A Slow Fashion Brand Celebrating Asian Women

Natasha Sumant was working as a freelance art director in New York when she started exploring South Asian feminism.

"I found that there was a hole in the market and nothing was really speaking to us," Sumant, who is 28, tells Forbes.com.

Gundi is a Hindi expression used for women who aren't considered ladylike—or for female thugs.

"Gundi Studios is a progressive brand that celebrates outspoken South Asian womxn in motherland and diaspora," Sumant explains. "Gundi is the Hindi word for female-thug or gangsta, a colloquialism used to describe girls who misbehave. The brand was founded in response to the lack of representation in media of assertive and independent South Asian women."

Sumant had designed a piece of typography reading "Gundi" and had embroidered it onto a patch, and featured the patch on fashion shoots, which gained traction on social media.

"They really resonated with people, so I started selling the patches to others to pin onto their clothing and claim the word Gundi for themselves too.

"I started buying up vintage jackets and selling those with the patches pre-pinned. When I realized that people preferred buying the jackets over the patches alone, I decided to launch a collection that would enable people to wear their values. I moved back to India in 2018 to design our first collection, and build out our supply chain."

Gundi Studios' products are handmade in India, and clothes are produced in small batches. Sumant's hope is to turn the fast fashion industry on its head, by not just producing clothing, but also running a media outlet on the brand's site, which includes producing short narrative films.

"Our streetwear is created in a women-led supply chain, and our media addresses issues related to gender and postcolonialism. Women are often victims of the fast fashion industry on both the demand and supply side—advertising regularly plays off female insecurities to generate demand for products made by disenfranchised (and often female and South-Asian) garment workers.

Long Formal Dresses

"Our clothes are made to last by a small and dedicated team of artisans, embroiderers and tailors based in India."

The studio uses aari, zari and cut dana techniques which are traditionally used on sarees and burkhas, but brings them into the modern day with streetwear-inspired styles.

Sumant said her company's target audience is similar to that of NorblackNorWhite and Brother Vellies, who both merge design with sustainability and traditional techniques. "But we talk to the South Asian market in a way that is very different to others," she adds. "Our campaigns and content speak to a market of underground South Asian diaspora. We make streetwear that takes sustainability, and traditional craft techniques into consideration and our supply chain is womxn led and womxn run."

Sumant's biggest challenge has been creating an ethical supply chain and employing South Asian women at "every level" of the business.

She says there are "real systemic problems" within the garment industry in India and while it's quite easy to find a factory that will make anything for you, it is hard to find ethical spaces.

"In India, on the factory floor womxn often occupy lower positions of hand embroidering, hand sewing or using machines. Pattern cutters are almost always men. Embroiderers that can do our signature zari embroidery work are almost always men, so it was a challenge finding skilled women who could execute our designs."

The types of embroidery the company uses require long stretches of uninterrupted time, which Sumant says explains why it is often the domain of male artists who have fewer responsibilities at home, and therefore more time to invest.

After dedicating most of 2019 to finding ethical partners, Sumant can now say her supply chain is "100% womxn led and womxn run".

The collection and feminist artwork has already hit Mumbai, New York and London, and going forward Sumant hopes to continue growing her audience.

"We'd like to get more of our pieces into consumer's hands so that we can provide the women working at our production partners with as much meaningful work as possible.

"We're also going to keep making work that uses eastern craft techniques and recontextualises South Asian art forms into genres and styles that can be seen across fashion and not just the "ethnic" section of Anthropologie stores and Free People."

Why Game Streaming Needs 5G

In the initial reviews of Google's Stadia platform, many cite latency as a significant issue for the quality of the experience, especially over a wireless signal. This was the downfall of many previous game streaming services, including one of the first live game streaming services, OnLive. Even the ones currently in existence don't do very well with latency-sensitive games like FPS. You can get away with some of the latency with casual fighting games, sports games and racing games, but the reality is that fundamentally, gaming is much more about latency than it is about bandwidth.

The issue is that latency is introduced in virtually every step of the process—from the wireless input of the user's controller into the ‘console,' all the way to the latency it takes to render a frame on the GPU inside of the Google Datacenter. The networks of today still have too much latency to stream games without noticing the problem. There are techniques to mitigate latency, but nothing Google does seems to be effective. Both 4G cellular and broadband wireline internet services still carry about 50-60ms of latency end to end, and that doesn't even account for the controller's input latency. All of this said, what's to be done?

5G to save the day

To lower the latency, the streaming infrastructure will need to get closer and closer to the edge of the network and closer to the user. A component of this is edge computing, or physically bringing the processing capability closer to the user near the edge of the network. The arrival of standalone 5G networks could provide that lower latency needed for gaming titles like FPS. That's not the kind of 5G networks that we have today, which are non-standalone and heavily leverage 4G infrastructure to power 5G radios to get 5G to consumers faster. Standalone networks already show latencies below 30ms, but I believe we need to go below 10ms to really have a solid experience. Another opportunity to lower latency inside the 5G network may lie in network slicing, in which a specific piece of the network can be provisioned and optimized for game streaming services. This in theory could deliver exactly enough bandwidth and latency for a good user experience.

