HoodBabyLA - Saray Martinez

 

The artist we'll be highlighting today is one that first came to mind when I had the idea to start this blog. Saray Martinez aka @HoodBabyla and I have been mutuals on Instagram for years now and it's been so cool to see her explode in popularity. Saray is a clothing designer, most known for making handmade reworked pieces. Her customized jerseys have been worn by some of the coolest people like Tinahse, Young Miko, and Tyla. Each piece being completely unique makes her work so special and also creates a huge variety that appeals to so many people.

She had such sweet things to say about her family and how her upbringing has affected her work. "My family comes from Copan, Honduras. It definitely affects my art because I come from a first gen family. But what affects my art the most is growing up in a Swapmeet. I think it makes it super colorful."

Saray has been making clothes for years now. This is what she had to say about how it all started. "I knew I loved fashion since I was a kid and upcycled so much of my clothing in high school. One day I decided to take a chance and pursue my brand. It’s been nothing short of life changing hard work. I would describe my art style as hood and baby."

She has started hosting workshops in LA where attendees would learn how to make their own customized Hood Baby jersey. When I reached out to her about this interview, she was preparing for an extra special workshop, a Hood Baby workshop in Tokyo, Japan! Both her and another favorite brand of mine, Moños De Mi Niñez hosted this workshop at the clothing store Pin Nap in Shibuya. Even the flyer for the event was so insanely cute. Pin Nap is a vintage clothing store that also carries curated brand including Hood Baby. Literally the most Kawaii y Latina collab that could happen!

Saray took the opportunity to source clothing while in Japan for her brand. There are still pieces available on her site under "Japan Drop." You can keep up with her work on Instagram @Hoodbabyla and shop at https://hoodbaby.la/    

3rd Annual Rilakkuma Picnic

Saturday May 17th, the 3rd Annual Rilakkuma Picnic took place. The picnic is a collaboration between Nathalie Vazquez of Rilakkuma Memes (and this blog :3) and Maria Fernanda Lozano of Blue Hour Goods. This is the second year that Maria and I have collabed for this event by having her mobile tea truck at the meet up serving up yummy drinks and snacks including the famous Rilakkuma Paletas made by yours truly. Thanks to TikTok we were able to reach more Rilakkuma lovers and had an amazing turnout.

So many cuties came out with amazing coordinated outfits and the most adorable picnic spreads. @AppleTrinkets and @ShopSherlin were there vending Kuma themed goodies. @Finalkuma brought a bunch of handmade bracelets to share and @Verrykuma brought a giant connect four game that she set up. We also had Kuma shaped banana bread and brand new sticker sheets for sale. Below are the pictures of the event and all of the kuma fans that came through!<3 (some pictures also included were taken by @yellemarie_)

I took more pictures that I can fit on one blog post so I made a folder where you can check out all the pictures :3 ~ Check out more pictures here~

Be sure to follow along with this blog and my account on Instagram & TikTok @nonipnat for updates on my projects and future pop-ups! :) 

Piñata Panadería - Julie Beltrán

I think my tik tok algorithm has been working overtime to show me the exact content I've been searching for. Not too long ago while scrolling I came across the account Piñata Panadería, a Los Angeles-based piñata confectionery. Julie Beltrán is the genius behind the this account and Etsy shop that goes by the same name. She is a first generation Mexican-American, with both of her parents being from Jalisco. When speaking about how this impacts her art she said, " My identity definitely impacts my art. I love making art that takes up space, large ceramics pieces and 3-tiered cake piñatas. Just getting into piñata making was very inspired by my Latinidad. Taking something that typically is made to be destroyed and making it something that is meant to be displayed and treasured."

The first piece of her's that initially caught my attention was the strawberry sandwich piñata which looks exactly like a strawberry sando or Japanese fruit sandwich. It perfectly encapsulates ~kawaii y latina.~ I was also absolutely losing my mind when she sent over a picture of her workstation and it was just so insanely cool. The framed movie memorabilia next to collages adorned with small keepsakes, the candelabra with the perfectly mismatched candles, and the perfectly stacked rolls of streamers come together in her workspace that just oozes with personality!

