00:00
It's time for deep scroll.
00:06
yeah, it was my mentality was like,
00:07
yo, I don't wear suits,
00:09
but if I wear a suit,
00:10
I got to be the flyest person in here with a suit
00:24
the Yankees has been breaking my heart ever since I moved out
00:26
here, bro. I'm a Yankee fan,
00:31
what is it, 2 World Series parades,
00:34
and I lost a bet and I had to wear the fitted
00:36
at the parade, at the Dodger parade locally,
00:42
I went to 2 of those games.
00:45
I went to the 1 game they won in the Bronx,
00:48
and then I went to Game 2 here.
00:51
Which we lost the 10 yeah,
00:53
that was all together,
00:54
the one where this guy threw it down Broadway and,
00:57
and he hit the game winning home run that,
00:59
that, that my Hulu account went out and we were like
01:02
but he was talking shit the whole time.
01:03
Oh yeah, you're talking,
01:04
bro. I was on suicide watch afterwards,
01:08
yo, they went on the walk with me after they lost
01:12
we didn't want to rub it in.
01:13
We didn't want to rub it in.
01:15
I was like, I can't,
01:16
I can't be here right now if y'all want to go on
01:18
We didn't want to rub it in.
01:20
We went and got ice cream,
01:21
bro, and it was just,
01:23
because everybody kept calling me like,
01:25
Yo, I can't believe that happened.
01:27
I was wearing the Yankee fitter in the Dodgers Stadium.
01:31
I was like, that was interesting,
01:32
right? Yeah, I was like,
01:34
not wearing an LA fitted,
01:37
I've been in LA for 12 years,
01:40
so I go for the Dodgers every year except for this year
01:44
Well, this past year,
01:45
the year before, and I was like,
01:49
I'm not necessarily a Dodgers fan,
01:51
but you know, the spirit of LA Lakers and even the
01:56
LA Kings one and the Dodgers,
01:58
I'm celebrating for the city with the city,
02:00
but, but if you're going against the Yankees,
02:08
yeah come on. And I'm not even,
02:10
I'm not even one of those like we got 27 championships.
02:13
I'm not even one of those guys.
02:15
I'm not celebrating something that that we won in World War Two
02:18
bro. I've been alive for 5 World Series.
02:20
That's, those are the ones I'm counting.
02:22
I've been to 5 parades,
02:25
but yeah, it's been bad news since I've been out here
02:30
just let us know guys whenever you're ready.
02:32
Yeah. Oh, that wasn't it.
02:36
I'm just warming up.
02:38
I'm like I saw the camera,
02:42
welcome guys to Mi Gente Latino here with Daniel Bueso.
02:45
What's up brother? How's good.
02:49
I'm doing very well.
02:50
brother. We're excited to have you.
02:52
Thank y'all for having me.
02:53
Congrats on your success and how you been,
02:56
brother? I've been really good.
02:59
2026 is our 10 year anniversary.
03:04
So it's like 10 years of doing something that 10 years ago
03:09
you just believed as an idea.
03:12
So it's been a It's been a full circle year and it's
03:18
I, I feel really blessed and I feel with all these
03:23
Blessings and things that are happening comes a test to the testimony
03:26
part. So just going through it and and and knowing that
03:30
it's all working out and what we're doing is important to us
03:34
and important to our community.
03:36
Most definitely. And we're so excited to have you here.
03:39
We've been following kids of immigrants since actually you started.
03:44
I remember seeing the band's collection you had and it sold out
03:47
like this. I was so I was so upset that I
03:51
I, I still kept it on and I got your support
03:54
your friends collection with the Hey Arnold.
03:58
that's a throwback. That's 2020.
04:01
That's I get compliments to this day on that,
04:03
on that merch. I got the sweater from last year,
04:05
you know, the one from,
04:08
bro, that sweater gets love everywhere,
04:10
the tan one. I got my little pine green fours.
04:14
You know there's a little green in it,
04:19
You guys had so many like great,
04:22
great collaborations and honestly,
04:24
like it makes us so happy and proud to see how far
04:27
your business has come within that decade.
04:31
we wanted to ask what inspired you to start it
04:34
Like was it your own parents?
04:36
Like,, and how does it feel to be a
04:39
kid of immigrants? Yeah,
04:41
it's that 10 year overnight success.
04:45
we still got a long way to go.
04:48
it, the conversation started in 2013,
04:52
with my co-founder Wella Dennis.
04:54
He brought the name up and his parents are from Liberia,
04:59
my parents from Honduras,
05:03
he went to school for fashion design.
05:06
I went to school for social work.
05:08
But I worked retail my entire life,
05:10
so Nordstrom's, Banana Republic,
05:12
opening ceremony here in LA,
05:16
so that was always part of being of who I
05:23
it's just like that's how you grow up.
05:26
and that's a big part of what we feel like is important
05:32
I think we, we barely spoke about fashion or style or
05:36
streetwear or anything of that sort.
05:38
We really just spoke about our families,
05:40
and he's from his family's they're in Sacramento.
05:44
My family's in New York,
05:48
very different, but then a lot of,
05:51
we found so many similarities in our upbringing of being kids of
05:55
immigrants, being first generation.
