On the tail end of Latin History Month, we prepare for the highly anticipated Dia de Los Muertos celebrations. And what a better way to celebrate, than to take an opportunity to share the true origins of the day of the dead with the masses. Creative agency INDUSTRY has teamed up with NIKE to connect with the Mexican community ahead of the launch of NIKE’s newest shoe line “FAMILIA”.
Inspired by the Mictlan, the new shoe line will introduce local stories to create real and personal connections within the Hispanic community. Released around this year’s day of the dead, both companies will release a magical film, photography as well as a specialized seeding shoe box for 100 celebrities prior to the official launch.
Written and co-directed by INDUSTRY co-Founder Oved Valadez and Josué Rivas, the film’s projection around Mexico City will involve a collaboration with some of the most influential names in the Mexican creative communities including Mexico-City based illustrator Raul Urias, influential fashion designer Barbara Sanchez-Kane, viral musician Santa Fé Klan and many more.
We connected with INDUSTRY co-Founder Oved Valadez to learn more about the challenges he faces as a Latinx creative and how he feels other Latinx creatives can uplift the hispanic community. During our discussion, he told us that one of his biggest barriers to entry is getting people to see past the word Latinx.
His goal is to never get cornered or to be limited based on his cultural background or the color of his skin. But he understands that this is truly a double-edged sword because the best way to tell his story is by embracing who is at the core. This is a conflict that so many cultures have to deal with. INDUSTRY is a minority and woman-led creative consultancy.
They choose to uplift the Latinx community by having Hispanic artists, athletes and brands leverage INDUSTRY’s platform by telling powerful stories that are bound to inspire the world. From NIKE’s ‘You Can’t Stop Us’ campaign to the Converse Anthem where they identified up and coming directors and talent, INDUSTRY has additionally found several expressionist projects and has helped to fund artist programs aimed at empowering Latinx creative communities.
Oved hopes to see more Latinx creatives entering the industry so that more of their stories can be told. We asked Oved which Latinx creatives he feels inspired by and he mentioned Born x Raised, Joshua Vides, Guillermo Andrade 424, Angelo Baque, Jessica Gonsalvez and many more.
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