Although a lot of big brand stores might produce things that relate to Latinx culture, I have never given them any of my money. Yes, that Selena shirt might be cute, but I’m pretty sure their CEO’s and other workers don’t really care about representing our culture correctly. Because of my sudden urge to collect pins and stickers representing my culture, I have gone on a little hunt to find a few stores that are run by Latinx people and support their businesses.
Standing Brown
(Photos courtesy of Standing Brown)
Standing Brown was created by a first generation Mexican-American named Nohel, the goal with his brand is to let Latinx people feel connected to their culture. Their shirts are printed on quality material with designs that are meant to last years. I’ve seen a couple of their shirts, and they really are good quality shirts.
Besides being able to represent your culture on a soft T-Shirt or tank, 5% of proceeds will go into making 2 scholarships that will be given to Latinx students.
Oh Comadre
(Photo courtesy of Oh Comadre)
Oh Comadre makes candles made to “evoke an emotion, comfort, or a memory” according to owner Marcella Gomez. Her candles resemble a lot of things in Latinx culture such as the Capirotada and Vaporub-like candles shown above. Her shop consist of many other products such as candles: handmade with organic wax, with cotton wick, and recyclable.
RAZA
(Photo courtesy of RAZA Instagram)
Founded by a Queer Mexican man by the name Joseph Atempa in San Diego, RAZA is meant to promote acceptance for the LGBT Latinx community through their apparel. Their shop consists of cute hoodies, T-shirts, glasses, and pins that support the movement about “bringing good into the world”. Their shop has things that talk about love, gay culture, and going forward and they feature the “Sigue Adelante” hoodie shown much above.
(Photo courtesy of GRL TRBL)
GRL TRBL is ran by feminist and Afro-Latinx Emerald Pellot, a writer and digital artist who started this store in a response to the Trump Administration. Their products have been featured in many places such as Buzzfeed and The Washington Post due to their statements against racism, sexism, ableism, and other forms of oppression in the United States that have been heightened since the 2016 election. GRL TRBL’s shop has free downloadable posters, multiple pins that bring positivity to Afro-Latinx people, and apparel that features feminists and feminist sayings. This brand sells great products with great intentions, helping buyers sport their pride in their beliefs.
Partime Works
(Photo courtesy of Partime Works’ Instagram)
Based in San Diego, California, Partime Works is a successful Etsy shop that is Chicanx based. With over 1,500 sales and five star reviews, it goes to show that their products are of a great quality and worth the purchase. Their store consists of many figures in Mexican culture such as El Chavo, Selena, Maria Felix, Frida Kahlo, and many other stars. These people are put on stickers, keychains, enamel pins, popsockets, and many more.
These are only a few of what I’m sure are thousands of stores ran by Latinx people. There are a lot more artists out their representing our culture and selling their creations through pins, patches, shirts, and other things that might make a good gift; for our primas or ourselves. A good source for finding these stores is the Shop Latinx Instagram page that features multiple stores owned by Latinx people.