“I’m originally from Atizapán de Zaragoza in the State of Mexico. In my family we spend Sundays together. It’s essential to wake up tempranito to go to the tianguis near my community. Searching at different puestos there, I found the jacket and my brother Miguel found the pants, so we put together the track suit.

My parents have dedicated their entire lives to building a home despite all the problems and rough times. They are very honrados and very humble. They may not have given me everything I wanted, but they are giving me everything they can. They taught me that life is hard, and that I need to be strong and very brave. My family is where I feel totally safe and purely loved.

I found the pearls at a little puesto in the streets of Mexico City. I wear them because they symbolize my mother. She borrowed pearl jewelry for her wedding. It’s not really common to see pearls at weddings because they’re believed to attract misfortune and are said to symbolize the tears of the bride. My mom was very young, and she didn’t have anything else to wear. For me tears are not necessarily misfortune. The most beautiful tears I remember are the ones I have seen falling from her cheeks. I think the most important thing my mother gave me was her emotional side; that fierce personality and the attitude to never give up. Wearing pearls is a way to have her always with me while I live this life.”

-Samuel Coronado / @ultr4papi