Around these parts we're fans of brands who use their reach and their creativity to speak candidly about social issues. Over the holiday, I was having a conversation with a new acquaintance who happens to live in New York City. The topic? Gentrification. Since I live in Texas where space is abundant, it's a little less obvious (unless you frequent the Bishop Arts area, Oak Cliff, or Deep Ellum), but in New York - a city of roughly 8.5 million - the impact is felt with every new Whole Foods.

BornxRaised, a Los Angeles based streetwear brand, took to the Bronx to showcase their second drop for FW17 and tap a little truth to power while they were at it. Tapping familiar NYC faces in Paloma Elsesser and Venus X, photographer Renell Medrano captured the new collection in the heart of a city that is seeing it's fair share of revived urban planning. See shots from the lookbook below.

According to BornxRaised founder, Spanto, the collection "...features T-shirts, hoodies, and cut-and-sew pieces that either literally or not-so-literally address the tension between those of us who were there and those who come later.”

You can find BornxRaised’s new FW17 selection available today via their online shop. Click below to shop.

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