05:57
Like I always I feel like his father and my father are
06:00
twins in the way that he would describe his pops and like
06:04
this stoic, hardworking,
06:06
you know, person that just came here,
06:09
migrated here to give,
06:12
you know, himself a better future and his,
06:14
you know, his kids a better future.
06:16
So we had so many similarities and,
06:19
and I feel like Kids of Immigrants was like.
06:21
In 2013, coming up with that was like,
06:26
And then in 2016 it was still like,
06:29
wait, like kids of immigrants,
06:33
like it's it's it's you know celebrating the word immigrant
06:36
10 years ago. I think today,
06:39
those times that's changed,
06:40
there's still a lot more work to do.
06:42
But I think 10 years ago,
06:44
I think for us it was like a moment to own in
06:47
on who we are and be proud of it and rep it
06:50
and like And really like changed the perspective of that word that
06:55
I felt like growing up,
06:56
I don't know, I felt,
06:57
I felt a bit ashamed of being,
07:00
you know, my parents don't speak English or The food I
07:04
ate or the ass whoopings I got,
07:07
it's just like, you know,
07:09
it's like where, and then you go to I go to
07:11
Honduras and I, you know,
07:13
I'm American, but then in New York I don't,
07:16
I grew up in New York.
07:17
I feel like Puerto Ricans and Dominicans like hold it down out
07:21
so it was like that was my thought of Latinos or and
07:25
that's, but like as a Honduran I,
07:27
I felt like I had like a It was my moment to
07:30
own in on my brand identity of who I was and what
07:34
I felt like so many of us could relate to as well
07:39
the way you bring community into everything feels like really intentional.
07:43
why is creating those spaces like so important to you
07:46
Like, like you said,
07:47
you're from New York,
07:48
you're Honduran. Like I love meeting people from Honduran because it's
07:54
Honduran. I, I said Honduran my whole life so somebody
07:58
said I'm like I'm Honduran.
08:01
Honduran it is. It's funny because a lot of people like
08:04
Salvadoran, right? But the Colombian and Dominican,
08:09
I mean, and the Mexican.
08:10
It's not Mexican. I had that I because Salvadorian and you
08:17
but I, I mean for me it was.
08:20
You know, it's just using my younger version as like my
08:25
rule of thumb, like what would I have wanted to be
08:28
inspired by the spaces and just do a space of belonging and
08:32
like I feel like within culture and And there are all these
08:39
spaces that we always influenced,
08:41
that we always that people like like directly were inspired by,
08:46
but never really like was directed for us,
08:50
you know, and I think With,
08:53
you know, I went to school for social work,
08:56
so it was like doing what I'm doing now,
08:59
it's not necessarily social work,
09:00
but I do believe that we want to have an impact,
09:03
a social impact to what we do.
09:06
And, and I feel like one thing that I've who
09:11
I've always been is like A person of the people.
09:17
my mom will always make fun of me like.
09:19
You're like always rolling deep.
09:21
Like if I say I'm coming over there,
09:23
like, how many people you're coming with?
09:25
so I think like that was just naturally who I
09:27
am and being able to do that with the brand,
09:29
being able to do that in LA,
09:32
LA is the backbone of the brand and it's been
09:35
it's it's the city that held us down and said and like
09:38
opened up the space to allow us to be creative in that
09:41
way. And then also just to do it on a global
09:43
level, I think that's like the beautiful part about it is
09:46
like, kids of immigrants all over the world,
09:50
you know, we've done stuff in like Paris and London,
09:53
and you say immigrants there,
09:55
everyone's like, Spider-Man,
09:57
I mean, like all of us,
09:59
we're all kind of immigrants.
10:00
So being able to represent that on a global level and you
10:04
know, when you wear a KOI and even though I don't
10:07
know you, even if I don't know the brand,
10:09
I just see your shirt and say,
10:10
Kids are immigrant, I'm like,
10:11
that's that's me too.
10:13
And I think that that that moment is important to us and
10:17
Yeah, and just to say like,
10:18
Yo, I see you and you see me.
10:21
For sure. And then I love what I love about your
10:23
brand and Kids of Immigrants is like you're very intentional with everything
10:27
You give back you know to the community.
10:32
love that. And and also with your partnerships,
10:35
like when you're thinking about collaborations,
10:39
what's the first thing you look for in a partner
10:42
You know like Buchanan's,
10:44
like what's up? What is it about Buchanans that you're like
10:52
you know, it's been 10 years,
10:53
so we've done a lot of different partnerships and some that were
11:00
like kind of taught us how we want to approach
11:02
partnerships, and it's really just like,
11:05
you know, through some sort of shared values,
11:10
do you understand what we're trying to do,
11:11
truly what we're trying to do,
11:13
because like I think the product and You know,
11:17
everything that we make is just a symptom of what our intention
11:21
is. And I think for us,
11:25
the giving back component and the paying it forward,
11:27
it's just like it's just more of who we are,
11:31
the characteristics of us as a community.
11:34
Like I don't when I see when I think of kids of
11:38
immigrants just as a generation and how our morals,
11:46
How do I say this in a good way?
