The first pair of Docs I bought was the holiday season 2019! I was working and decided to go to the Union Square location and buy the Jadon smooth leather platforms! I had been eyeing them for a very long time and went for it during my lunch break. Best investment EVER!
Instagram: @verooobonilla
 

The first pair of Docs I bought was the holiday season 2019! I was working and decided to go to the Union Square location and buy the Jadon smooth leather platforms! I had been eyeing them for a very long time and went for it during my lunch break. Best investment EVER!

Being Puerto Rican from NY shaped me in ways I couldn’t even imagine. My confidence, strength, pride, resilience, hustle, and style stems from my heritage. I wouldn’t be the creative, optimistic person I am without it!

Sunday cleaning and dinner is one of my favorite traditions! Puerto Rican Day Parade and holiday season is my second favorite tradition! Being around family, eating, dancing, and joking around is unmatched!

Going to La Marqueta in my old neighborhood. It’s like visiting Puerto Rico. That place feels like home; I would go there with my grandmother after school growing up. That’s where she shopped for the week and Sunday dinner. She’d talk to all the workers, and they would share stories about back home. Most kids would be annoyed, but I was always fascinated; it also helped me pick up on my Spanish, which I’m forever grateful for!

Right now, myself! I’ve been inspired by the younger me when I first started venturing out to find my style. Movies have also been a significant influence​​​​ on.

It means representation! Taking up space, we belong here and we are not going anywhere!

My name is April (she/her) I was born in Taxco Guerrero, Mexico. I was brought to The United States at a very young age. I have not visited home since then but it’s something I dream of doing soon. In the meantime, I try to find a little bit of home in the places I can. Whether that’s in my mother's kitchen or at a local market where I find the snacks that remind me of special moments. I grew up drinking Cafecito with a concha late at night, with my mom, like I didn’t have school the next day.

Although I was born in Mexico and shared some traditions with my mother, I grew up feeling like I wasn't Latina enough. I had such a different childhood from others. I was not able to pronounce certain words in Spanish correctly. It felt like I would never be able to connect to my roots like others. As I’ve gotten older, I've realized that we all have our way of connecting to our culture. As an adult cultivating my own life, I try to create my traditions and make sure to include my culture in ways that feel authentic to me. I love to hear my mother tell stories about her childhood and what it was like growing up in Mexico. I also feel lucky to be part of a generation where we are all trying to connect to our culture more because it feels like we are all collectively learning.

Instagram:@heyprilll

Tell us about your first pair of Docs

My first pair were I believe the 1460 Smooth Leather Lace Up Boots. I purchased them on my own with like my second paycheck ever. I remember being so excited and having my mom drive me to the mall to buy my first pair and hearing about how she couldn’t believe I was buying the same pair she had when she was a teen. I thought that was really cool!

How has your heritage shaped the person you are today?

My heritage has taught me the value of community and the importance of bringing people together. My heritage has shaped me into an independent hardworking woman. My heritage has taught me to love hard and help anyone who needs help. It has taught me the importance of Familia.

Some of my favorite traditions are definitely all the ones involving holidays. Holidays were always a time when we all came together and celebrated. Also, Quinceañera's (a symbol that represents the passage from girlhood to womanhood) I didn’t have one myself but I remember attending all of my friends and just being amazed and having so much fun!!

I think right now what has been making me feel the closest to my heritage and culture is attending events that share that home feeling. Listening to music I grew up hearing every Sunday morning. I also really enjoy dressing up and fashion and something I’ve been doing is adding clothing pieces and accessories that connect me to my culture and including them in my outfits.

My mother is the reason I am here and I am who I am. She immigrated from Mexico to give me a better life. To protect me and make sure I had a good future. Everything I do, I do for her.

She has been an influence when it comes to being a hard worker. She is someone who doesn’t give up and that has always influenced me to be strong and independent. She even influences my style. I look at the way she used to dress, and I recreate those outfits in my own way.

A time when we can reflect on how our culture has influenced and shaped others. A time to celebrate and love our community.

Hello, my name is Jose, better known as Veco on IG and by those close to me. 
Instagram: @eseveco
 

I have never owned a pair of Docs. In middle school, I went through a small ‘punk phase’ and only dreamed of owning a pair. I was inspired by the edgy eighth graders who were so effortlessly cool and somehow made the school uniform their own.

My heritage has shaped the person I am today by the values and traditions passed down to me. My parents are very religious and traditional, and not to mention a lot older than most, so growing up in a traditional Mexican household has shaped me to respect and honor those who have come before me. It’s instilled a hard-working, go-getter-like mentality. My heritage has shaped me to be resilient, self-sufficient, kind, and optimistic.

Some of my favorite traditions of my culture are las posadas, my aunts coming together to make tamales the second the first fall leaf falls, the Matachins - an ancient tradition of dancing for La Virgen de Guadalupe - I was part of Matachin dance group for kids growing up. I loved every minute of it, down to the traditional garments and feathered headpieces we would wear. For Dia de Los Reyes Magos, I remember visiting my grandma's house in Guanajuato during winter and, every January 6th, waking up to 'gifts' from Los Reyes Magos and being so excited as a kid.

What makes me feel closest to my heritage and culture is visiting Guanajuato any chance I get and hearing stories directly from my 100-year-old grandma, who is so vivid in her memory and paints a beautiful picture of “once upon a time.” Learning new stories and revisiting old ones with close family members is a unique and intimate way that makes me feel the most relative to my heritage and culture.

