Ever since the ‘Mexico is the Shit’ bomber jacket arrived on the scene in 2016, its presence has been ubiquitous amidst a certain trendy, Mexico City set. The brainchild of Mexican designer Anuar Layón, the jacket – which is sold by Mexican online retailer Mercadorama – began as simple way to express cultural pride. “The jacket was created as an ode to Mexicans around the world who are doing interesting things in their everyday lives,” explained Layón.
Now, Layón and Mercadorama founder Ahmed Bautista want to turn ‘Mexico is the Shit’ into more than a streetwear brand – they want to turn it into a cultural movement. Through a new partnership with Dos Equis® and the Keep it interesante™ campaign, MITS will be extending their celebration of Mexican culture and creativity through a series of exciting pop-up shops and events, including a celebration in Palm Springs over Coachella weekend 1.
These events will feature emerging Mexican-American creatives, including streetwear designers, visual artists and musicians, whose innovative creative work is, well, keeping it interesante. Below check out some of the innovative talent whose Mexican heritage inspires their creativity.
Maxx Gallo
Singer-songwriter Maxx Gallo mixes tribal instrumentals – raw, electronic-cumbia rhythms – with a trap flow, creating a high-energy sound that is electrifying audiences all over the West Coast.
The Mexican-American artist honed his sound under the wing of legendary producer and Worldwide CEO Toy Selectah, el padrino of the Mexican underground.
With a recent SXSW showcase under his belt and streaming counts on the rise, Gallo is a talent to watch.
Nydia Cisneros
Nydia Cisneros was inspired to create her beauty brand Cholas x Chulas after she realized there was a void in industry for products made by Latinas, for Latinas.
Drawing from her Mexican-American heritage for inspiration, Cisneros’ brand is filled with products that pay homage to the resilience, perseverance and bold beauty aesthetics of cholas.
“The people who make the beauty rules criticize Latinos for how they dress or what they wear,” she explained about her motivations to Hip Latina. “To have that ability to wear what you want and express yourself based on how you feel. That’s incredible. No one can take that from you.”
Brenda Equihua
Brenda Equihua is a fashion designer from Southern California who aims to produce garments that reflect her Mexican-American roots under the label, EQUIHUA.
She has garnered a growing following for Equihua’s latest collection, entitled “New Classics,” which is comprised of outerwear that draws inspiration from San Marcos cobijas — blankets often found in Mexican-American homes.
“That is a blanket that represents family and love and comfort, and it has very strong ties to Latino identity,” Brenda told Vogue about the personal inspirations behind her work.
Chaboi
The Late Night Laggers collective and club night is leading a the global club music scene in Los Angeles. As one of its co-founders, Mexico City-born DJ Chaboi is lighting the city’s dance floors up with the sounds of the Latino and Latin American underground. Expect to hear neo-perrero treasures, cumbia edits and turnt up dembow in one of his sets.
Wes Avila
For the most part, the Los Angeles taco game is dominated by traditional regional fillings – like Al Pastor tacos, which are judged by devotees based on whether the taquero shaves the thinly-sliced pork right off the trompo onto your tortilla (as opposed to the grill, where it can scrunch up or overcook). But then, a classically-trained chef from Pico Rivera named Wes Avila arrived to shake things up. Bursting onto the scene with a food truck called Guerrilla Tacos and a plancha grill emblazoned with graffiti art work, Avila started making tacos filled with things like sweet potato, sea urchin, foie gras, and lamb tongues. His unorthodox creations are so transcendent, Bill Esparza has dubbed him “the liberator of the taco in America.” In 2013 – the year Guerrilla Tacos opened – one of Avila’s tacos made it to Jonathan Gold’s best dishes list.
Gabriella Sanchez
LA native Gabriella Sanchez is a multidisciplinary artist with a background as a designer, illustrator and painter. Her work as a fine artist centers around the tension of duality – something she herself has experienced as a Mexican-American woman – and explores how meaning is created and received through both text and imagery. This is often done through a semi autobiographical lens and considers the impact of public narratives on the formation of identity. Sanchez has shown her work at CCCM: Mexican Center for Culture and Cinematic Arts, Charlie James Gallery, and the Jeffrey Deitch gallery in New York.
Valeria González
Valeria Y. González is a Mexican-American artistic director, choreographer, dancer, performance artist, and producer. She is also the Artistic Director of VALLETO, a dance theater company in New York City that began in 2014 with the mission of unifying diverse artists and celebrating one’s individuality.
The company’s work explores what the unconscious mind hides inside the body, while creating an open space devoted to female empowerment and equality for all.