A-Z of Optimism

We think that right now everyone could do with a bit of cheering up. So we’ve decided to celebrate all things to do with optimism.

For us, optimism is anyone who's down to switch set backs for another shot.

It's for those who are set to make everything a bit better and brighter.

In the first few months of 2019, we'll celebrate them.

Good things to come.

Check out the full A-Z on our Ace & Tate Journal.

A is for Adwoa: Gurls Talk

Fierce female chat

Founded by model and activist Adwoa Aboah, Gurls Talk is a safe platform for anyone to openly share anything and everything, without stigma, without shame — just love and positivity. We’re Stronger together.

B is for Behind the Scars

We are all warriors

Created by @sophiemayanne, behind the Scars is a photography project that celebrates the skin we live in. Each picture is an act of self-love and empowerment, meant to inspire us all to look at scars not as something to hide, but to proudly show off as marks of victory.

C is for (Ocean) Cleanup

Deep thinking

Founded in the Netherlands by Boyan Slat at the age of 18, the Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organisation, designing and developing advanced technologies to help rid the world’s oceans of plastic. It takes an extreme kind of positivity and perseverance to confront and help solve such a monumental issue like this one. Dream big, kids. Dream huge.

D is for Documentary: Big Wata

It comes in waves

Big Wata is a documentary directed by Dutch filmmaker Gugi van der Velden, about Sierra Leone’s first and only surf club, founded during the Ebola outbreak. It’s an incredibly sweet, heartfelt story about people unexpectedly coming together through sport, and an inspiring example of finding light in the darkest of times.

E is for Eye Tests

Happy eyes

Everyone should have their eyes checked out at some point in their lives, and we do it for free, with no strings attached. What’s not to like? Go for it.

F is for (Meat the) Future

Food for thought

Humanity’s love for meat won’t ever stop, but our planet isn’t able to support this undying need for much longer. Next Nature Network, the Dutch organisation approaching nature and technology in a new manner, has found one very promising solution: in vitro meat. Imagine! Growing meat from one single cell! We would save all kinds of lives! Though still not a reality, we can read all about it in their book, including the 45 recipes you cannot cook yet.

G is for gal-dem

Seeing in colour

For AW18, we collaborated with London-based award-winning magazine, gal-dem — a young media powerhouse that’s made up solely of women and non-binary people of colour. Focusing on four creatives, we discussed some of the assumptions they’ve had to face because of the colour of their skin, in the hopes of broadening perspectives and continuing our celebration of diversity in all its forms.

H is for Happify

All the feels The good old road to happiness starts from within, they say. Happify is a self-guided app that aims to increase positive emotions — like gratefulness and mindfulness — through exercises and games, using proven techniques developed by scientists in the know. Does it work? Well, you won’t know until you’ve tried it.

I is for (The Creative) Independent

Let’s help each other out

As a creative, it’s important to have a strong support group. The Creative Independent is a community-led resource of practical and emotional guidance for creatives and those who wish to create. It’s a safe platform in which to have humble, healthy conversations about crucial themes such as collaboration, triumph, failure and anxieties in the form of articles, zines, Q&As and more. Like us, it’s continually under construction.

J is for Jack Amsterdam

The new club in town

For many, there’s few things that feel more freeing and exhilarating than dancing. At Jack Amsterdam, a nightclub that celebrates diversity, creativity and open-minded people, you’ll most definitely feel safe to get rid of any inhibitions and just let yourself go. Let the rhythm take you over.

Like what you've seen? Check out the full A-Z on our Ace & Tate Journal.