My most significant influence has to be both of my parents. They both moved to the US with nothing but a dream of a better life and are still as hard-working as ever, even now that they are retired. Not only does their work ethic influence and inspire me, but I also credit them as my style influences. I love looking through old family photo albums and seeing their outfits in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month means reconnecting and acknowledging our ancestors and the traditions and values that make up our being. Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month is a moment to reflect and celebrate the Latino Community's accomplishments.

My name is Paola Lagunas. but my art name is Lola, she/her Pronouns. I'm the Artist behind Arte Por Lola

Instagram: @arteporlola

I can thank my heritage for my love of color. I remember Mexico being colorful, the homes, the parties, everything vibrant, I now look for that in my home and in my paintings. I'm looking to express myself through color as much as possible.

For me, I always remember Día de los Muertos as such a special event, the flowers, the food, the traditions, it all is so beautiful to me, and I just feel really lucky to get to learn about it from my family and through traditions. I also love our cooking, the flavors, and the creativity that they entail, I could eat Mexican food every day and never get sick of it.

I think through food I feel really close to my heritage. I learned to cook in my mom’s kitchen and she taught me how to make all her recipes. We don't live together anymore but I know that I can cook her food similar to her and that allows me to feel really connected to her, and to where I come from.

Katya Echazarreta just became the first Latina to go to space, I mean how cool is that!!! I love seeing Latinas in all places and I think as we continue moving forward, we're going to see so many more Latinas stepping into huge roles. She is a big inspiration to dream bigger.

For me, it means I get to spend a little more time learning about my culture. There wasn't too much taught about it in school but I'm learning through community online more and more. I'm excited to see the community learn and grow together. It's about showing up for one another and celebrating the richness and color we bring to this world!

My name is Ayesha Fernandez; I’m a nonbinary filmmaker and photographer. My pronouns are she/they, and I am originally from Mexico City. My artistic journey started when I was young, but it didn’t become what it is today until I moved to Los Angeles five years ago (which is about half as long as I’ve owned my first pair of Docs). That’s when my art became the core part of my existence. I started at fashion school, which led me to music videos and photography and eventually to film, my main focus now. I enjoy the versatility of the film industry, from extended features to music videos, digital photography, and analog. My goal is to explore all the different mediums to find the perfect intersection of what I find most beautiful, which, in many ways, is how I like to navigate the world.

My personal portfolio: https://ayeshafernandez.tv/

Instagram: @itsaayesha

My Docs have carried me through three different countries I’ve lived in, watched the beginning and end of relationships I swore would last forever and stayed with me through every phase of my life. There are so many versions of me, but my Docs always fit and match my style; they remind me of where I came from and how far I’ve come. Last month, I visited my mom and got them repaired. The creases were starting to make holes in the corners, but I couldn’t bear the thought of letting them go after all this time.

My Mexican culture shaped me into the person I have grown to be. In Latinx cultures, our sense of family and way of loving can cross borders no one could even imagine. We are taught to respect and love each other above all and never to be afraid of the unknown. My grandparents passed on our family’s traditions for generations, and when they passed away, I knew it was my turn to deepen our roots even further.

Mexican culture has countless traditions, but one of my favorites is passing your clothes to the younger generations. This is how I’ve gotten my best pieces of clothing, and of course, they make me feel so much more connected to my community when I wear them. Taking care of things to make them last is not easy, but we love to do it, and it’s a primary part of our culture. This taught me the importance of sustainability and social consciousness in fashion, something I’m so glad I understood before entering an industry so reliant on consumption and waste.

I also love el Día de los Muertos. Recently, I explained how we celebrate death and the people who have moved on to a different space on this earth to my friends. There is so much beauty in this celebration and also so much pain. Our heritage has taught us to live our lives to the fullest, celebrate each other in life and death, and live while we’re here.

The food in Mexico is the only thing that allows me to travel back in time. In Mexico, we cook with many different flavors, shapes, and textures. The fusion of flavors is interconnected to who we are, which is how I like to see myself. Maybe life should be a tostada? I constantly feel connected, especially here in Los Angeles. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many Latinx people from so many different backgrounds, but in the end, we share the values and lessons of our home, and that’s how we connect. It’s always nice to find a Mexican in LA.

My mother and grandparents have been my biggest inspirations throughout my life. For most of my life, it was just us. Even though she was a single mother, this never stopped her from working on what she was passionate about. My mom started her production company when I was three years old; I watched her build it from the ground up and transform it into a boss. Despite many ups and downs, she would always get back on the horse and try again.

On the other hand, my grandmother has always been one of my biggest inspirations for fashion. The way she dressed was always so eclectic, never afraid to pull a look. I treasure every garment of hers I have. The women in my family have consistently shown me how to be strong and fearless, and thanks to them, I was never afraid to be myself in the loudest way possible.

Latinx Hispanic Heritage Month means celebrating our roots, the parts of our culture that made us who we are. Whenever I meet someone new, I always like to ask and take into consideration where they’re from because the place you were raised has such a huge impact on who you are as a person and how you interact with the world (and I’m always looking out for people from Mexico). Your culture and heritage form a huge part of who you are, even transcending into how you act, look, present, and perceive yourself.