Reconnecting With My Latina Roots By Exploring Mexican Artisanal Fashion
I have been missing Mexico a lot lately. I currently live in Montana, but was raised in a small suburb near Chicago. There I was brought up with my Mexican culture, where I was shown pictures and videos of my aunts and uncles long passed away. But I couldn’t help being fascinated with their clothing and how I could still keep some parts of them alive. A lot of my culture has been passed down this way, first learning about it and then incorporating it in my life. But it has been hard to really acclimate with Mexican artisanal fashion in particular because all I have ever known is malls and secondhand stores filled with westernized trends. And any Mexican-related clothing in these retail spaces are often pieces that have been culturally appropriated. It is common for fast fashion brands to take “inspiration” (often a complete copy of designs and styles), yet don’t give any acknowledgement or credit given to local designers. Pieces are also often machine-made designs and cut to fit modern times to rapid production and consumption.
In contrast, Mexican artisanal fashion has a true beauty when it's made from unique materials made by women and communities that have passed down those skills for centuries. These artists hold important history and a unique national identity in their artisanal fashion products, given they are based in different regions of Mexico. Each region has indigenous communities with different garment skills and unique stories to tell. It makes every piece created nuanced and unique, despite every skilled garment worker being from Mexico
History of Mexican Artisanal Fashion
Mexicanas y Mexicanos have been making fibers, cloth and other textiles since 1400 BCE. Fibers used during the pre-Hispanic period included the yucca, palm and maguey plants and the use of cotton in the hot lowlands of the south. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish introduced new fibers such as silk and wool as well as the European foot treadle loom. But the effects throughout Mexico were different since indigenous people of Mexico lived in separate communities, geographically divided by mountains, bodies of water, and forests. Also, each tribe had already developed their own cultures, dialects, and artistic manners. After centuries of colonialism, mixing their cultures with Indigenous, African, and other Spanish populations, Mexican clothing has evolved into what we know it for today.
Mexican clothing is now known for its vibrant colors, detailed with handcrafted animals and flowers, and traditional cuts we all know and love. Estos (these) designs are like art pieces to me! Stories and deeper meaning are kept alive via the creator, wearer and observer of each piece. Mexican artisanal fashion is literally cultural art in our everyday lives. Honestly, it could be midnight at a Walmart supermarket in Montana, thousands of miles away from our native origin, but pieces could still be loved and appreciated between its wearer and any culturally appreciative observer milling the store!
The Living Stories of Mexican Traditions
Mexican traditions and stories can live on in a very material way through clothing, despite the horrible colonial legacy Mexicans have persisted and lived through. And it has made moving to a red-state filled with majority white towns to feel less lonely by wearing what's true to me. It has filled me up with Mexico’s rich history and my ancestors' wisdom that flows through my blood. I have also reconnected with hope through traditional Mexican fashion, even when pieces weren’t made by artisans. This is because it has reminded me of the fortaleza (the fortitude) and the strength of blooming, despite how hard your surroundings may be. That despite how difficult things are, we can still be seedling in a bigger picture, almost like a landscape of light allowing us to finally bloom.
And the skills needed to make the traditional, artisanal Mexican fashion are often passed down at a young age, one which I unfortunately did not learn. As a kid, I often asked my mom about my grandparents ancestral legacy, but I could get no straight answer. There were no rich and detailed stories of my indigenous roots, there were only proud remarks of our white skin, tall stature and blue eyes- the legacy of the colonizer cherished most. My ancestors were effectively colonized, their traditions and legacy erased for the namesake of whiteness. The only remaining piece to their beauty in photos that I could hope to learn and replicate in my life one day.
Mexican Artisanal Fashion Staple Pieces
I wish I could have my ancestors unique Mexican designs and skills, once passed down from elder to baby. But I think there is hope that I can still learn a lot from existing traditions and skills present in current-day Mexico. Some popular artisanal Mexican fashion include huipils and sarapes, which are often embroidered. For the huipil, it is a woven and embroidered blouse or dress of pre-Columbian origin that are the main elements of Mexican traditional dress. And it's admirable that most artisanal clothing is often made with sustainable materials and naturally dyed.