11:48
I don't, I think we try to stay away from the
11:51
performance part of it,
11:54
because I think simply like we just we're just,
11:57
we just want to be good people.
12:00
That's it. It's not like I'm trying to like,
12:02
yo, we are donating to this and I get that.
12:06
It doesn't come across like that.
12:08
That's why I said what I said because I'm like,
12:11
it's hard. I think it gets it's getting.
12:16
so I feel like 10 years when we started.
12:19
People were like, you should be a nonprofit,
12:25
social impact has become such a strong marketing strategy that
12:30
now it's like kind of everywhere and I think for us we
12:33
just want to stay true to who we are,
12:36
being true to our community,
12:37
pay it forward, it's like it's just simple rules like if
12:39
you can help somebody,
12:40
you help them. So we do that as a brand and
12:43
I think those are the values that I look for in a
12:45
partnership and that's like where I think Buchanan's has been.
12:49
You know, we're going on to like I think 5 years
12:52
pretty much this this year of like partnership because they have we
12:57
found those shared values together and this is what's important to us
13:01
I think you know with Buchanan,
13:03
I have, I need to recount this,
13:05
but it's been. You know,
13:08
a six digit number that we've donated together in the past few
13:12
years to several organizations in LA.
13:15
So it's like, you know,
13:17
every time we're like,
13:20
these are the organizations we believe in.
13:22
These are the reasons why this is the work that they're doing
13:25
and this is why it's important for us to support them
13:29
say less, let's do it.
13:30
So I think that's really important for me on just how we
13:34
can look at just our real values and if you can understand
13:39
you know, sometimes the community work doesn't really connect to our
13:44
ROI, you know what I mean?
13:45
If you could look at it like this is just,
13:49
if you can understand that it's just,
13:50
it's just well because that's the rules of life,
13:53
then, then you understand what kind of brand we are,
13:55
what kind of people we are.
13:57
And, and what makes this.
13:59
This collaboration is so special this time.
14:01
This time Buchanans. You know,
14:03
we've done a lot of collaborations,
14:06
with Buchanans and with many other companies,
14:09
but this is probably It's hard.
14:15
this is probably like the golden ticket of it all,
14:25
this last year we're talking and we're like,
14:28
you know. We've done so much great work,
14:31
like how do we up it?
14:34
Oh, we'll come back,
14:35
we'll figure out some things.
14:37
I think I said I want to do a book or something
14:41
I had all these great ideas and when this opportunity was presented
14:49
it's You know, anything to do with the FIFA World Cup
14:54
One, Buchanan's like being the,
14:57
you know, the official spirits for it,
15:01
and the fact that they brought us in to like help design
15:04
this like this, this,
15:07
collection for them.
15:08
I mean it's, it's the World Cup.
15:10
It's the biggest moment in sports,
15:12
maybe in culture history,
15:13
like it's and it's in our backyard and yeah,
15:21
no, absolutely, and I felt like that.
15:25
It, it's just one of those moments that,
15:27
you know, I look at,
15:28
I look back, you know,
15:30
even looking back 10 years ago or looking back.
15:33
2 years ago or a year ago when you know you go
15:36
through all these challenges of life and You know,
15:39
I'm, I'm, I'm an artist as well in my mind
15:44
I have a lot of doubts,
15:46
and then you have these moments that you're like,
15:48
Man, this idea that we have,
15:51
we're going to be able to represent it at this scale.
15:54
And for me, the World Cup is I don't,
15:58
if there's anything aspirational that I would love the brand to be
16:02
it's this platform where people from all the countries.
16:05
It's like it's what KOI does,
16:06
right? We bring all countries together into this place and,
16:11
you know, to fight each other on the field and then
16:15
for the love of the game,
16:18
I think being able to,
16:20
to work on this like.
16:22
Limited edition World Cup 2026 Spirits collection is what Buchanan,
16:27
it's like a dream come true to me and And,
16:30
and also like. It's something that I feel that.
16:35
We we're here together.
16:37
Like it's not when I when I think of KOI it's like
16:41
Kids of Immigrants, the generation is here in this moment with
16:45
the World Cup. Like,
16:46
we're in the building.
16:48
Definitely the perfect partnership,
16:50
honestly. And then the bottles look dope.
16:52
Like the little pina has the soccer,
16:55
like the soccer ball,
16:56
and then dude, it looks so cool.
16:58
I love the artwork is you guys.
17:01
it's a, it's like a story that we told,
17:05
we wanted to create,
17:06
you know, storytelling is really important for us,
17:08
so it's just like Each bottle,
17:11
represents a different environment.
17:14
it's sort of like for me it was like the
17:18
road to glory of soccer being played in every corner of the
17:22
world, it's the most accessible sport,
17:25
it's a sport that we love and the sports that our community
17:33
you know, it starts with the first one being la cancha
17:39
was inspired by this like soccer field that we found in Argentina
17:44
and in the middle of the mountains and it's just like yeah
17:49
soccer is just played everywhere.
17:51
I mean, there's like that.
17:54
there's like the campaign of like a soccer campaign that's
17:58
like a light pole and a garbage can.
