In honor of LatinX Heritage Month, we partnered with our Levi’s® LatinX Employee Resource Group (ERG) and Tailor Shop to customize a piece of Levi’s® clothing to reflect their heritage and culture. Then, we asked them about their experience. Read on to learn more about each of their creations, discover the meaning behind their design choices, and learn more about what being LatinX means to them.
Cristobal Aleman
What is your role at Levi’s® and what is your involvement in the LatinX ERG? How do you describe your LatinX identity and heritage?
I am the Assistant Designer for Men’s Knit Tops and the LatinX ERG Culture Pillar. LatinX pulls from my Latin heritage while allowing my identity as a non-binary person to shape my thoughts and ideas.
What does that heritage mean to you? Tell us, how do you bring that identity to your role at Levi’s®?
Heritage means a connection to my history and honoring what has come before me. I connect through our inspiring archive and vintage pieces which tell the stories of those who have worn them. I connect with their experiences and bring visibility to their stories. Bringing those experiences to the table gains me a seat to grant visibility to my community and our current issues. I also love to look at the LatinX consumer and see how our background and experiences affect our choices in who we decide to shop with. Accurate representation is vital and needs to be voiced as we transform into an inclusive lifestyle brand.
Sum up your design in a few words (let’s say three, or a phrase or idiom if you have it). Tell us about the meaning behind those words, and why you chose them?
Living Without Borders. I am from here and there, no passport needed. I am the perfect blend of both cultures.
Tell us about your favorite detail or details of your custom design? What inspired it/them? How do you feel about their final execution?
I loved getting the custom shanks and embroideries on the jacket. It felt like I was adding a piece of me to a blank canvas. I feel proud and will continue to add to my jacket as I continue to learn about my history and sense of identity. Big shout out to Bria in the Tailor Shop for helping me realize this body of work.
Customization Details
Cristobal’s Trucker Jacket
- Chain stitch embroidered Hecho en Mexico Eagle
- Pieces of red and green Mexican Bandanas sewn as accents around the cuffs and collar
- Replaced buttons with red, green and white
- Fabric from Mercado Global
Paul Rosas
What is your role at Levi’s® and what is your involvement in the LatinX ERG? How do you describe your LatinX identity and heritage?
I am the Senior Retail Systems Engineer and the LatinX ERG Co-Chair. I was born in Chicago, IL, my parents are from Argentina. I usually describe my heritage as being of Latin/Argentinian descent.
What does that heritage mean to you? Tell us, how do you bring that identity to your role at Levi’s®?
To me, my heritage means taking an active role in supporting and trying to lift up my family in, and from, Argentina, as well as all my LatinX family. It also means learning about the history of my parents' country as well as understanding and appreciating its culture. (Tango anyone?). Growing up, I understood that my family was very good at doing a lot with limited resources. I believe this behavior impacts much of my thinking today, and I do bring this to the table when needed in designing professional and technical solutions. My identity as a person of Argentinian descent is also why I enjoy working as a Co-Chair for the LatinX ERG.
Sum up your design in a few words (let’s say three, or a phrase or idiom if you have it). Tell us about the meaning behind those words, and why you chose them?
“We are stronger, together.”
The back of the vest has writing in moto club style that says, Somos Fuerte Sin Fronteras, basically, we are strong without borders. I would love to see us get to a point one day where we celebrate immigration to this country as opposed to some of the isolationist policies we have experienced.
Tell us about your favorite detail or details of your custom design? What inspired it/them? How do you feel about their final execution?
Wow, this is a tough question, there is so much to love! One of the details on the shoulder is four stars, representing Chicago and its flag. Also, there is a lot of distressing on the jacket, much of it for style but also to represent some of the road rash I’ve had racing superbikes. It was also an amazing way to layer in some color and some of the new fabrics we have from Mercado Global by placing this under the jacket and the holes we created. We also shortened up the front and elongated the back using Mercado Global fabric to give it more of that sport bike jacket look and provide more function when leaned forward on the bike. It's not just amazing looking, it’s very comfortable!
Customization Details
Paul’s Trucker Vest
- Distressed fabric with a pumice stone, sand sponge, and Dremel tool
- Fresh matte black buttons sanded down to reveal a soft gold
- Mercado Global fabric panel exposed behind the weft and represents Paul’s red Ducati and the racing stripes he sees within the culture
- Four Chicago stars were chain stitch embroidered as a symbol of four major disasters where he grew up
- Mercado Global fabric was used to create a drop-tail to cover his back when riding
- Chain stitch embroidered to rep LatinX wherever he rides
Rita Anita Bocanegra
What is your role at Levi’s® and what is your involvement in the LatinX ERG? How do you describe your LatinX identity and heritage?
I am a Garment Developer and the LatinX ERG Community Pillar. My LatinX identity and heritage is "Chicana Mexicana."
What does that heritage mean to you? Tell us, how do you bring that identity to your role at Levi’s®?
My heritage is my lifeline. I’m so proud of my ancestry and the cultural traditions that bring life to each one of us. My teams love hearing homeopathic healing traditions and special family recipes. Everyone embraces my style and are always full of compliments. Being a part of Levi's® plus size fit modeling allows me to represent fit for our culture.
Sum up your design in a few words (let’s say three, or a phrase or idiom if you have it). Tell us about the meaning behind those words, and why you chose them?
“Todo Se Puede” (Everything is possible). This is on repeat in my mind. Everything is possible if you want it bad enough. Our design included in Levi's® history speaks volumes in that phrase. We all wanted it bad enough we collaborated to make it happen.