 All of Julie's pieces are incredibly cute and have so much attention to detail. This is what she had to say about how she got into this specific medium, "I paint and I love ceramics and working with clay so up until I picked up making piñatas I usually expressed myself creatively through those mediums. However, ceramics is a very expensive medium and paintings can take me months to finish so I wanted to find something that would be cheaper to construct and was less time consuming to complete. I followed a TikTok artist (The Piñata Mom) who made piñatas and that planted the seed of interest. I would describe my art style as maximalist, kitschy and vibrant."

When I first came across Piñata Panadería, I was thinking of how I want to snag one of Julie's piñatas just to keep on display as decor. So it was no surprise to see that Julie's eye-catching work was included in a Valentine's Day store display for the clothing retailer LoveShackFancy. Julie's upcoming projects include a piñata inspired by pineapple upside down cake and a strawberry tart piñata. You can find her on both Instagram and TikTok @PinataPanaderia and check out her Etsy shop is Piñata Panadería.

Starslikelullabies - Cristal

I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with an incredible Puerto Rican artist whose work blends fantasy, realism, and a whole lot of cuteness. She’s 100% Boricua—born and raised—and that cultural richness shines through her art. Her childhood was spent with a grandmother who loved gardening and animals, and that connection to nature and warmth definitely lives on in her paintings. Growing up in upstate New York. Her early years were spent alone either outside or inside drawing.

Her style today is a dreamy mix of fantasy and realism, and she’s currently exploring pop surrealism as well. "My favorite piece so far is my oil painting “In My Room”! I was inspired by Julia Wolf’s song with the same title. Originally I wanted to make a piece that made me feel like I was challenging myself, to create a piece outside of what I usually make… like hey, why don’t I paint myself as a Blythe doll, give myself tattoos and piercings (which i don’t have yet), and paint things i would want in my room! It’s funny because I was like “okay you have to be a serious artist” but… no lol, I wanted to have fun with it. That painting will forever inspire me to make more pieces outside of my comfort zone."

She’s been creating for most of her life but has been taking art seriously for the past five years. During that time, she’s experimented with many mediums which include painting, drawing and handmade charms and keychains.

One of the most charming things about her recent work is the appearance of original bunny characters. These sweet, soulful little creatures were inspired by Yoshitomo Nara and Aya Takano. Each bunny feels like a tiny piece of her—a reflection of her moods, dreams, and need for escapism. They sleep, listen to music, and vibe in their own little worlds, just like she once did (and still does).

One of her upcoming projects center around her Blythe doll painting series and a zine called Born to Be Blythe. The zine will showcase her unique take on Blythe dolls, each with their own personality revealed through the items they'd carry. "My main inspiration comes from the “what’s in my bag” trend that I've been seeing on social media. I’m still brainstorming it but I think it will be a fun process getting all these ideas together!" You can keep up with Cristal's art on social media and you can shop we work on her website at www.starslikelullabies.com/

Kuma.Kute - Joanna

A couple years ago I came across a video on tik tok that completely stopped me in my tracks. It was a video of a Mexican themed Rilakkuma collection. The user behind the collection was none other than Joanna aka @Kuma.Kute. She has gone viral several times on tik tok for her curated kuma collection and is well known amongst the online kuma collecting community. When asking Joanna how her collection got started this is what she had to say "I’ve always loved Rilakkuma since I was little but I started collecting during Covid. I found the Rilakkuma Mexican pair on Pinterest and it was the first collection I HAD to complete. I made a post on the Facebook Rila group and it garnered a lot of attention. Someone told me they had just sold the pair to Marybear, so I emailed her and bought them immediately!"

The Korilakkuma Mexican plush in specific also had a striking resemblance to the dress Joanna would wear when taking traditional Mexican dancing classes. "I was forced to dance at 12 but I ended up loving it! It’s why I loved my Mexican Kori so much because it reminded me of when I used to dance (and plan to dance again soon). It’s actually how I met my husband! It’s my passion and it helped me learn a lot about Mexican culture especially being born and raised in the U.S."

