LATINX is a magazine for the new majority of the US: the Hispanic youth. LATINX is centered around Latin culture + how it relates to fashion, the media + the next first generation.

1. L A T I N X
BREAKING
DOWN
BARRIERS
THENEWMAJORITY
APRIL 2019

2. 2 Latinx: The new majority 3
WHAT
WOULD
CHANGE
IF YOUQUESTIONED
TRADITION
2 Latinx: The new majority
latinx
latinx latinx
latinx latinx latinx la
latinx latinx latinx latin
latinx latinx latinx latinx la
latinx latinx latinx latinx la
latinx latinx latinx latinx latin
latinx latinx latinx latinx latin
latinx latinx latinx latinx latin
latinx latinx latinx latinx latin
latinx latinx latinx latinx latin
latinx latinx latinx latinx latin
latinx latinx latinx latinx latin
latinx latinx latinx latinx latin
latinx latinx latinx latinx latin
Latinx gets away
from using language
that was set up to
make women and
girls feel excluded or
inferior to men.
Latino
Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino Latino
Latino Latino Latino
Latino
Latina
Latina Latina
Latina Latina Latina Latina
Latina Latina Latina Latina Latina
Latina Latina Latina Latina Latina Latina Latina
Latina Latina Latina Latina Latina Latina
Latina Latina Latina Latina Latina Latina
Latina Latina Latina Latina Latina
Latina Latina Latina Latina
Latina Latina Latina
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
BY BREAKING DOWN THE BINARY FOR THE FUTURE
by: Antonio Serano
Latino Latino
Latino
Latino
Latino
Latino Latino
Latino
Latino
Latino
Lat
Latino
Latino
Lat
LatinoLatino
Latino
Latino
Latino
Latino
Latino
Latino
Latina
LatinaLatina
Latina
Latina
Latina
Latina
Latina
LatinaLatina
Latina Latina LatinaLatina
Latina
Latina
Latina
Photo by Vinicius Costa
My daughter and I are very
close, and she wants to do
everything I do. I used to be a
private contractor, and my daughter
loves the idea of building things.
Because of this, she wants to be, in
her words, “a construction worker
like dad.” I love this. I’ve always
been proud that I’m able to fix
things myself around the home,
and it makes me feel good that one
of my kids is interested in the same
thing. So whenever I’m teaching
her something new, I always tell her
“Remember, mija, you don’t need
no man to take care of you. You can
do this stuff yourself.” She always
just laughs and gives me a hug, but I
want her to always remember she is
strong and can take care of herself.
But not too long ago, my daughter
came home and told me kids
made fun of her for wanting to be
a construction worker. I told her
to ignore them. Women can do
anything a man can do – and they
always do it better. I know that her
dad accepting her for who she is
and what she wants to be might not
make her feel better in those tough
moments, but I hope that because
of what I tell her and reinforce at
home, she will fight harder for what
she wants, regardless of ridiculous
gender norms.
It has taken me some time to
recognize the negative effects of
conforming to gender norms. It can
be hard to change your way
of thinking and behaving, but it’s
important and it’s always worth it.
That’s why the gender-neutral
term Latinx is so crutial. Spanish is
masculine and feminine, so using
Latinx gets away from that and it
gives an identity to those who don’t
feel like Latino or Latina fit them.
Latinx also helps break down the
gender binary. We were constantly
told by media and society that there
are two genders, but that’s not true.
For those individuals who don’t fit
into those two genders and instead
identify as Latinx, it’s important for
them to feel accepted, which should
go without saying.
I get incredibly frustrated when our
own people are against using the
term Latinx. I’ve even heard some
say Latinx is ruining the Spanish
language, but in my eyes defending
a language that was once forced
upon us by colonizers is ridiculous.
I think what some who might be
against using Latinx might forget
is that being cool with some of our
gente identifying as Latinx does not
mean you have to identify as that.