Tell us about your favorite detail or details of your custom design? What inspired it/them? How do you feel about their final execution?
I hope this is the first of many designs to come. This design speaks to my Mexican lineage. The colors and pattern show the weave of our engrained customs, indigenous history and colorful lives.
Customization Details
Rita's Overalls
- A vintage-style cinch belt out of Mercado Global fabric to adjust the fit at the waist
- Swapped buttons to a worn copper and added copper rivets to all stress points (pocket corners)
- Swapped the back pocket using Mercado Global fabric and added Levi’s® Arcuate stitching, White Tab, and leather backpatch branding
- Styled her look to feature a second Mercado Global fabric on the inside of the front
Londi Lozano
What is your role at Levi’s® and what is your involvement in the LatinX ERG? How do you describe your LatinX identity and heritage?
I am the Director of Brand Experience for Wholesale (US and Canada) and a LatinX ERG member. I identify as a Latina. My parents and their generations before them were all born in Puerto Rico but I was born and raised in New York City so I consider myself a Nuyorican. If you know any New Yorkers and or Puerto Ricans they both have a huge sense of pride and will not hesitate to tell you.
What does that heritage mean to you? Tell us, how do you bring that identity to your role at Levi’s®?
Family, pride and connection. Being Latina I love connecting to others. In my experience, when people have a connection they tend to build trust quicker. When there is trust, we all work more productively and want to help each other. I grew up at Levi’s® (27 years) and have built many close bonds whom I consider to be my Levi’s® Family. What attracted me to work for Levi’s® is how their core values were so similar to my own. I wanted to work for a company I felt proud to represent.
Sum up your design in a few words (let’s say three, or a phrase or idiom if you have it). Tell us about the meaning behind those words, and why you chose them?
Pa’Lante = para adelante means “onward” or “go forward”. To me, this means; in spite of all the forms of oppression, cultural marginalization and colonial exploitation Puerto Ricans have endured, no one can take away our sense of pride and resilience to move forward. Pa’Lante!
Tell us about your favorite detail or details of your custom design? What inspired it/them? How do you feel about their final execution?
I love the entire design! I know how much care and thoughtfulness went into my request from the tailors. They did an amazing job! I wanted to represent the love for my heritage and I hope it inspires others to express their own identity in a creative way.
Customization Details
Londi's Vintage Triple Pleat Blouson
- Repaired back yoke by inserting Mercado Global fabric underneath the hole and secured it using a Japanese mending technique, Sashiko
- Chain stitch embroidered x3 coquis on the cuff of the jacket—one in navy to represent her and the other two in white to represent her children (Sofia and Jovan)
- A chain stitch embroidered Red Hibiscus flower embroidered on the front chest as a symbol of Puerto Rico
- Chain stitch embroidered the affirmation "Pa'Lante," coming from the contraction of "para adelante," meaning "forward" on the front yoke
Jovan Lozano
What do you do for work and how do you describe your LatinX identity and heritage?
I am a Business Consultant. I am Latino, my mother is Puerto Rican and my father Dominican. I most identify with the Puerto Rican side of my family.
Tell us about your top 2-3 favorite details of your custom design? What inspired it/them, and why did you choose it/them? How do you feel about the final product?
My favorite detail is the two coqui native drawings that were embroidered on the left and right cuffs symbolizing my two different Taino roots.
My second favorite detail is the word “Jibaro” on the left chest. This word can be roughly translated to hillbilly. I chose this because it is representative of the sustainable farm workers in Puerto Rico and where my family comes from working in the sugar cane fields near Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Customization Details
Jovan's Type II Trucker Jacket
- Swapped out buttons with gold buttons and brushed with a fine-grit sand sponge for a clean yet aged look
- Sewed Mercado Global fabric to the undercollar and replaced the front patch pocket for a subtle look
- Hand-cut "Pa'Lante" phrase out of yellow felt and applied to the back of the jacket with machine stitching.
- x2 chain stitch embroidered coquis at the sleeve wrists tying back to Puerto Rican history
Sofia Lozano
What do you do and How do you describe your LatinX identity and heritage?
I am an English teacher living on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. I consider myself a Latina that comes from a family of strong powerful independent women, who inspire me to spread love and Latin flavor wherever I go. I feel most connected to my culture when I am in my “batá, raspando la hoya” listening to Marc Anthony’s El Cantante album on repeat. (If you know, you know!)
Tell us about your top 2-3 favorite details of your custom design? What inspired it/them, and why did you choose it/them? How do you feel about the final product?
My favorites are the three embroidered coquis on the front pocket. The coquis are Taino petroglyphs from Puerto Rico and they represent my mom, brother and I chose this design because my family is the clearest and purest reflection of myself.
Customization Details
Sofia’s Chore Coat
- x3 chain stitch embroidered coquis across the chest—the three represent her family
- Used Mercado Global fabric on the outside sleeve to create an extra pocket
- Lightly distressed the entire jacket to bring out the rich indigo dye to resemble the side of a boulder where the Taino symbols are carved and painted
- Swapped out buttons and rivets with green oxidized copper for an aged look
Sofia’s Sherpa Long Coat
- Trucker cut in half and lengthened using scrap denim
- The neck is replaced with a regal lapel collar and lined with Sherpa fabric
- Mercado Global fabric used as thick piping up the long side seam
- Upper backside of trucker replaced with large panel of second Mercado Global fabric
Loved what you saw? Find a Levi’s® Tailor Shop near you and we’ll be honored to help you customize and celebrate your heritage. Check out how you can customize here. Then, make an appointment and go design your own.
Plus, we’re telling more LatinX stories all month long. Look out for new content coming soon.