Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we reached out to some of ravers with Hispanic background to talk about their culture, love of raves, festival fashion and how they all tie together.

@betsy_ville, Content Coordinator at iHeartRaves.com

"I'm a proud Hispanic woman. Something a lot of people don't know about me, is that my first language was actually Spanish. My favorite part of my Hispanic culture is how heavily family-orientated we are. That goes hand & hand with raving. Although my rave family is chosen family we still love & respect one another as if we were blood related. We would be there for each other no matter what."- Betsy

@justmavia
Groovy Gal Mesh Cropped Tee & Biker Shorts

How does your Hispanic heritage tie into your love for raving, festivals and fashion?
Festivals are places were we get to meet the most beautiful people on Earth. We all come from different backgrounds and cultures and this makes me very proud to be Hispanic because it’s a part of me and it’s part of my essence. I owe a lot of who I am to the beautiful place I come from. Hispanic culture is so diverse and colorful and this has always inspired me to get more creative with my looks and try different styles. I think we should all embrace our roots. I’m specially grateful for being Hispanic.

What’s your favorite thing about being Hispanic?
I love everything about being Hispanic; the culture, the food, the art, the music but I have to say what I love the most is how we embrace the meaning of family. No matter what we go through, we always stick together and we are there for each other. I truly believe that all the love I have to spread with our community comes from that. My rave community is my family and that feels beautiful

You always have such amazing outfits. What is your number 1 festival styling tip?

Accessories and glitter are my way to go. They make an outfit extra beautiful. I love to play with colors and textures and get creative with my looks. I think when we dress up, we express a lot of who we are, so- Yes, Queen! Wear what you love and whatever makes you feel comfortable.

@basskittyx

Holo Star Mesh Bodysuit


How does your Hispanic heritage tie into your love for raving, festivals and fashion?
Growing up Hispanic means I grew up going to big family parties and gatherings since I was a little girl. We always have loud music and dancing from Spanish to house music. My family introduced me to a wide variety of music. My mom and aunts would always get dressed up and do pretty makeup and of course I wanted to do that too so I carried that on to raving. My family taught me to be myself and to have fun where ever I go. They taught me to be free and love life and that’s exactly how I feel being a raver and traveling the world for music.

What is your favorite festival and why?
My favorite festival is EDC Las Vegas. My first one was in 2016 and I’ve been going ever since. I instantly fell in love at my first EDC and found my forever home. I can’t wait to be under the electric sky in 2021.

What is your favorite festival accessory?
My favorite festival accessory is definitely glitter and jewels. I love getting creative with my makeup and adding that extra shine. If you know me, you know I always have my glitter and jewels on. Its the perfect accessory to compete the outfit.

Rosa Yanisselli, Owner and Creator of Rolita Couture

Rolita Couture X IHR Fuse Tie Dye Set 

I am from Panama, from a very small town called Las Tablas where we have the best carnival in the whole country. The carnival of Las Tablas is full of color, sparkle, splendor, culture, music, family, friends and a lot of parties. If you go there, you know that you are going to party like crazy; day and night nonstop. I think you party there more than EDC.

Las Tablas Carnival. Photo credit here.

How does your Hispanic heritage tie into your love for raving, festivals, and fashion?
Since a very young age, my parents took me to the carnivals in my hometown because it’s part of who we are as Tableños. There are so many bright colors, sparkly things and crazy color combinations that designers of the carnival use for making costumes that are used for the festival so every time I go to a rave, and see all the colorful and crazy outfits that people wear, it feels like home and reminds me of where I came from.

Has your Hispanic heritage influenced the creation of your brand, Rolita Couture? If so, how?
My culture has a lot of influence in my creations because we are colorful and full of flavor. Even though in Panama, we don’t dress up in rave wear for festivals, I feel that because I was exposed to these carnivals throughout my life and saw all this sparkle and colors, I incorporate the use of bright and colorful fabrics into my collections.

Example of costume from Las Tablas Carnival. Photo credit here.

I know you are all about size inclusiveness and that is truly amazing! Can you tell us a little more about why this is the main focus of your brand?
The reason I focus so much on size inclusivity is because I don’t have the typical “stereotype body." My measurements are bust 36”, waist 34” and hips 45." I have been excluded a couple times in my life and I have gotten frustrated when going online shopping because I don’t see girls that look like me or the clothes I bought do not fit me properly. So, I want to inspire other women to feel sexy and confident in their own body by wearing clothes that fit them and make them feel beautiful.

@rave.witch
Blue Flame Set


How does your Hispanic heritage tie into your love for raving, festivals and fashion?

Celebrating Hispanic heritage month is something extremely beautiful. Hispanics are a diverse group of people similar to the people you see at raves. We're really hard working & loving. Through raving, I feel like I found something that I found lacking in my culture which was acceptance. At raves & festivals you can listen to the music you like & be who you are meant to be, apologetically and with zero judgement.

You are so incredible at makeup! What tip would you give to someone who was looking to level up their game?
Thank you! I think my biggest tip is to never be afraid to try something new. Experimenting with makeup is the only way you’ll get that practice in to get where you want to be with your makeup game.

What is your favorite festival and why?
My favorite festival by far has to be Audiotistic (Bay Area). I think its perfectly placed in the summer. The line up is always killer and they always throw in hip-hop /rap artists- chefs kiss*, honestly. the venue is also huge but still easy to get around. Everything is perfect about audio; I reminisce about it all the time!

@loveejasminn_
Butterfly Groove High Waisted Booty Shorts

How does your Hispanic heritage tie into your love for raving, festivals and fashion?
I love being Hispanic & I love my Hispanic culture so much. One way I would compare the two would be they both thrive off of love. In rave culture, we have PLUR, which means you can walk into any festival and you're accepted with open arms. That is very similar to my family & my culture.

You always have such amazing outfits. What is your number 1 festival styling tip?
My number one styling tips for festivals would definitely be accessorizing. I think accessories play such a big role in making a super simple outfit look original! Another reason I love accessories so much is because I know a lot of people don’t like to re-wear outfits to festivals and I’m guilty of that also, but I love re-wearing accessories, so I feel better about splurging on accessories than I do on outfits!

What is your favorite DJ Set of all time?
My favorite DJ set of all time will probably have to be Sam Feldt at Groove Island on Catalina Island. One of the first EDM songs I found on my own and fell in love with was Show Me Love by Sam Feldt. He is almost never on lineups for festivals in the U.S., so when I saw him on the Groove Island lineup, I jumped at the opportunity to go! Finally when it came time to see him live, he was playing at sunset on the beach right next to the water at the most beautiful venue I’ve ever been to, watching him with my sister who got me into raving to begin with. I’ll never forget crying happy tears because everything about that set felt so perfect. I’ll cherish it forever!