We all have our own identities we
want respected.
Here in the states, some of us call
ourselves Hispanic while some say
Latina and Latinos. Personally, I
identify as Chicano (which kind of
means Mexican American and
is more of an old-school term).
For me, Chicano meant I was not
Mexican enough for the Mexicans
and I was not American enough
for the Americans – a weird sort
of limbo where I felt part of both
while at the same time not being
part of either, while at the same
time feeling like something else. It
gave me an identity when I felt like
I had none. It made it OK for me not
to speak Spanish, or maybe 95%
English with 5% Spanish mixed in
for flavor. It made it OK to listen
to Vicente Fernandez and then
switch to ICE Cube. It gave me the
freedom to take the parts of both
worlds I was connected to and put
it into this mixed-up mess that is
me. My personal journey has given
me a new respect for others. After
all, we all want the same thing:
the freedom to be who we want
to be. I have grown and learned a
lot, and I’m not ashamed to say I
have a lot more learning to do. But
one thing I know for sure is this
cycle of ridiculous misogynistic
gender norms needs to stop. Hating
our own people for wanting to be
themselves or how they identify
themselves needs to stop. Because
one thing I know for sure is that this
is not just about my daughter. I have
to teach my sons not to fall into the
cycle. I have to teach them to be
themselves, and to always respect
others who are doing the same.

3. 4 Latinx: The new majority 5
The Influence of
in fashion and the future as told
by leading Latino pioneers
Repatriation of 1929 —an
unfortunate circumstance when
the U.S. government deported
approximately 2 million people of
Mexican descent.
The list of brands who have added
new threads to this intricate web
of Chicano appropriation keeps
on growing. One stylistic example
is the blackletter typeface or
Gothic lettering. Although it
has European origins, it’s most
renowned for being adorned
on memorial garbs created by
Chicano communities in LA. These
commemorative pieces of clothing
were made to honor friends or
family members who passed away.
Nowadays, however, the typeface
is observed on concert merch or
one-off capsule collections, more
notably on Kanye West’s TLOP
wares designed by Vancouver-
born artist Cali Thornhill DeWitt,
as well as war. Aside from the
font, other designers have riffed
Oversized
is a widely-used adjective to
describe the clothing purveyed by
some of the hottest brands today.
As we presumably continue to get
bombarded with elongated fits,
it’s important to note that this
baggy aesthetic was first made
popular by the Mexican American
youth who belonged to a street
gang in Southern California.
Whether it’s the high-waisted
zoot suits worn by Pachucos in
the ’30s-’40s or the buttoned-
down flannels sported by Cholos
in the ’60s-’70s, Chicano motifs
have long been implemented
on the racks and catwalks over
the years. From budding labels
to high fashion houses, many
industry players have more or
less leeched off the subculture
that was initially spawned from
social oppression experienced by
Latino locales since the Mexican
off other prevailing Chicano
references including slang.
Japanese mainstay, WTAPS,
once created a shirt dubbed
“Vatos” and Retrosuperfuture
used to sell a pair of shades
back in 2008 which was simply
entitled “Chicano.” Let’s also
not forget how several pop
celebs blatantly seized the
Chola aesthetic including Selena
Gomez (Congradulations to Me),
Rihanna (circa 2013 Halloween)
as well as Lana Del Rey (Tropico).
Conclusively, there’s just too
many to count.
To help rid the wool off your eyes,
we reached out to three leading
Latino pioneers in the fashion/
creative industry: Chicano
streetwear specialist Spanto of
Born x Raised, legendary tattoo
artist Mister Cartoon and NYC
designer Willy Chavarria. Read
on for several key takeaways and
then let us know your thoughts.
PhotosbyKeithEstiler
Interview by Keith Estiler
Born and raised in LA, Mister
Cartoon was immersed in art
from an early age. He began his
career as a graffiti artist before
branching into album covers,
logos, and now most famously
known for his tattoos.