18:01
And like a soccer player sees a goal posts,
18:04
normal person sees a light pole and it's just like that's all
18:07
you need. You just need a place to kick the ball
18:10
and I, and I feel like that's very inspiring for
18:15
I mean. This one's like this one's like lacaya,
18:22
right? Yeah, that's like.
18:24
Oh, the cobblestone everything because you know,
18:27
I didn't know the other one was a,
18:28
a stadium. This one is the trophy.
18:31
This one is like somebody running on the cobble.
18:34
So the the way it goes is it starts with la Cancha
18:39
here, right, which is,
18:40
you know, soccer being played and just like the,
18:45
the dirt field in the middle of the mountains,
18:48
then it goes to like,
18:49
you know, to the city,
18:51
which is inspired by cities in South America,
18:54
Central America. This one,
18:57
being El Estadio, but,
19:00
we added these wings referencing like prior World Cups,
19:05
and this stadium being inspired by stadiums in Mexico as
19:09
well., so it's just like,
19:12
from the field to the streets to the stadium.
19:16
And then this one was like,
19:17
this is like the third cousin.
19:19
This one's like la fiesta la la fiesta.
19:23
So this is like the after party.
19:24
This is the celebration.
19:28
Yeah, this is the turn up right here.
19:30
we designed it like Probably 10 months ago,
19:33
so now that it's coming to life,
19:41
they're like, they're all through North America and South America,
19:44
I believe. They're out already April 1st.
19:50
my girl was telling me like,
19:52
are you going to do something for April Fools?
19:53
I was like, I don't know,
19:57
it's, I know they're on pre-sale now on the website.
20:01
Because these are people collect these.
20:02
Like, I don't like the designs and all that.
20:04
You never know, bro.
20:05
It's a collective world.
20:06
I feel like these are,
20:08
yo, this is like this is our trophy.
20:10
I might need you to sign one later.
20:12
Yo, I got you right now.
20:14
I'm going to need you to sign one because you never know
20:17
Hey, for April Fools,
20:18
you guys should do another bottle,
20:20
but like design something like so like I don't know.
20:22
Like for us Mexicans,
20:24
a penal was a horrible moment for us.
20:26
So like it was just like maybe like a.
20:29
And then it's like that's the 5th bottle,
20:31
you know, and then just April Fools,
20:39
I felt like we just won the trophy for the World Cup
20:42
This is like our trophy,
20:43
this is like our championship run right here.
20:48
it's been, I don't know,
20:50
it might be 5 years already with Buchanans.
20:56
to get to this point,
20:58
not only That, but the impact that we had in the
21:02
past 5 years. You know,
21:04
to lead up to this moment has been a dream come true
21:07
for us. We have something we want to do with you
21:10
we have a segment we love called.
21:14
So we get voicemails from the Me Too fam and give our
21:19
best advice, but at the end of the day,
21:22
So if they want to take it or leave it,
21:35
Hey miente Latino, what's up Daniel?
21:39
I've been working on my own clothing line for a couple of
21:41
years now, and honestly it's been really hard.
21:43
The market feels so crowded.
21:45
Everyone is selling similar streetwear or just trendy pieces,
21:49
but I want my designs to reflect who I am,
21:51
my culture, my creativity.
21:53
But sometimes it feels like I need to copy what's already popular
21:57
How do I stay authentic and keep going when it feels like
22:00
everything is against me?
22:09
It, everything you're saying is absolutely true,
22:14
And I think you have to look at all those
22:17
challenges as the opportunity,
22:19
you know, as far as authenticity and,
22:23
doing something for sales,
22:25
I think you have to like,
22:27
you have to kind of like solidify your values as to what
22:30
you think is important.
22:31
Like, are you trying to make money,
22:34
and do something that,
22:36
you know, you can make,
22:37
you can make some bread in the next few months,
22:40
or are you trying to do something that's long term.
22:46
It it's not gonna make you money at first,
22:48
it might not make you money for many years.
22:50
I didn't make any money,
22:52
you know, we weren't profitable for till like year 6 or
22:58
I'm just like, I believe and went through all those hardships
23:04
as the market continues to get saturated and all those things like
23:09
You have to change that mindset of like.
23:13
From like a burden to blessing from,
23:18
a setback to a setup to your future from an,
23:23
an obstacle to an opportunity,
23:25
and I think being an entrepreneur or any type of like creative
23:31
is having just this unrealistic optimism that you just
23:35
look at what it is and you look at every problem and
23:37
every challenge as something that's just going to help you as a
23:41
portal to your answer prayers,
23:43
like you just gotta.
23:45
This is the test to your testimony.
23:47
And that is the mindset that I think having that mindset and
23:52
believing in yourself. I think believing in yourself,
23:54
I think as kids of immigrants,
23:56
as you know, I always think about like my parents and
24:01
how I grew up and my parents coming here,
24:04
migrating to New York and We never felt like the energy that
24:10
was passed down. There was a lot of great things that
24:13
I inherited from my from my family,
24:15
but also there was like,
24:16
I don't know, it was like,
24:18
you can't be too loud,
24:20
don't like we just are happy to be here kind of thing
24:24
which that gratitude is always with me,
24:27
but I think something like,
24:29
I don't know, sometimes I kept myself a little bit more
24:32
quiet. Or maybe what I thought was humble,
24:36
maybe it was a lack of confidence.
