Welcome Digest [1.16.26]
Furries at Mars-a-lago, ASAP Rocky pop-up today, new job opportunities, and more
Welcome To January 16th
Today’s Important Headlines
🐶 Trump hosted a furry party at Mars-a-Lago
A fundraiser at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago featured paid dancers in dog masks performing 18th-century-style choreography in Marie Antoinette-esque gowns and tailcoats. Footage went viral yesterday, drawing criticism for its Gilded Age decadence and furry-adjacent aesthetic, especially as the right continues to use “furries” as a culture-war scapegoat. Trump attended and even spoke, though he did not mention fundraising for working dogs.
🎤 ASAP Rocky is hosting a ‘DON’T BE DUMB’ pop-up in Manhattan today
After nearly eight years, ASAP Rocky’s new album DON’T BE DUMB has finally dropped, and AWGE is celebrating with a pop-up in NYC. Fans can shop exclusive merch and possibly run into ASAP Rocky himself. The event runs today from 11AM–9PM, at The Drop House.
🏀 Balenciaga’s new NBA collab is a cash grab
Balenciaga’s debut collaboration under Pierpaolo Piccioli pairs the brand with the NBA on varsity jackets and reworked jerseys. The reaction has been overwhelmingly negative, with critics calling the collection lazy and desperate, and pointing to it as further evidence that the brand is struggling after Demna’s departure and Piccioli’s lukewarm debut reception.
🧙♂️ Hanz Zimmer to score HBO’s Harry Potter show
Hans Zimmer’s company Bleeding Fingers Music will score HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, raising a question dominating online discussion: Will the iconic John Williams theme be kept? Many fans argue it is untouchable, while others note that Zimmer rarely composes full scores himself, with Bleeding Fingers typically relying on a team producing a shared house style.
💿 Skrillex drops new EP
Collaborating with Swedish producers Eurohead, Varg, Whitearmor, and others, Skrillex’s new ambient trance EP, Kora, is a lean spiritual successor to last year’s FCK U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT YOU’RE NOT <3, stripping away his original dubstep sound in favor of a blurred mix of ambient and trance. The project also marks Skrillex’s second interpolation of Swae Lee’s single line from “SICKO MODE”, with both versions sounding nearly unrecognizable.
👔 Menswear Parade in Florence
On the first day of Pitti Uomo, Italy’s premier men’s fashion trade show, 180 menswear lovers from Tokyo, Taiwan and beyond marched through Florence in tweeds, checks, brogues and patterned scarves. The organizers goal was to promote tailoring within Gen Z and young millennials.
Headline curation and words by Mikail Haroon (@mvkail)
Moodboard 020
Today’s inspiration supplement. Click through to view.
From The Archive
An extra piece of content from the Welcome Archive for Magazine subscribers only.
The Cyber Skeleton robot used for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
This was a full scale practical effects rig built in 1993, using exposed metal armatures, servo driven joints, and removable armor for both close up and full body shots.
The construction shows how the character relied on physical mechanics rather than cgi, reflecting standard tokusatsu effects methods of the early 1990s.
Classifieds
Exciting opportunities, employment and otherwise
Partnership Editions — Digital Assistant (London)
Part-time paid internship supporting website management, image uploads, backend organization, and social/content support for an art and design platform.
Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst — Curator (Zurich)
Senior curatorial role leading exhibition projects, artist commissions, publications, and community-based social practice initiatives at a major contemporary art museum.
Kijun — Graphic Designer (Seoul)
Full-time in-house graphic design role overseeing brand visuals, lookbooks, and social media content for a fashion label.
2×4 — Freelance Senior Designer, Branding (NYC)
Full-time freelance senior graphic designer position focused on logotypes, design systems, and brand guidelines in a fast-paced studio environment.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum — Peter A. Krueger Summer Internship Program (NYC)
Paid summer internships for undergraduates to gain hands-on experience in museum practices at the Smithsonian Design Museum.
Radio TNP — Artist Residency 2026 (Amsterdam)
Open call for 2026 residencies inviting artists, researchers, and archivists with original ideas to work from Radio TNP’s cabin-based program.
Further Reading — Publishing Project & Partnerships Coordinator (Bandung)
Part-time, project-based role supporting editorial planning, production, partnerships, and public-facing activities for publishing projects.
School of Song — Oneohtrix Point Never Workshop (Online)
Multi-week online workshop led by Daniel Lopatin exploring electronic music history, collage-based composition, sampling, film scoring, and creative process. Taught via lectures, Q&As, and song-shares beginning February 1, 2026.
Hot Meal Records — Marketing & Social Media Manager (Berlin)
Full-time role shaping the marketing strategy and social presence of a Berlin-based electronic label and events collective, working closely with artists on releases and campaigns.