Rebozos are long rectangular shawls that first came into style in Mexico in the 16th century. The rebozo is actually one of the most labor-intensive garments on earth. Before any looming begins, the threads are wrapped with thousands of knots and dyed, then the knots are removed — a process known as ikat. Huipiles can be woven with symbols, like trees of life or creation myths of light and darkness. Traditional, indigenous weaving often tells a story reflective of their lives, and/or their ancestors legacy.
However, many artisanal communities, especially the indigenous ones, are assimilating. More and more children are being forced to school in plaid skirts and acrylic sweaters through school mandate, which ends up replacing their native huipils. From the Zapatista rebellion in the 1990s, the Mexican government has made some attempts at reform, including recognition of indigenous cultures, but new fashion markets in Mexico also have (and are well on their way) in compromising the heritage of the artisans. Indigenous communities are also very much human, trying to fit in and have a good life, even if it costs them their culture and native skill-set.
Mexican Artisanal Fashion in Midst of Fast Fashion
Losing artisanal fashion-related skills is a huge loss in the trade-off of survival. It is needed because of extreme poverty and lack of opportunities. However, artisans have described their work as if feeling like they are connected with the loom. The loom is a place for reflection, to think about their personal problems and bright solutions. And even if I personally don’t know what this feels like, or what stories my ancestors held within their hearts, I do know we need to preserve this art. We need to go back to the loom, whether literally or metaphorically.
We need time to feel connected to reflection, to our true selves rooted in our history and culture. A place to create beauty and art, deep thought and intentional work with material things that represent so much more. What we need is community, support, opportunity and connection. And all parts of the production of artisanal fashion, even weaving, needs to be remembered.
Localized Mexican Fashion Practices
We need to go back to localized forms of fashion production and consumption, where we are required to find ourselves through the legacy of our ancestors. It would promote cultural craft techniques, symbols/symbolism and the use of local materials. But it does pose questions in the midst of fast fashion…..lots of nuanced, big questions.
Major fast fashion brands are currently pushing mass amounts of cheap clothing made by sewing machines in the Global South. They have completely separated any cultural or spiritual form of production in their global supply chain. To change this, brands would need to be required to collaborate and practice peer-to-peer co-creation, ideally with local indigenous communities producing artisanal fashion. Ideally, there would also be space for modern interpretations of fashion while respecting their artists' livelihoods and well-being. This would help provide more jobs and opportunities to artisans often in toxic cycles of poverty through mutual trust and confidence from every party involved.
Co-Creation in Mexican Artisanal Fashion and Major Fashion Brands
Co-creation should mean so much more than business, ideally it would create cultural value aka ‘cultural currency’. It would help skills and stories to be passed down, for mindfulness to be kept alive, and for what feels most true to be uplifted and empowered. And on a more practical level, it would mean more children, and future communities have a viable chance to hold on to their traditions and skills, one that can help their family have a thriving and dignified life. It would open up spaces for opportunities where fashion enterprises working with artisanal communities embody respect, basic human rights, traditional cultural expressions and sustainable practice.
Practically speaking, children would be able to go to good schools, eat proper meals, where parents could embody their ancestral legacy and where all the beautiful clothing wouldn't be lost, where a world didn't exist where the only thing remaining of their culture were in photos. It would mean future children of Mexico won’t imagine what skills and stories she would have from her ancestors. Instead, they would be lived in and memorized to become better, stronger versions of ourselves.
There is so much beauty and love I have as a Latina for Mexican artisanal fashion, I may not know a lot, and I won't lie and say I do! I have a lot to learn, as do fashion brands if they want to properly honor traditional cultural expressions and traditional values. However, I hope we can continue to celebrate Mexican artisanal fashion, not only for its immediate and apparent beauty, but for the richness it provides for its culture, technique, and its families.