24:38
I think having confidence and believing in yourself,
24:41
I think today more than ever as Latino brands because it's saturated
24:46
and because of all the people that have come before us,
24:49
there is a new level of confidence for what I believe for
24:53
the new Latino generation.
24:54
Like I, I don't know how old are you,
24:56
but when I was 1820,
24:58
there was no Latino brand just out there.
25:03
So there was none of this going on in the 10 years
25:07
ago, there was none of that.
25:09
Like now, like I love LA for those reasons.
25:13
the Pisa Boys, you have all these amazing Latino brad.
25:16
Like I have peers that are Latino in the space.
25:21
we have like the OG,
25:23
but that's all we had back in the day.
25:27
I think now using that saturation just as a,
25:30
you know. Our issue or our obstacles back then is just
25:35
no one looked like us.
25:37
Now there's a lot of us here in the space,
25:39
so use every opportunity as a,
25:42
I mean, every obstacle as an opportunity to You know,
25:46
there's more than enough room for everyone to eat and going in
25:50
there and knowing that you like if you continue to do whatever
25:55
you're doing consistently, it's going to pay off.
26:00
I felt like I was talking to yaya like we didn't ask
26:03
a question. I felt like I needed that.
26:06
I need to start applying some of these things to myself,
26:08
bro. I felt like I needed that answer too.
26:12
Yeah, yeah, I didn't ask this question,
26:15
I'm kidding. And then you hit.
26:20
Take it or leave it.
26:21
At the end of the day,
26:23
do what you feel is right in your heart,
26:25
my brother. Love it,
26:27
brother. So moving on,
26:29
we wanted to ask you some questions about growing up
26:32
and some of those first jobs you had.
26:35
How old were you when you first started working and where was
26:37
your first job? So my first job,
26:43
I worked at a store called Petty's in Plainfield,
26:47
New Jersey, so my parents divorced.
26:50
I moved to Jersey with,
26:54
And it was the best job because it was a sneaker store
26:58
and it was really what inspired me.
27:01
To this day, my older sister got me my job.
27:04
She was like, my older sister was like the flies out
27:07
the whole siblings.,
27:09
so it was, I started working at sneaker stores at 14
27:15
I, I'm also opening a store here in LA in June
27:24
that was a thank you,
27:25
that was, I was getting paid under the table.
27:27
I don't know, like 4,
27:28
4.50 an hour, like something crazy,
27:31
you know, 4.50 an hour when you.
27:33
In high school, like you're balling,
27:35
like you know like I,
27:38
I, you know what I mean,
27:39
Chinese food, I got it,
27:41
like, let me get the,
27:43
the fries, the fried rice and the chicken wings,
27:46
everything, like, like,
27:51
I worked, I think I worked there and then I
27:55
moved back to New York and started working at a store called
27:58
Bobby's, another sneaker store.
28:00
I started working at Sears.
28:02
That was probably One of the shittiest jobs I ever had.
28:06
That was, that was very boring.
28:07
Like I was, I forgot I was on the bottom floor
28:10
and there was no traffic at all.
28:16
There were 2 really.
28:19
I was the one that just like scarred you,
28:22
scarred me like this or just like this can't be it.
28:24
Like, there's more to it.
28:27
Like it was two things.
28:29
one was I worked with this guy from my church,
28:33
from my pop's church,
28:35
delivering yellow paper.
28:38
Like yellow books. Oh,
28:40
them, them shits Raleigh,
28:41
bro, you could kill somebody.
28:44
I would kill. I hit you with one but look at
28:46
this. So we would go,
28:50
I get in his cargo van,
28:52
we would drive to the place,
28:53
put like two pallets in the car,
28:56
and we're talking about hundreds and hundreds of yellow books,
28:59
and then I, we would go to neighborhoods and drop them
29:02
off on the front door,
29:04
drop them off one by one.
29:06
But then. He didn't think that my launching skills were there
29:12
because I was like just fucking shit up when I was doing
29:16
you're gonna have to go delivering them.
29:18
Oh, you're gonna have to get out the car,
29:20
so, so I would take like,
29:22
I don't know. 56 books,
29:24
boom, boom, boom and I was like,
29:29
I'm like 19 years old,
29:31
like young, so I'm like,
29:32
I'm outside and this job started at 5 a.m. so I would
29:36
go in there every day like,
29:39
you know, questioning life,
29:43
yeah, but it's definitely one of those jobs that,
29:52
like I got all the certifications to be a security
29:56
but no one would hire.
29:57
I went to like over 20 interviews and they wouldn't hire me
30:00
because at the time,
30:01
I had long hair and they were like,
30:04
we'll hire you if you cut your hair.
30:06
I think that was a turning point for me because I was
30:09
I'm not going to cut my hair,
30:10
and then no one seems to like,
30:13
I don't know, it was just a moment of like,
30:15
Kind of standing up for my style in a way like I
30:19
ain't changing who I am for a job and You know,
30:22
with that comes like,
30:23
OK, so what are you going to do about it?
30:25
And I think that was,
30:26
that was one of the ones like I literally went
30:28
to like, I paid all the money for the certification.
