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Culture

Street Child World Cup

May 18, 2026

Hosted by Street Child United in partnership with Fútbol Más Mexico, the Street Child World Cup 2026 kicked off this May 6th-14th. The event runs in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup, using the global platform of football to amplify the voices of the next generation. The Street World Cup brought together 30 teams from over 20 countries for a tournament in Mexico City. While this sports event is focused on football, it serves a much bigger purpose. An estimated 150 million children worldwide do not exist in official systems, nulling their basic rights to healthcare and education. The tournament concluded after the Street Child World Cup General Assembly, in which these adolescent participants presented an collective call for action to key decision-makers in regards to the rights of street-connected youth.

The tournament is about unity, opportunity, and hope. On the surface its football, but at the core it is a powerful advocacy for change. It diverts the attention that spectacle events demand of the public eye, taking a moment to shine the spotlight on issues that deserve the same urgent attention. At the same time, it facilitates cultural exchange. Sports, though competitive, are a means of unification; collaboration in the face of division. Like sports, greater political issues can employ a tug-of-war between playfulness and seriousness.

In the last bracket, Mexico and Kenya competed for the girls' final while it was Brazil against Palestine for boys. Mexico's girls team and Brazil's boys team took home the gold, but the real award came from turning visibility into action. Young team leaders came together off the field to debate and draft concrete demands to present to policymakers, civil society leaders, and international guests, including Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Gabriela Cuevas — the Mexican government's official representatives for the World Cup's organization.

A celebratory close to the tournament was performed by Paul Russell with his hit song, Lil Boo Thang. U2 members were attendees of the final game, cheering on in place of being cheered for. Messages of support were sent from former professional soccer player Sir David Beckham, racing driver Sir Lewis Hamilton, and runner Sir Mo Farah. All eyes may be on the upcoming FIFA World Cup, but the Street Child World Cup is all hands-on.

Culture

The Ugly Pretty Party by Perfectly Imperfect x Back Market

May 17, 2026

What does it mean to self-identify as “ugly”?

New York is full of beautiful people. And none of them are perfect. The city’s creative culture has grown increasingly affectionate toward a more subversive style: that of distressed denim, smudged eyeliner, worn leather, and personal accessories like bags, water bottles, and even laptops customized by pins or stickers for a unique flair. And with stylistic customization comes the inevitable consequence of imperfection: creases, scratches, and residual stickiness. The poetics here lie in the fact that the imperfections are evidence of a life well-lived. “Ugliness,” if it can be called ugliness, has become something aspirational, as society shifts its attitude toward the rejection of what once was sterile perfection.

This notion is at the core of The Ugly Pretty Party, New York’s latest gathering for the culturally conscious and creatively dressed. In collaboration with Perfectly Imperfect, the event celebrated the launch of Back Market’s latest rollout, The Ugly Computer. In an age that has normalized consumerism and “throwaway culture,” The Ugly Computer dares to go against the grain by embracing flaws on refurbished products and pushing for sustainability over contributing to eco waste. And Perfectly Imperfect, a media platform dedicated to amplifying unique perspectives, turns up the volume of such a morally driven cultural disruptor.

Words by Selena Aiyla
Photography by Lauren Davis

In an era of airbrushed perfection, The Ugly Pretty Party is a move toward radical transparency and sustainability.

“It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” Back Market centralizes this conviction as they fill the walls of Silence Please, a multi-hyphenate speakeasy where you can, on a normal day, browse records, drink handcrafted teas, and sit among a sea of silver laptops when coworking is of personal importance. On this particular night, the lounge is filled with a selection of young people who have worlds of creativity existing inside them. Surrounded by fiction writers, fashion designers, and visual artists, the notion is abundantly true. That which is on the inside seems to instantly beautify that which is on the outside.

The night is full of sounds by Nation, DJ Thank You, velvette blue, and rockie rode. The thematic choice of Silence Please alongside such exceptional soundmakers is to cut through the noise, putting a pause on the cycle of routinely tossing old items for new ones. The party drew a narrative space for The Ugly Computer, riddled in residual sticker marks and abundant in cosmetic issues. Imperfections that add character without compromising the functionality and integrity of the technology. In this way, Back Market leads us in a reclamation of the word “ugly,” and teaches us to repurpose this language into a term of endearment, a term of empowerment.