Yasmine Soria

From the zoot-suiters in the 1930's and 40's to the flannel donned cholo/a's of the 60's, 70's and 80's, Mexican-American (Chicano) fashion has greatly influenced and been appropriated by today's fashion.

The oversized flannel and Dickies style the Chicano's of LA, dubbed the Cholo/Chola look, wore had and has been met with discrimination, marginalization and appropriation. My mother, growing up in the 80's and 90's, faced these hardships when she dressed like this, by her own parents and then some. Despite the ridicule, my mother found a way to wear her oversized dickies, flannels and brown lipstick, finding pride in her style.

Today, however, these styles are being worn by a new generation without care, understanding or respect to the ones who started it all. The Dickies with suspenders, flannels, oversized shirts and dark lip lined lips are sported even by celebrities, even though a few decades earlier, Chicano/a's, like my mother, were condemned for wearing such outfits.

As a Chicana, I sought to explore and exploit this transition from Chola to the popular retro "Street style" that exists in both the 90's and 2020's, paying homage to my mother, the Cholo/a style, and Chicano culture by donning my parent's original clothes they used to wear while illustrating the similarities in the clothing my generation and I wear today, letting the colors of the Mexican flag continue to stay present in the background as it has throughout history.