30:32
Yo, it was like I had to go to the city
30:36
like a few times a week and they had to do a
30:38
test. And then my pops paid for the for the thing
30:42
because he was he's like you couldn't get,
30:45
you can't get a job.
30:47
I had to pay like $800 for it anyway.
30:51
I cut it. I had long hair too.
30:53
you wanna work at the bank,
30:58
no, JP Morgan was like,
30:59
Yo, you either cut it or we're gonna cut you.
31:04
I worked in Kid's Bay on like 20 on like Turtle Bay
31:07
like downtown around there,
31:09
you gotta cut it and I was like,
31:10
fuck,, but looking back at it,
31:12
what did those first jobs teach you that you still
31:14
carry into kids of immigrants today?
31:17
Like I know there's some jobs that like,
31:19
you scarred me, but like in a good way.
31:21
I'm a, I did Nordstrom's openings.
31:24
I did, I ended up like when I look back I
31:26
did retail for like 15+ years.
31:30
that, that was my job throughout college and,
31:35
opening a store right now is like,
31:37
I feel super. Educated and experienced.
31:46
Also, like, you know,
31:49
I, I was always like the best seller,
31:52
whether it was Nordstrom's or like I was,
31:56
I know what it takes to like,
31:59
I've done that from every position from like a salesperson on the
32:03
floor to the manager to like to Like I've done many positions
32:11
I feel like what retail teaches you,
32:13
like school can teach you,
32:16
like, even with like designers or like my boy with the
32:20
question it's like, everyone is trying to make stuff to like
32:24
get it to a community and sell it to someone and like
32:28
if you don't understand the community or the customer from a one
32:32
on one level. Everything you're making is just hypotheticals and theoreticals
32:37
I'm not saying it's not going to work,
32:39
but it's good to have that one on one connection.
32:42
I feel like that has completely changed my life and the sneaker
32:46
store that I was working at for,
32:47
I don't know, 4 or $5 an hour.
32:51
is now like I'm looking back like damn,
32:53
that was that I'm opening that store now and this store is
32:57
going to be called Kids of Immigrants.
32:59
Like I'm just imagining my younger self going to a store called
33:02
Kids of Immigrants to like buy a shirt or buy a pair
33:06
of kicks. And it's full circle.
33:09
Alright, big full circle,
33:11
and I, I think I showed you earlier,
33:12
but I know you was the man's selling,
33:15
and this is like one of my favorite segments right now,
33:17
and it's, it's time for deep scroll,
33:19
bro. So I did a little digging.
33:23
I did a little digging through your IG,
33:24
and I found a post from like about like 700,
33:27
700 weeks ago. That's like 10 years,
33:29
bro. Dude, he's like,
33:30
I had to do a lot of,
33:32
not even. I put the phone on the space.
33:34
take me to the last one,
33:35
because I think you have 2000 photos.
33:38
I need your help breaking down what was going on in your
33:40
life when you shared it.
33:44
All right, let's take a look.
33:47
2013, I pulled that.
33:49
I was like, this is I'm still in college,
33:52
about to graduate or graduate.
33:54
This is 2013, so 2012,
33:57
2012. So I'm I'm almost gra oh,
34:02
this is actually my mom's came to my graduation,
34:06
so I went to school in VA and she came
34:10
I forced my parents to come to my graduation
34:12
because they didn't want to come,
34:13
they're just like, oh,
34:14
it's too far. I'm I'm like,
34:17
I'm the first person in my entire family,
34:19
like, not just like it's not just siblings,
34:22
like cousins, like this is,
34:24
you know, a long time ago,
34:25
like not too. You know,
34:27
2012, I think now the family,
34:30
we have a lot more graduates,
34:32
but back then I think I was probably like the first one
34:34
for the whole family.
34:35
y'all have to, it's crazy having to explain that like guys
34:38
like you guys have to come.
34:40
This is a moment in life for both of us.
34:43
So it was this was like just chill,
34:46
but the filter, can we talk about the filter?
34:48
Remember those filters? Like when Instagram just came out.
34:52
That was, that was when I was on Instagram through my
34:58
Quality was different. The quality was different.
35:02
And then you add back the filter.
35:03
They should like the Chinese,
35:06
the menu deep fried.
35:09
Alright, here's the other one.
35:10
Boom, yo, this is where the hair story,
35:15
I'm just like. side by side.
35:17
I used to work retail too,
35:18
and like when I was on the floor they were like,
35:20
yo bro, you can't sell.
35:21
Put me in the stock room.
35:23
But I did work with dudes that were killing me.
35:26
I was. I was on my GQ shit right here.
35:29
It was like I got in,
35:30
so I was working at Nordstrom's and Like,
35:34
yeah, it was my mentality was like,
35:36
yo, I don't wear suits,
35:37
but if I wear a suit,
35:38
I gotta be the flyest person in here with a suit on
35:41
So I just started taking,
35:42
like, really invested in my suit game and then I was
35:46
it was like, it was,
35:47
this was some good days.
35:48
So, oh, it was crazy,
35:51
So I would go to class like this and then go to
35:54
work after, so everybody was like,
35:56
Yo, this guy is like nuts.
