Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month All Year Round!
We might be a little late for National Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates cultures, achievements, and contributions made by Latin Americans, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate them! In this feature, we are excited to share ten incredible Hispanic brands to add to your list of brands to know about. Each one is in a different location, sharing different stories, but what do they all have in common? Sustainability! Check out more below!
Who Are They: Allpamamas is an ethical fashion project born out of the intercultural exploration of their team’s shared experiences. The handmade garments are unique and contain their own identity. They are conceptualized, designed and produced in Ecuador. Every collection uses natural fibers, upcycled materials and organic dyeing recipes passed down by the grandmothers. They work with women who carry the craftsmanship of their ancestors; a knowledge that remains from Ecuador's time as a renown source for quality handmade textiles.
Price Range: $$$$
Fun Fact: All the materials are personally sourced by Creative Director, María, from markets and shops in Ecuador – it is one of her favorite activities!
FARM Rio
Who Are They: Founders Katia Barros and Marcello Bastos took their chances on launching a clothing line that embodies the feminine spirit and vibrant colors of Rio. FARM Rio is made up of a group of creatives from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that believe in the existence of happiness. More than a brand, they create enlightened cultural movements since 1997.
Price Range: $$$
Fun Fact: They started planting trees a few years ago in Brazil, their home country, both in the Atlantic Forest and in the Amazon with partners the SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation and the Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazonas. Now they’ve partnered with One Tree Planted, an organization that aids in global reforestation, to scale these initiatives even more.
All For Ramon
Who Are They: Founded in Los Angeles by two Latina sisters on a mission to create modern effortless essentials to wear on repeat. Witnessing first-hand the amount of waste fashion creates, they felt compelled to make a change. They use eco-minded craftsmanship, ethical manufacturing, conservation of natural resources, and employee wellness.
Price Range: $$
Fun Fact: Orders are shipped using 100% recyclable mailers and vegetable ink printed hang tags. Skipping the polybag to eliminate plastic waste.
Selva Negra
Who Are They: Founded in 2016 in a tiny Brooklyn apartment in Crown Heights. Kristen Gonzalez is a Mexican and Filipino American designer based in Los Angeles, CA. Selva Negra is a Latina-founded contemporary fashion label committed to ethical production and sourcing sustainable materials while celebrating individuality through story-telling and expressive design. They are rooted in the use of ethical practices and is committed to sustainably sourced materials and production transparency.
Price Range: $$$
Fun Fact: They are active in non-profit donations for ideologies that align with their brand such as United We Dream, Planned Parenthood, ACLU, SPLC, Wildlife Conservation, RAICES, and National Immigration Justice.
Naja
Who Are They: Naja is a product of their passions and beliefs; a love for beautifully designed things, a bit of rebelliousness, and a deep desire to make the world a better place.
Price Range: $$
Fun Fact: Naja’s garment factory primarily employs single mothers or female heads of households where they are paid above market wages with healthcare benefits. They choose to aid single mothers because many have to choose between working and caring for their children. Thus, they implemented flexible work policies that make it easier for women to balance work and childcare. Every child of a Naja garment worker receives books, school supplies, uniforms, and all school meals paid for by Naja.
JLOVEKNITS
Who Are They: JLOVEKNITS deeply values social justice and environmental issues. They create eco-friendly alternatives to help replace everyday single use items. Each item is made with love, care, intention, purpose, and they make sure each project and product is consciously made, keeping our planet in mind.
Price Range: $
Fun Fact: Every season a non-profit that helps fight social issues, marine, wildlife, and/or the environment is chosen and 5% of sales are donated to them.
LoYo Body
Who Are They: LoYo Body is an Indie beauty brand that focuses on Clean Beauty while creating plastic waste awareness. Their goal is to create awareness among our beauty community in minimizing plastic waste. They continue their research to incorporate and improve LoYo Body to minimize pollution and plastic waste as much as possible. From mushroom packaging to starting the conversation about the carbon footprint, and going zero emissions by owning their own 100% electric truck, to deliver their beauty products to local customers.
Price Range: $$
Fun Fact: In addition to removing plastic from their brand, they are offering an online and onsite program to allow customers to recycle LoYo empty jars in exchange for a reward.
Santos by Mónica
Who Are They: Santos by Mónica was founded by Mónica Santos Gil, a Puerto Rican designer who fuses different disciplines and philosophies such as fashion, design and sustainability. Their vision is to produce at a slower pace and process and to challenge the current state of the fashion industry and its traditions, while at the same time returning to nature all those resources that were used to make the products.
Price Range: $$$
Fun Fact: Mónica currently works from her two studios between Puerto Rico and New York City, where she hand crafts made-to-order pieces made from vegan leather crafted from cactus fibers, lined with a blend of PET recycled fabric and 100% organic cotton, and occasionally deadstock vintage hardware. Santos by Monica’s cactus vegan leather has the same properties of traditional leather, but it is much eco-friendlier and grows solely on rainwater, meaning that no irrigation is applied. It is grown in a farm in Mexico where only the mature leaves of the plant are cut, without damaging the cactus or cutting the tree itself.
JZD
Who Are They: JZD is a Queer Latina owned lifestyle brand that was founded in 2016 by Jen and Vero. It builds community and celebrates culture every day. They aim to empower you and remind you that your ancestors are always cheering you on! Their focus is on creating products that make people feel represented and connected to their roots. They’ve grown and changed but at the core this brand is still on a mission to tell not only their story, but yours too.
Price Range: $$
Fun Fact: In 2018 Vero quit her job to save her own mental health. She worked on the front lines of helping immigrant children find relief to stay in the US and it was as taxing. JZD wasn’t financially ready for another full-time employee but the badass wife duo made it work. Jen moved to the US from Mexico at 7 years old and Vero is a first generation Mexican American. Both women know what it means to sacrifice for a better future and hold steady in uncertain times because they knew they could make it through.
This concludes our list of Hispanic brands to keep your eye on, for now. We hope you love these colorful, unique, and sustainable brands as much as we do!
