Dorian, Mexico City

Born in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Dorian Ulises Lopez's obsession with the visual world started from a very young age: “I was watching movies that a kid should not be watching, and fell in love with cinematography, I wanted to be a filmmaker, but where I grow up there wasn’t an option to study cinematography, so I studied graphic design, in my head that will get me closer to cinema for some reason”. After moving to Mexico City he ended up working as the art editor for ELLE Magazine, which in turn led to a job Chilango Magazine, shooting a section called Street Wear. With his project Mexicano, the photographerhas joined a burgeoning movement centred on shifting Mexican beauty norms away from Eurocentric ideals. Through his photography, Dorian seeks to celebrate Mexican identity in all its many facets, shedding the stereotypes associated with it. His project, along with his work as a photographer for inclusive modeling agency Guerxs, makes a statement at a time when many young people are looking inward to explore and embrace the complex identities born out of Latin America’s colonial history. Dorian has been publishing his work at Vogue, L’Officiel, among other relevant publications, and worked with brands such as Gucci.

What led you to setting up Mexicano?

I was growing in fashion photography but also as a portrait photographer. I started deconstructing those beauty standards I had grown up with, and my admiration for the Mexican mixed race heritage and brown skin increased. I realised how much racism and classism there is in my country, even inside me and how what I was documenting was important. I started showing it to my editor friends, they were the ones saying: you need to show this. So my first idea was to make a book, “Mexicano”.  For me that project was what us, as Mexicans, weren’t able to see, to give it value, through a Mexican photographer. But most editorial houses didn’t know who I was, most people didn’t understand the concept. It was too contemporary, and people weren't talking about that yet, so I decided to put it up on Instagram, to eventually have people supporting it and make that book.

What is it about the streets in Mexico that inspires you about the streets in Mexico? 

I live in Mexico City, this city recycles and refreshes itself constantly. I remember when I arrived here there was a really cool nightlife scene, around music and really fun parties. It was hard to be a designer in Mexico, because there is no industry, so young designers were playing to do things like in other places, like catwalks It was a beautiful scene. Around 5/6 years everything changes, and new things happen, now the street gatherings are kind of what I see Covid bringing to us. Getting out in the street to places like Tepito, it was to be with the music, with reggaeton, with the new fusion of Cumbia that comes from the streets. I think that's the new thing in Mexico, that started with people selling Micheladas (Mexican preparation of beer in the street) and now it’s a trend, it’s exploded!

Now after the Covid pandemic, in fashion, in music, in the streets, what are the changes that you can see? 

I think it is actually really interesting what is happening in Tepito; in Barrio Bravo, originally a dangerous neighbourhood, there is so much diversity there, so multicultural, so open to sexual preferences. It’s really unique and not at all Americanised. It is interesting that all these cultures and movements and getting together there, when Tepito is also the epicentre of a lot of the biggest problems in the city, like the narco and delinquency. It has to do with the democratization of music and what social media brought, like people making music in the hood but connecting with the big producer and with people from other hoods in other countries, like Argentina and Brazil. All of these are a melting pot of culture, talent, hood, trends, music, queer expressions. I see it materializing here in Mexico City in the Micheladas in Tepito and La Lagunilla. I think the queer movement is the most exciting and creative thing in Mexico right now.

There is a really particular idiosyncrasy in Tepito, right?

Tepito has always been almost like a different country, people from Tepito are really unique, even in the way they talk. I feel like a smoothie of all the things, the mix, the history, the different cultures of Mexico, all that gets together and makes a new type of population. 

What are your frustrations in the industry?

I think everyone is starting to look at Mexico, a lot of people want to come to work with us but with a really abusive mentality, colonialist in a way, not trying to pay what they will in another place because they think Mexico should be cheaper. I found it frustrating that people in their instagram and their life they claim the queer flag, Black Lives Matter, Trans rights matter - and I’m the super activist - then they come here and they try to abuse you. Like, why would you not want to pay me the same as a photographer in New York, for the same work. A lot of people are coming to Mexico with that mentality, to pay less for the same work, that’s frustrating.

What can be done about it?

People ask me what I think is the solution, and I always say, this is gonna happen, people are gonna start coming here, buying cheap land, putting their restaurants there for you to serve them; this is not an empowerment. They should know what their privileges are as Europeans and Americans. If you are gonna come at least empower the local people, teach them how to make their own business, support them, not only make them your service. We all win. That also happens with Latinos, who come with the flag of I’m Latino but apply the same racism. They are acting the same as they said they hate, and they don’t even realise it. 

What’s interesting at the moment with designers and artists in Mexico? 

I think Barbara Sanchez-Kane [a Mexican menswear designer, known for her experimental and political statements] is maturing a lot as an artist in the fashion world, she is not afraid to play with concepts. I can see a strong movement in illustration and photography, like Diego Moreno, an artist from Chiapas, with a twisted vision of life. People like “La bruja de Texcoco”, in music, “Rosa Pistola”, “Santa Fe Klan”; those are the people that come to my mind. In art as in social issues, they talk about being mestizo, and Mexican, from their perspective. The music industry is big Anglo-Saxon dominated, almost everything is in English, so I think it is amazing how they started getting liberated from those ties and started making experimental music in Spanish. 

In terms of inclusivity, what do you see the brands doing? 

