colours, and it took the internet by storm. 2020 onwards the telfar bag was renowned as the go-to for style, utility and versatility. Beyonce referenced the bag in her album Renaissance. “This Telfar bag imported,” she sings. “Birkins? Them shit’s in storage.” She actualizes the belief that she buys Black, and believes in the movement.