Spanto launched his clothing
brand in 2013 after he was
released from Prison, the brand
was literally born and raised from
sketches he made on a manila
folder he got from commissary.
Spanto Mister
Cartoon
Willy
Chavarria
Willy created a space in NYC that
would offer a sincere approach
to style, music and fashion. His
clothing is non discriminating
and genderless. “We like ‘em big,
little, young, old, you name it - so
long as the intention is good”.

4. 6 Latinx: The new majority 7
Q:In Your Own Words
Define “Chicano”
Spanto of Born x Raised
It translates to Mexican American.
Mister Cartoon
Chicano to me is a Mexican
American whose household still
has Mexican traditions and values,
like food, music, grandmother,
family, etc. We are Americana but
we never forget our Aztec-Mexican
heritage. We keep those values.
Willy Chavarria
Chicano is a word to describe an
American subculture formed by
Mexican Americans. It summarizes
a cultural style and identity of
the people who are dependent of
the regions originally belonging
to Mexico which are now Texas,
Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado,
Utah and California.
One of my favorite things about
the word is that it was once a
derogatory term. The word was
reapproppriated during the civil
rights movement to have positive
identification by the very people
oppressed by the term.
Q:What was your life like
growing up?
Spanto of Born x Raised
Growing up in Los Angeles in the
’90s racial tensions were very
high, which eventually led to the
LA riots. I was in 5th grade when it
all happened.
POST Riots – when the riots ended
it birthed a whole new wave of
culture, we now had freedom, the
city belonged to us again, it was
thriving and smoldering at the
same time. Gang culture was at its
pinnacle and everyone here was
affected by it. I grew up in Venice,
which at the time was a melting
pot for all cultures. Not like the
wealthy, gentrified, generic
version of today.
LA was in a state of
transformation but it
belonged to us.
It was Paradice and we are a
product of all of that.
Mister Cartoon
I had a good childhood. Both of
my parents are artistic, they ran a
mom and pop’s print shop in the
heart of LA and they bought me
up in the harbor area. As a kid I
was into martial arts and art. I was
always drawing from a young age.
The master of my dojo was also
the candy man of Hawthworne. He
introduced me into the world of
car customization murals and gold
leaf lettering that opened my eyes
to a whole other world.
When I was in high school I dove
into graffiti and experimented
with different lettering style and
experimented to find my own
style. In order to be different and
develop my own signature style my
idea was to combine vintage sign
painting, East Coast graffiti, and
West Coast cholo collages.
Willy Chavarria
I grew up in the agricultural heart
of California: the San Joaquin
Valley. I am from a family of
immigrants. Migrant workers;
“lettuce pickers” so to speak. You
could pretty much open the screen
door in the summer and a head of
lettuce would roll in. I was born in
Fresno. We had pictures of Jesus
Christ, John F. Kennedy, and the
pope on the wall. Role models you
know. I think those same pictures
were hanging in most Chicano
households around that time.
We moved from the very small
95% Mexican immigrant town
of Huron to the big city of
Fresno. We lived in the projects
there surrounded by the Sureño
Mongols, car jackings and I
watched my father struggle to
emerge from this line of work to
provide me a strong future. For
this I am forever grateful.
The uniform of the Chicano male
was a clean, crisp style which
mastered the reinterpretation of
basic workwear into an elegant
symbol of racial identity. This is
why the Cholos (Chicano gang
members) exemplified the look as
a symbol of cultural identity. The
Mexican gangs were originally
less of what we see today in gang
culture. They were simply forming
a string identity after having an
innate loss of identify with the
colonization of the Western states.
I always thought the best styles
came from the hood. There is a
sense of appreciation there that
makes the clothing more valuable.
And there is more originality in
working with what you got.
Q:Explain your personal
experience with your
Chicano culture.