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Another thing that's holding back game streaming is the amount of bandwidth that it takes to stream content at HD and 4K resolutions. Gaming for hours on end could result in consumers blowing through their data caps, which unfortunately exist for both home broadband and cellular connections. This should theoretically be less of a problem with 5G, as data caps get bigger and some operators move towards unlimited. Some operators have even launched their own game streaming services in an attempt to get around the bandwidth issue while simultaneously increasing their ARPU.

Others will enter the market, like Microsoft and its Project xCloud. People's experiences seem to be better with xCloud, but it remains to be seen if it's a worthy substitute for an actual Xbox console. Microsoft's messaging indicates we're not quite there yet.

In Russia, Putin Inspires New Fashions

Thinking about a fashion makeover this season? In Russia, the style-conscious (and perhaps politically aware) need look no further than a new collection inspired by the President, Vladimir Putin.

The range, entitled "Team Putin," has gone on sale at a boutique on central Moscow's fashionable Bolshaya Dmitrovka street. The site was formerly occupied by a Christian Louboutin store. The designs have been produced by Russian internet retailer Aizel.

Patriotic shoppers might be drawn to the raincoat with the Russian double-headed eagle crest on the back. The crest was for centuries the symbol of the power of Russian tsars. During the communist era of the last century, it disappeared from official buildings and documents, only to enjoy a revival after the end of the Soviet Union.

'Guild Wars 2' Dragon Bash Is Now Live With Mount Races And Arena Battles

Last week ArenaNet invited me to check out an early build of Guild Wars 2 that included this week's new Dragon Bash content. It had been a long time since I'd last played Guild Wars 2 since most of my MMO time has shifted to Elder Scrolls Online, but I was happy to sink back into what felt like a comfortable pair of sweat pants or some sort of digital video game comfort food.

It's been years since Tyria last had a Dragon Bash. Now, after the defeat of Mordremoth and Kralkatorrik, as well as the ascension of Aurene, it's time to party again in Hoelbrak, the Norn capital.

The two main features of this year's Dragon Bash that really stood out to me are the Dragon Arena, which is like a parade of intense PvE fights against enormous, hulking holographic beasts, and the mount races that pit players against one another dashing through gates all around the map.

Other activities include busting open dragon pinatas for candies that can be traded in for rewards, betting on moa races (complete with the ability to take the point of view of a mid-race moa,) as well as marveling at all of the festive decorations—such as the massive Kralkatorrik hologram above it all. There's also a Hologram Stampede that happens in other zones surrounding Hoelbrak to keep the action spread out. There are some really nifty rewards planned if you take part in the festivities.

One of World of Warcraft’s classic characters returns next patch

Battle for Azeroth’s story has been fairly predictable so far. Aside from some weird offshoots like the knife from Legion coming to life, the Horde have battled the Alliance just like Blizzard said they would. And it looks like both factions will put aside their differences to handle Void enemies before the expansion finishes, just like players suspected they would.

In the most recent update to the public test realm, where Blizzard is testing the new Rise of Azshara patch, a familiar character has returned to the cast just in time to save his beloved Horde.

[Warning: this post contains major spoilers for World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth patch 8.2, Rise of Azshara]

After a few years of wandering Azeroth, Thrall has returned to aid his people. Thrall was the main protagonist for the Orc campaign in Warcraft 3, and served as the Warchief of the Horde for many years in World of Warcraft. He disappeared shortly after the start of Legion, and players haven’t seen him since.

We’re not entirely sure how Thrall returns to the Horde. After players reach the Nazjatar zone, one of their faction leaders will send them to aid Baine Bloodhoof — a Horde leader that Horde Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner intends to execute. He’s in the dungeons of Orgrimmar, and players will have to fight through areas from the 2013 Siege of Orgrimmar raid.

During the rescue, players will run into a group from the Alliance and Horde. Jaina Proudmoore and Mathias Shaw lead the Alliance, while Saurfang and Thrall make up the Horde rescue team. It seems in his search for allies, Saurfang encountered Thrall and recruited him for the upcoming Horde rebellion. The Horde and Alliance teams bicker, but Thrall encourages the two factions to work together to save their mutual ally.

There are currently several placeholder cutscenes during the rescue attempt, and it’s not entirely clear how it’ll end. The only definitive thing this new mission teaches us is that Thrall is back and has a part to play in the war to come. Depending on what happens to Saurfang in Battle for Azeroth, Thrall could even return to the position of Warchief.

During his original time as Warchief, Thrall helped establish the Horde city of Orgrimmar. Thrall stopped being Warchief to save the planet, and players negatively started referring to him as “Green Jesus.” After Thrall, the position of Warchief went to Garrosh Hellscream. Garrosh was the big-bad for the Mists of Panderia expansion and the final boss in Siege of Orgrimmar.