35:58
You should get on the train.
35:59
You should get on the train with the fit.
36:01
well, when I used to work at Banana Republic in the
36:04
Upper West Side, I did that,
36:06
but this is in college in VA,
36:07
got you. I see the Thai bar.
36:11
I'm not selling shit this year.
36:17
this, this was good.
36:18
2012. I got one more and this one just reminded me
36:22
of home. It's on the block.
36:25
This is damn, this is 20 I don't even remember 2012
36:32
that's all family right there,
36:34
those are like My cousins,
36:37
this is Bushwick on seasons just hanging out.
36:40
Yeah, there's a summer day.
36:43
no, I think this was like this was a,
36:45
this was a 2012 TBT.
36:48
Oh shit. So because this is like,
36:50
oh, so this is before 2012,
36:52
yeah, I don't know when this was,
36:53
but it was, this was,
36:57
Brooklyn with the cuz chilling that looked like a fun summer night
37:01
bro. If we're talking 2012,
37:04
we're talking OG for local OG for local you guys get into
37:11
those nights, those years were fun.
37:15
I just remember those,
37:16
those nights out there.
37:18
So. Just because it's been a topic of conversation online too
37:25
do you think New York is more diverse than LA in a
37:29
sense, as far as Latinos go?
37:32
I have a long theory about this,
37:34
but yeah, I think it's very different.
37:37
I growing up in New York,
37:38
you grew up with a range of Latinos from South America to
37:42
the Caribbeans and so on.
37:44
And I think what you even like a lot of Honduranos,
37:47
there's a lot of Afro-Latinos in New York.
37:49
So it's for Honduranos,
37:54
that you grew up with and you look at,
37:56
although there's still like separation between the cultures.
38:03
There's a, there's the infusion of all the cultures it's,
38:07
it's, I think that that the way that diversity goes together
38:11
in New York to me was something that I experienced that,
38:15
that, that I like to tell as the brand like with
38:18
KOI I don't see it just like strictly Latino.
38:21
I, I, I see it as the brand of the
38:23
people and the way I grew up like.
38:25
Some of my best friends being Dominican,
38:27
Puerto Rican, Honduran,
38:29
black, whatever it is,
38:30
that's how I grew up.
38:32
And I feel like in LA there's a little bit more
38:37
segregation to all of that,
38:38
that I found like more like,
38:40
oh shit, that's that's different.
38:42
I I kind of see us all the same.
38:45
Like I see like kids of immigrants as like kids of the
38:48
hood, kids of the struggle in a way,
38:51
and we would look at ourselves in a very like Like similar
38:56
way more than it is like how different we are.
38:59
So I feel like maybe to answer your question,
39:03
the Caribbean influence in New York,
39:05
the South American, like you go to Queens and it's like
39:08
it's like little South America.
39:10
You got the Colombian side,
39:12
you got Ecuadorians.,
39:15
and you get, and then the food,
39:16
like, like I do not go to New York and eat
39:19
Mexican food, but because California got it,
39:24
but in New York you,
39:26
you go get a little chimi,
39:32
you get the, the food itself,
39:35
I think shows the range of Latinos in New York because like
39:40
Just on on my block,
39:42
you have like the Chino Latino spot that's like Chinese food.
39:46
It's a Chinese restaurant that cooks Latino food and it's fire.
39:51
and then you have like a Salvadorian spot next to
39:56
the to the cucifrito,
39:59
the Puerto Rican spot,
40:00
the Dominican spot, and it's all within my in my neighborhood
40:04
in Bushwick, within that three block proximity.
40:12
is rich in culture too.
40:13
And I feel like I learned so much about Mexican culture that
40:18
like New York has Mexican culture,
40:20
but the culture out here is so It's yeah,
40:25
it's it's much richer.
40:27
It's, it's like you see it everywhere.
40:30
Yeah, so I do see that like New York has just
40:32
a, it's it's the melting pot of the world,
40:37
let's touch on your your your girl.
40:41
Because you guys are both,
40:42
she's a hefa, you're a hefe,
40:47
I'm just, I'm just a guy.
40:48
I'm just a chill guy.
40:50
So how does it feel to be,
40:52
you know, together with the hefa,
40:53
and how do you guys,
40:56
you know, get inspiration from each other,
40:58
or how does that work?
41:03
before we dated, we had a friendship,
41:06
we had a sense of admiration and respect for one another.
41:13
she's doing her thing and killing it and what she does.
41:18
So I think that level of admiration and respect was always there
41:21
So when we did start dating,
41:26
yo. Think you're really cute and all that.
41:33
now is It's amazing.
41:38
I think more in a very personal and vulnerable way because we're
41:42
both doing these things that are amazing and are sometimes bigger than
41:46
life., they're like our dreams come true and like
41:50
sometimes you just need,
41:51
like, I'm speaking for myself,
41:52
I'm not like a victim of like Not feeling human in a
41:57
way, but it's like you're just constantly working.
41:59
Everything becomes like work,
42:01
work, work, and people look at you as a transaction
42:04
or as an opportunity,
42:05
and I, and I get it.