We know brands jump on anything if it sells. Even when I started, I was doing fashion with these Eurocentric ideas, and on the other hand doing my street photography, portraying mixed race and brown skin. So I said: No, I’m not being congruent, I want to bring in these people, this beauty, that for me is as strong, to fashion. Obviously for me it was really valuable that they jumped into this issue, but I can see the opportunism that comes from a capitalist interest. In the end brands can see that the times are changing and people's mentality is changing also. So ultimately, if it benefits us, I’m happy for it. But obviously it should be a reflection. Companies need to be responsible instruments to amplify these messages.

What do you think about the industry you work in, do you think it is inclusive?

In Mexico it’s starting to have a domino effect, we are starting to see a change, and you can see more inclusion. But that doesn’t translate to small places in the country, it hasn’t arrived in Aguascalientes yet, even if we are in a digital world. Mexico City is more progressive, but there is so much work to do still to make the message travel everywhere.

Who do you think is breaking the rules and being disruptive in a positive way when it comes to inclusivity in Mexico?

Well, I do think it was me who was the first one in fashion and art to open the conversation. When my project “Mexicano” came out, nobody was talking about this. And it’s cool to see that a lot of people thought the same way I did, and see the conversation become bigger. These are interesting times, a lot of young people that are doing fashion are starting to talk about their contexts, they are brushing off beauty stereotypes and are doing a more real thing.

Are there any larger brands that are doing a good job when it comes to inclusivity?

I can see some brands trying, like Nike, that has a really strong presence in the media, and you can see it a lot on their publicity in the streets of Mexico City. Netflix is a good example also, they are believing in a lot of Mexican proposals. Ben & Frank have a big database of their clients, they propose and use them to model their campaigns. I think that’s a great initiative. There has to be responsibility and also internal work, not only from the door out but also from the door in.

I think part of your work has been to break the rules, to change the industry a bit, and to look at people that are not normally looked at through your casting work. It makes it more diverse and inclusive, how did that come about?

That happened in a really organic way, because I come from the fashion world and I was doing a documentary in the street and talking about street beauty and at some point people asked me to do casting. So simultaneously, with a friend from the fashion world who was already representing some models, we created an agency; he does the management and I do the street casting, and together we are the In The Park casting agency and production company. And yes our profiles are way more inclusive and real, Mexican people.

Brands are talking about sustainability a lot now too, how do you think that is coming across?

I think they are talking about this, but I don’t know how real it is, or how actually possible it is for a big brand to be sustainable; I think it is really hard. At this point of industrialization that we live in, sustainability is rare. Even thinking about the little corner store, Green Corner, they sell themselves as sustainable but when I see the packaging, well, that contaminates the ink, the package, it’s more trash in the end. And the processes they use also contaminate. So the question is how sustainable can you be? How can a company like H&M be sustainable? You can have a sustainable line, but what about everything else?

There is a market there, and people want to consume sustainably, we don’t want to contribute to the end of the world but that market is also elitist and expensive, not everyone can afford it. So it’s leaving a lot of people out. Brands are not ready to stop benefiting, so you can make more sustainable products but if you want to keep low prices then the company has to lose in the end. Sustainability is a complicated issue.

Which brands do you think are more connected with street culture in Mexico?

Definitely Nike, I see Nike more than adidas. But then I see adidas in specific contexts. If someone is not wearing Nike, most likely they are wearing adidas. At the end of the day they have pretty similar products, and the price range it’s also about the same. I think on the streets it will be first Nike, then adidas, and thirdly you can start to see a lot of Under Armour, surprisingly. More in the sports environments, like shoes or the bag for the gym. That’s the three brands I see in the streets here.

Where do you see more presence of adidas here in Mexico?

I see it in skateboarding, that is where I see more adidas presence. Skateboarders wear comfortable pants and T-shirts, and that is where I see the adidas Logo. The pants or the shorts with the three stripes. So I see it the most in the street and on skateboarders. 

Why do you think Nike is out front?

I think Nike just got into everything, the athletes, famous collaborations. And Jordans, it’s crazy the amount of people you see using Jordans here in Mexico City, impressive. Actually there is a photographer here that has a project about that. Most of it is fake, obviously, but the importance of the logo is almost like a statement. I think that's what Nike does well at, they have statement models, like Air Max, Jordan, Dunks, Cortez.

How do you see the future?

We are going through a pandemic, so I feel like we are reflecting a lot. We all know that some things come out of times of crisis, this is a humanitarian crisis in all senses, economic and life crisis. So I think in the next couple of years we are gonna have reflections of this time of our life. This pandemic made us look back at our health, the way we consume, our world, love and family. So I think this is gonna influence art, fashion and everything else. Because that’s what crises do. There are so many social dynamics to change. Crazy times are coming, it’s easy for me to see a lot of insecurity coming to Mexico City, and I think everywhere. And I think the times we are living in always trespass into art and fashion. 

What about the future for brands and the fashion industry? 

Everything can get resumed to be more human, more responsible with each other. Put selfishness aside. As a company, as humans, with the earth, with how we treat workers. All the issues coming up have to be with a human aspect - the racism, the classism -  and with responsibility. We have to be responsible with our actions in all senses; economic, environmental and on how we treat others.

Thank you so much!

Thank you guys, it was an amazing talk, I even got emotional. Thanks!