After Thrall helped players chase Garrosh through time in Warlords of Draenor, Thrall lost his connection to the Elements and gave up his weapon to Shaman players. After that, he disappeared into the wilderness to meditate.

This is the first time Thrall has shown back up in World of Warcraft since 2016. It’s also the first time Blizzard co-founder Chris Metzen has voiced the character since he retired. Metzen did show up during a World of Warcraft panel at BlizzCon 2018 to tease the return of his character.

It’s unclear when Blizzard will release patch 8.2 onto World of Warcraft’s live servers. Players will likely have to wait until the end of May to see Thrall storm the dungeons of Orgrimmar.

What’s happened so far in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth?

At the end of Legion, the Horde and Alliance united and teamed up to take out Sargeras, the fallen Titan, and the guy who — up until now — has served as the probable end-boss of Warcraft. We got on a spaceship and fought a planet, which was weird. Along the way, we learned that some planets — including Azeroth — have souls, and when those souls are born, they turn into Titans.

We stopped the Burning Legion, the game’s main villains since Warcraft 3, and then locked Sargeras up in space jail. He is imprisoned in the Seat of the Pantheon with all of the other Titans, and Illidan Stormrage stayed behind to act as a jailor. This will probably never come up again and we can consider the matter fully resolved.

Azeroth, the planet, and Azeroth, the Titan, both share a name. Because the Titan is sleeping, she can’t communicate much, and when she does, it’s through Magni Bronzebeard, the Speaker of Azeroth. It also means the Battle for Azeroth is a Battle for ... Azeroth. Makes you think, huh?

However, in his desperation, Sargeras stabbed the planet before we could fully lock him up. That sword is still embedded in Silithus, and it is slowly killing Azeroth. Only by sacrificing our powerful Artifact weapons from Legion were players able to slow the damage. It’s an ongoing issue.

Azeroth is now bleeding Azerite, which is popping up everywhere. It’s a powerful alchemy ingredient that can heal, empower, and, most importantly, be weaponized. The logic and capabilities of Azerite are very vague, but it is essentially able to push warfare to a whole new level.

'The Dragon Prince' Creators Talk Magic Systems, The Video Game And What To Expect From Season 2

The Dragon Prince returns for nine more episodes this weekend. Season 2 promises more of everything that made the first season so great, plus lots more dragons.

I spoke with the show's creators, Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, about the show, the video game and their company Wonderstorm, co-founded by Ehasz, Richmond and Justin Santistevan.

Even if you haven't watched The Dragon Prince yet, you're likely familiar with the work of Aaron Ehasz. He was the lead writer and director for the wonderful animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. It's little wonder some of that show's magic has carried over to The Dragon Prince.

Justin Richmond is a Naughty Dog alumni, and worked on both Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, but departed the company two years before the release of Uncharted 4. He landed at Riot Games which is where he met Ehasz who was then creative director at the game developer, best known for League of Legends.

Can you really sue Fortnite for 'stealing' your dance moves?

Imagine it is 2014 and you are the rapper 2 Milly. You have just created a new dance for your music video Milly Rock, and it has proved wildly popular. Four years later, an extremely similar dance crops up in a globally successful video game with more than 200 million players. What do you do? What can you do?

The answer, of course, is sue. And that’s exactly what 2 Milly, real name Terrence Ferguson, has done, alleging copyright infringement, having swiftly registered the Milly Rock dance with the US Copyright Office.

This happened two weeks ago and since then, two more complainants have come forward, accusing Fortnite developer Epic Games of using their moves without permission. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro alleges that Fornite used his Carlton Dance, devised for a memorable episode of the hit US sitcom, without permission or credit. And earlier this week, Russell Horning, AKA the Backpack Kid, launched his own lawsuit claiming Epic breached copyright laws for including his signature dance move "The Floss".

So while the copyright disco fills up and solicitors perform their (wallet) stretching exercises, the big question is: can you realistically copyright a dance move?

"A dance can be protected under copyright law in England under the protection afforded to literary, dramatic or musical works (section 3 (2) of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act)," says Alex Tutty of specialist entertainment law firm Sheridans. "But copyright can subsist in it only when it is recorded in writing or otherwise. It doesn’t just exist because you did the dance; it needs to be written down or filmed."

This is handy for the Fortnite complainants, because there is video evidence of all of them performing their respective moves. However, it’s not quite that easy. "There are all kinds of complexities in practice," says entertainment and tech industry lawyer, Jas Purewal of Purewal & Partners. "For example, who owns the dance – the original creator, the dancers or the choreographer? How can they prove they actually created something new? How can they show that someone else actually infringed their dance and didn’t independently come up with it? The law is pretty archaic, too. It’s just not been an area that has had a lot of attention."

There may also be question marks over the definition of choreography in this instance. In US law, choreography is protected under the 1976 Copyright Act, but this has a range of stipulations. The law differentiates between social dances, which everyone can perform, and choreography performed by experts. This means that no one can pop in and copyright the conga. So if Epic can claim these are social dances, it may tap dance out of court with its billions of dollars of revenue intact.