42:06
I'm not like, I understand the position and I'm blessed to
42:09
be where I'm at and to have a conversation where people want
42:13
to help or want to like you to help them,
42:15
that's amazing. I think it's dope to just have someone that
42:19
understands that and, you know,
42:21
in the. Underneath all of this,
42:23
it's just like I'm just like,
42:27
I'm a regular person that just trying to do.
42:31
Normal shit, and she pushes that on me more than anyone
42:34
else. She pushes quality time on me.
42:37
Just like kind of like the reminders of like,
42:39
yo, all that's cool,
42:42
but like we need these moments to ground ourselves and be humble
42:46
and just look at ourselves as like,
42:49
you know, take that CEO hat off and just and it's
42:52
good to have someone like that that anchors you and and and
42:56
I need it, you know,
42:57
like. It don't matter what collab or World Cup,
43:00
whatever, she's like,
43:05
we need to go on a date,
43:07
yeah, like that's great,
43:09
especially with everything, with all the obstacles and the challenges that
43:13
we go through, you know,
43:14
you just have somebody.
43:17
I look at her the way I look at my family,
43:19
people that love me regardless of whether I fail,
43:21
succeed. Like if I don't have anything tomorrow,
43:24
like I know she's there,
43:25
and I think that's like probably.
43:28
That's something that I don't take for granted and and only hope
43:33
that I can be that same person to her as well.
43:36
I love that. It's funny when I saw you guys together
43:42
because I follow her on Instagram and I saw her
43:44
hard lunch and I was like I was like,
43:46
that makes sense. And I was like,
43:48
that makes sense. I love that.
43:53
Yeah, she's amazing.
43:55
So these curls are sponsored by bro.
43:59
I still have, I still have the same curls.
44:01
I have the kit that was 2 years ago it was like
44:05
2 years ago. I had long hair.
44:07
She applied it, taught me how to use it to this
44:10
day, even with the short hair.
44:14
I had the dreads and I cut my hair like.
44:17
I think it was like we were together for like a few
44:19
months and then I had my dreads for 16 years and I
44:24
I think, I think I'm ready and she cut them for
44:29
she helped me cut them for me,
44:33
and then. Even with this like Buchanan's collaboration like.
44:39
It's just dope to have someone that's like on your corner and
44:48
we're very solution orientated and full of ideas.
44:52
So sometimes like it's just like a bunch of ideas when we
44:56
talk, so we have to like filter them better because it's
45:00
she's like she's the boss,
45:03
like, I think you should do it like this.
45:07
let me, let me try to filter your thoughts.
45:11
and then we've collaborated multiple times,
45:13
and I think, you know,
45:15
one of the things that when we work together is like,
45:19
how do we do something for our people.
45:23
And before, before we go,
45:25
what's a message you would like to say to the
45:28
kids of immigrants during this time in 2026?
45:33
It doesn't feel like it's getting any easier,
45:36
but we keep showing up every day and we keep
45:40
telling people who we are and showing people who we are.
45:43
And in a place like today in an age where You
45:48
know, we, we're like fighting the good fight is just
45:53
like don't stop and like.
45:56
You know, I think sometimes things like art.
46:00
fashion culture may seem like Not the right way to fight,
46:07
but. I think I feel like art is what allows us
46:11
to imagine a better day.
46:14
use your voice, use whether you want to sing or whether
46:18
or whether you want to become a leader or a politician and
46:24
fight it through policy,
46:25
whatever it is that you That skill or that that gift that
46:32
use that to represent,
46:34
use that to change the world,
46:36
use that to imagine a better world.
46:38
I think where we're at today it's,
46:40
it feels hopeless at times,
46:41
so we need the artists,
46:42
we need the creator.
46:43
Creatives to imagine a better world and I think that's where things
46:47
like poem and music and and and all these different,
46:51
these different worlds of art help the day and age because like
46:56
if we look at the what the realistic things are.
47:00
It's hard. It's like you feel hopeless.
47:02
what are we gonna do?
47:04
the harder we fight,
47:05
sometimes the harder we get pushed back.
47:07
But so we need the new generation to,
47:10
to use that those gifts that God has given them to to
47:14
represent and to imagine a better world.
47:18
That was a great answer,
47:19
man. And thank you for your time,
47:21
brother., where can we follow you and the collab
47:25
drops, when does it drop?
47:26
Tell me. So follow us at Kids of immigrants on Instagram
47:33
This collaboration drops April 1st.
47:37
this is a big moment for,
47:40
for us, like being part of this huge global event.
47:46
we're going to have a campaign that tells
47:50
and we only hope that our community feels a sense of belonging
47:54
through this collaboration. So April 1st.
47:57
The Buchanan's Limited edition 2026 FIFA World Cup Spirits collection available,
48:04
which what I believe in is in in every shop selling
48:08
alcohol throughout North America and South America.
48:11
That's what I was told.
48:12
We are, we got some bottles,
48:14
so you better believe this is this is the bottle.
48:20
This is the alcohol.
48:21
This is, this is the drink to have while watching,
48:24
you know, the World Cup this year.
48:26
Thank you so much and thank you for joining us on Mi
48:29
Gente Latino. Thank you.
48:37
if I would have had that coffee,
48:38
I would have been talking way more.
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