Spanto of Born x Raised
Everybody in LA was inspired or
affected by Chicano culture. LA
is not a European-based city, the
Mexican culture is very dominant
here, the first street in Los Angeles
was Olvera Street (1781). From
the jump, the Mexican presence
was eminent. My neighborhood,
my friends mostly grew up in
Spanish-speaking homes, a lot
of them were first generation, so
their Mexican traditions were still
very prominent.
Mister Cartoon
My personal experience with
Chicano culture is the cars I drive,
the oldies I listen to, the way I
dress, the black and grey images
that I produce in my tattoos
that makes the art timeless and
reminds us of the old school.
Chicano culture is proud and
artistic and at the same time takes
no shit from no one.
Willy Chavarria Chicano culture to
me is the mixing of Mexican and
American values, style and artistic
expression. It is a recognized
identity born through the Civil
Rights Movement. As a child I was
raised to be very conscious of the
segregation between brown and
white people. There weren’t too
many black people in the rural
areas of the central valley so the
distinction was made very clear
between brown and white people
through class, neighborhoods,
schools and social spaces. I am
actually a half-breed! My mother
is white and my father is Mexican,
which was a forbidden relationship
back in those days. That’s why
today when I see the degradation
of brown people in our American
leadership it breaks my heart. It
seems to hold no regard for the
progress we have made as a nation.
The brown people were generally
the poor people. We shopped for
clothes at Kmart once a year and
made that shit last as long as we
could. We treated our $12.00
Dickies chinos like Givenchy
and pressed them and tailored
them and hung them with
routine precision. A pressed
white T-shirt, oversized khaki
chinos, a black belt, and shiny
black shoes…I mean it doesn’t get
any more chic than that.
IN YOUR
OWN
WORDS,
DEFINE
CHICANO.
Photo by Keith Estiler
Photos by Keith Estiler
THIS ISN’T FASHION
OR STREETWEAR
THIS IS MY LIFE.
Spanto of Born x Raised

5. 8 Latinx: The new majority 9
Q:The blackletter typeface has
been synonymous with LA’s
gang culture, but now it’s been
embellished on highend labels
like Gucci and Vetements.
What’s your take on clothing
lines appropriating Chicano
culture into their designs?
Spanto of Born x Raised
The blackletter typeface is
synonymous with LA gang culture.
This was a part of my life growing
up and they use it as reference or
inspiration. I’m not referencing
anyone else’s culture but my own.
This isn’t fashion or streetwear this
is my life. I’ve been wearing this since
the mid ’90s. These letters meant
something, and not just anyone could
wear them.
It pissed me off in the beginning,
none of these people were wearing
this when it meant something and
were most likely afraid of it back
then. When I wore this I wore it with
pride because it meant something to
me, now it means nothing. They are
referencing us as a whole.
We did it long before it was
cool and we did it before it
was safe. But at the end of
the day a font is a font.
Mister Cartoon
Clothing lines appropriating Chicano
culture to me seems weird to see
companies that you emulated emulate
you and your style. Originally these
fonts we used in the streets where
used on government buildings
churches and death certificates, the
traditional Old English font in many
styles and looks always screams the
West Coast and Chicano.
Willy Chavarria
Well, I personally have always been a
strong believer in the sharing of art.
I think it’s funny to see Vetements
and whoever designs for Kanye
knocking off Cholo style graphics. We
live in an age of reinterpretation. We
have become accustomed to seeing
old ideas reintroduced rather than
groundbreaking new ideas. I think as
long as we give credit to the source in
some way, it’s all good. I mean Cholo
culture has been massively influential
in men’s fashion. Cholos created the
baggy pant. The look was never quite
appreciated in the fashion industry
until it was adopted by the skate
culture. Then, skate brands began to
imitate Cholo and Chicano styling to
sell to white kids.
I have always seen a genius crossover
between Japanese and American
Cholo styling. I think that is why my
label performs so well in Japan. The
silhouettes and clean lines are very
Japanese in a way. Yohji Yamamoto
was very aware of this. I see his work
as a clear understanding of the two
cultures merging into clothing.
