STILL GRINDIN' | PHARRELL + PUSHA T

When it comes to tackling your day, a caffeine pick me up is essential for so many people. Pusha T and Pharrell Williams (super-producer, multi platinum artist, entertainer, world renowned designer and entrepreneur) have partnered together this month to launch Grindin, powered by Lavazza and is available in dark and medium roasts for ground and whole beans. Longtime collaborators, Pusha T and Pharrell wanted to create coffee that allows us to enjoy our everyday hustles to work harder whether you’re an early riser, late-night grinders, and don’t simply stick to the storied 9-5. To enhance this partnership, they connected with Lavazza, the legendary Italian roaster whose legacy and heritage in coffee quality and craftsmanship dates back to 1895.

“Pusha and I have been building together since the beginning,” says Pharrell Williams. “From making Grindin back in 2002 to now, it has always been about intention and focus. Coffee has always been part of that discipline. It has been in the room with us when we create. Now it has a name.” Their love for coffee came from working an array of sessions in the recording studio, heading to the gym, being on the road, and creating a sharp contrast to a ritualistic experience.

“P and I were waking up really early. Like 5 a.m. early,” shares Pusha T on the origins of their coffee brand, Grindin. “That was our routine. Alarm goes off at 5, we’re up, and the first thing we’re doing is black coffee or the strongest espresso we can find. That’s how we were working. That was the fuel. We’d be in the studio creating, locked in, just grinding. And then from there we’d go ride 25 miles on the bike. That was the whole rhythm, create, move, create again. Coffee was part of that whole cycle.”

Grindin was roasted for superior taste and quality. The dark roast is sourced in Central and South America as well as in Southeast Asia with tasting notes of cocoa, caramel, and brown spices. The medium roast is sourced in South America and has notes of bittersweet chocolate, caramel, and roasted hazelnut. Whichever blend you choose to enjoy, they are both suitable for filter, espresso, and cold brew methods.

Born from that creative cycle, the hustle continued with a number of great sounds. Pusha’s instant classic, It’s Almost Dry in 2022 was followed by Let God Sort Em Out, which dropped in 2025 and was the first new album in 16 years from Clipse – the iconic and legendary duo that combines the creativity of Pusha and his brother Malice, which produced entirely by Pharrell. This album went on to be nominated for 5 Grammys including Best Rap Album and Album of the Year and ultimately, took home the prize for Best Rap Performance. That same night, Pharrell was honored with 2026 Dr Dre Global Impact Award to recognize his multi-decade influence on music, fashion, and culture.

With an exciting launch ahead with Grindin, Pusha wants us to know that their, “…customer is someone who builds things. The kind of person who wakes up and gets to work, who works out every day, who builds a strong community around them. It’s all about the grind, it’s the first move before you build something. That’s why this brand exists. It’s not about sipping and easing into the morning. It’s about ignition. It’s about the grind – the first move before you build something. That is why this brand exists.”

This belief in ignition has fueled Grammy-winning albums, award winning designs, global tours, runway shows and more. Without question, they understand the business of supply, demand, and hustle!

IG @grindin

@kingpush

@pharrell

PHOTO COURTESY | Grindin Coffee

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag and see STILL GRINDIN’ | Pharrell + Pusha T in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG SEP ISSUE #129 | CHELSEA GREEN

In this month’s issue, our front and back cover story is with WWE Women's Champion, Chelsea Green. We talk about how she came to the WWE, how she trains, what it means being in this WWE as the Women's Champion, and what we can expect to see from her as we continue to watch her storylines in the ring!

We share a new brand and partnerships with long time collaborators Pharrell Williams and Pusha T with Grindin Coffee. We find out why they wanted to create it. their partnership with Lavazza and the roasts that are available.

This month we spent our time with legendary MLB players that are not only amazing for their athleticism, and commitment to their game - but they are also focused on making sure that we know about our bodies' needs. We talked with St Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols, NY Yankees CC Sabathia, and Manager of the Yankees Aaron Boone to find out more about heart awareness, checking out our numbers from our doctors, and why they have partnered with Merck along with the wider MLB community for Playing with Heart.

We sat down with Choreographer and Creative Director Jasmine "JB" Badie who has worked with such notable names as Pharrell Williams, Beyonce, Sabrina Chapman and so much more. She talked with us about how she came to dance, her creative process, working with her phenomenal clients, and more.

Emily Harrington is a phenomenal and noted Rock Climber who is known for free climbing El Capitan in under 24 hours! In her documentary, Girl Climber, she shows how resilience, dedication, and a team finally led to her carrying out her dreams over the year! We talk with her about the film, why she loves this sport, and what she has been up to since the film.

This month's Athleisure List comes from NY's Nofar Method, a studio fitness that combines Classic Reformer with the Cadillac Reformer. We also make our way to the East Village for an amazing meal at Salumeria Rosi.  

This month's The Art of the Snack takes us to Midtown East to Park Ave Kitchen by David Burke. We share dishes that you should enjoy, the ambiance of the restaurant, and more. 

As the lights have gone down on this seasons NYFW for the SS27 season, we recap some of our favorite shows that you should know about.

It is an honor that our enhanced 9PLAYLIST comes from Green Day as they share 9PLAYLIST with us. This month’s THE 9LIST STORI3S is from choreographer and creative director, Jasmine "JB" Badie and noted rock climber, Emily Harrington.