I was especially interested to get on her opinion on why there seems to be such a huge overlap with the Latina community and the Rilakkuma fandom. "I noticed once I posted my Mexican collection on TikTok. I’m friends with so many Latino collectors and I seriously think it’s because Mexico has a long history with kawaii and anime culture. My aunt used to make me watch CandyCandy with her and my mom would talk about Hello Kitties popularity in Mexico when she was young."

At Joanna's website crochetkuma.com you can find her shop where she sells rare Rilakkuma merch imported from Japan along with her handmade crochet goods! Her crochet work includes different plushies, bouquets, and accessories in the sweetest pastel colors. She's even crocheted a version of the ultra rare Korilakkuma and Chairoikoguma Cherry Plush (iykyk). 

Beaugrimebaby - Johana & Jose

Meet Johana and Jose, the sibling duo behind Beaugrimebaby. I first came across their work on my Instagram explore page and immediately hit the follow button. A few weeks ago, when visiting the Little Tokyo Flea Market for the first time, I came across the Beaugrimebaby booth and was ecstatic to see their work irl! I waited patiently at their booth, as it was attracting a huge crowd. I bought some prints, introduced myself to Johana, and asked her if she'd be down to be featured in the very first Kawaii y Latina post. It felt like fate to unexpectedly run into one of the artists I had a list of people I wanted to interview I created before setting up this blog. Below is said interview with Johana and Jose along with some images of their amazing work. <3

 I see that you have Latino roots? From where? And has that affected your art in any way?

My family is from Orizaba, Veracruz. our culture and background has absolutely affected

our art. We like to be very vocal about the social issues of our community and we are not

afraid to convey that with our art. We also like to take inspiration from our childhood and

experiences growing up. From the food our mom prepares for us, to the music we listen

and sing along to, in English and Spanish, we like to showcase our roots and history in

our work.

How did you get into making art and how would you describe your art style?

My brother (Jose) and I (Johana) created Beaugrimebaby as a way to share our art and

ideas. I have always loved fashion but we weren’t always able to afford the things we

liked. We created Beaugrimebaby as a way for people to find creative and fun clothes and

accessories that is both affordable and good quality.

Jose has been a very talented and creative individual since he was a child. He and I work

together to create fun and thoughtful designs. Our style is definitely inspired by anime,

alternative art and fashion, music, goth and punk culture, and our Hispanics/latin culture.

The art style has a more colorful and playful feel to it but is still very intentional and

important to us.

What inspires you? Is there anything specific that influences your work?

Our art is definitely inspired by the things we consume and enjoy. You’ll find some of our

favorite shows, characters, music, and references in our designs. Some of my favorite

fashion designers are Vivienne Westwood and Betsey Johnson.

I first came across your work when I saw your Bag Girl collection online, how did that

series of drawings get started?

We are huge fans of trinkets and collecting keychains and small wearable art. We like

showing our interest through our fashion and what we wear. But we know not everyone

can afford to have dozens of trinkets and keychains or that vintage/expensive bag. So

why not make it so anyone and everyone can have their own trinket bag!?

Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited about?

We are constantly working on new products and possible collaborations. Right now, I am

working on a new collection of handmade bags and new clothing designs. We are also working

on expanding our clothing size ranges to include bigger sizes for all our clothing and

accessories.

Welcome to the Kawaii y Latina Community!

Welcome to Kawaii y Latina! 🎀✨🌸

Hola, and welcome to Kawaii y Latina! Kawaii y Latina is an archive of media, art, and inspirations that celebrate the fusion of these two cultures. I look forward to this being a digital place explore, create, and connect with a growing community. This is a project that is so personal to me and I am so excited to pour my energy into this and share it with you.

If you feel connected in any way to take part in this project, whether that be submitting your creations, your style or wanting to write for the blog, please reach out! 

Stay tuned for more! 💖