Q:Before the Gothic font trend,
“Cholo/Chola” style has had
a major impact in creating
international subcultures
and mainstream fashion
trends. Would you call this an
appreciation or an appropriation
of the latino subculture?
Spanto of Born x Raised
In regards to Cali, he’s our friend, and
he is referencing my (our) culture. We
made sweaters to show affiliation or
in commemoration of someone who
passed away. A lot of kids who are
uneducated on this topic come at us
saying we bit the TLOP merch. I’ve
been wearing this since a teenager and
have been using this font for Born x
Raised since 2012 long before TLOP.
As whole, it should be treated with
respect. This is a culture with values
and traditions, not a style or fashion
trend. We actually lived this shit. This
is a part of our lives.
Mister Cartoon
I think Rihanna has respect for other
cultures and looked good doing it.
I don’t have a problem with it, the
Japanese have been lowriding and
simulating WC culture since the ’80s
and I am not talking a few hundred
people, I am talking thousands of
lowriders and people inspired by LA
gangs, Cholo and Chicano culture.
Willy Chavarria
I always get a kick out of seeing
Rihanna dressed up like a Chola and I
love those Thai Cholos! I am all for the
sharing and mixing of style. I spend a
lot of time in Copenhagen where you
see white people everywhere, blasting
hardcore hip-hop and acting hard
like they can relate to the lyrics. It’s
hilarious, but at the same time it’s
beautiful to see the crazy crossover of
cultural identity.
I think that the reappropriation
of Chicano influence is simply a
compliment to great style. I really love
it. I mean it will never be as good as
the original, but it will do.
Q:How would you summarize
Chicano influence in today’s
fashion industries?
Spanto of Born x Raised It’s always
gonna be there, its not going
anywhere. If you’re gonna do it, do
it right and in a respectful manner.
You can always tell when someone is
trying too hard.
Mister Cartoon
It’s dope that the fashion industry
recognizes the Chicano style. They
figured out that white tees, khakis,
Chuck Taylors and Pendleton shirts
look dope. However, it’s not cool
when they don’t use Chicanos in their
advertisements or seek out Chicano
designers to help within the industry.
Willy Chavarria
Today’s fashion industry is graced
with the influences of so many
cultures and subcultures. I think
that’s what keeps fashion so goddamn
exciting. Chicano and Cholo fashion
have always had direct influence
on other “street” cultures with the
crossover of music and style. For
example, skate culture with white
socks pulled up to the knee, punk
culture with plaid flannel shirts
buttoned to the neck, hip-hop culture
with Dickies and oversized shirts.
All in all, I’m quite happy to put my
Chicano style influence on the runway
and give it full credit to its source.
Jose SteveJuanRamon
by Brian Latimer
Latinos may be the most avid movie goers in the
country, but you won’t be seeing many Hispanics as
stars on the big screen. A study released Monday by the
Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at the USC
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
exhaustively researched racial, ethnic and gender
diversity on screen and behind cameras. The results
found most stories “fail to represent the demographic
composition of the U.S. but continue to perpetuate
latino/a sterotypes”
The study, which is called the Comprehensive
Annenberg Report on Diversity, found Latinos are
THE NEW MAJORITY
among the least represented speaking roles in film
and TV, even though they make up about 17.4 percent
of the U.S. population. Out of more than 11,000
speaking characters surveyed in film and TV, 5.8
percent were Hispanic or Latino.
Felix Sánchez, co-founder of the National Hispanics
Foundation for the Arts, said the report reiterates
a pattern he has seen in Hollywood for 20 years. He
said on-screen representation, and whether or not a
character even gets named, starts in predominantly
white writers’ rooms.
Everywhere but the big screen.
THE NAME OF GARDENERS IN MOVIES
9
Concept art by MYLATINOFILM.COM