Read the SEP ISSUE #129 of Athleisure Mag.

FOOTWEAR.FASHION.LIFESTYLE | SOUL DXB

There are a number of events that are taking place in the first few days of December as we begin to close out your year. From music festivals Art Basel Miami and more. Sole DXB takes place in Dubai Dec 7th - 9th and focuses on Fashion, Footwear and Lifestyle by merging a number of brands and musicians together for a fun experience. Sole DXB is helmed by Hussain Moloobhoy (began his career at Saatchi London and moves to the Middle East and joined Saatchi and Saatchi Dubai where her served as its Creative Director - he took a sabbatical to explore global designs and fashion industries which led him to create a creative agency), Joshua Cox (serves as Co-Founder of Sole DXB to create a platform to help revive culture and inspire the urban fashion industry of the region), Kris Balarite (with a focus on creative design and advertising as well as freelancing with sports brand consulting, he serves as a Co-Founder of Sole DXB and is the brand creative director for the first ever basketball concept store in the Middle East known as Conquer) and Rajat Malhotra (in addition to being a partner in the Sole DXB, Rajat established a media and telecom business where he served as a CEO as well as partnering with Sunny Rahbar as a Co-Founder of the Third Line Gallery which has allowed curated exhibitions in NYC's gallery Stellar Rays).

With their creative backgrounds, we wanted to know more about what Sole DXB is as it has taken place for a number of years and is constantly focused on specific cultures that are being presented. With its mixture of art, sports, music and footwear, we took some time to find out more about this event.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Summarize in your own words what Sole DXB is?

SOLE DXB: VERY. DOPE. A celebration of hip-hop culture that has been so integral to our lives. We're simply creating an event that we, as people, wold want to go to. Just so seems there's a lot of others like us too...

AM: What is the decision behind celebrating various cultures at various points of your event from Amercan Hip Hop one year, British Hip Hop and this year, Japanese contemporary design?

SD: Culture is global, its nuance local, our individual upbringings widespread. As partners, we all grew up across different cities all around the world, but moved to Dubai eventually. During that process, Dubai had so much to offer, but there were parts of our past lives that we missed and we didn't feel that we should have to get on a place everytime we wanted to experience it. Last year, we looked at how the scene goes down in London. For many it was the year of grime, so we brought out champions of UK sounds like Skept, Stormzy, Little Simz, and Chipmunk. The year before it was very much a look at how the orginators of hip-hop, the US, did things. So we brought in legends like Mobb Deep and DMC (of Run DMC). We consider ever event an education through experience for our consumers. This year. we've looked East, especially at the real design finesse from Japan. So we're bringing out (Fragment founder and) icon Hiroshi Fujiwara to give a talk. Then we have brands like Visvim, Wacko Maria, Neihgborhood and Undercover showcasing their wares. Beyond that, there's some real godfathers of the industry coming down - we have Mass Appeal offering an exclusive international screening of (yet to be shown) Word is Bond. And that's before we even talk music (read: Kano, Pusha T, Goldlink, IAMDDB and more ...).

AM: What are the pillars of DXB offerings that attendees come to expect regradless of the theme running within the year?

SD: The best in beats, kicks, design, food and vibes, all under a big blue sky in the sun. As Bobbito Garcia, our longterm guest and friend said, "there really is nothing else like it in the world." We pride ourselves on a humble and open atmosphere. The days are smooth, the parties are bumping.

AM: What is the Dubai Design District (d3) and why has this partnership been integral to your event?

SD: Dubai Design District is our home, and moreover, the city's destination singularly dedicated to to design. It's the chosen home for the region's growing collective of creatives, artists and designers - and an institution we are very proud to work with. We have been partnered with Dubai Design District for three years now, and recently signed a further three-year contract to mark our mutual respect, and furthermore, agreement to nurture the Middle East's creative culture together. If the last 3 years have been about building our brand and establishing a global presence, the next 3 years will be about nurturing and fostering regional talent We will serve as a platform to showcase our stories to the rest of the world and to connect our international visitors to the community here d3 are central to all of this.

AM: You have a number of amazing entertainers and brands that are participating this year, who are you excited about?

SD: NxWorries (presented by PUMA), King Push, Kano, Teyana Taylor (presented by Reebok), Goldlink, IAMDDB... We have such a variety of great performers it's difficult to pinpoint just one. But there's also the talks, the brand showcases, the art. Hiroshi Fujiwara (Fragment), Jeff Staple (Staple Design), Melody Ehsani, and Peter Bittenbender (Mass Appeal Records) are all speaking amongst others. Then we have the Nike basketball tournament in conjunction with Ball Above All. And Cadillac is hosting the regional debut of Cadillac X Warhol: Letters to Warhol. FRAME is a concept store bringing down some of Japan's leading brands. Then there's' a wealth of really exciting local brands, like amongst few and ANTHLGY doing their thing. And really, that's just the start of it There is a lot to see and do.

AM: Are you already planning next year's event and will there be future cities that you will bring this to?

SD: We are always cooking up plans. 2018 will be a madness - trust us on that!

AM: Is there anything else that you would like to tell us about DXB and how those of us who may not be attending can still be a part of this event?

SD: Follow us on Instagram @SoleDXB - you might not be there but it will definitely make you want to visit.

Read more from the Nov Issue and see Footwear.Fashion.Lifestyle Soul DXB in mag.