During the past year especially, we’ve received an onslaught of opinions about people of Mexican descent, often in abstract terms: We’re a threat to the American fabric, or a vulnerable community under attack, depending on the party line. In the midst of all this discourse, people seem to forget that there are millions of Mexicans and Mexican Americans telling us exactly who they are.
Among them is a growing demographic of artisans asserting their identity through a return to craftsmanship. Gilberto Marquez, a Chicano hatmaker who has designed hats for the likes of Madonna and is a major part of this movement, is a vibrant example of how cultural soft power is one of the most effective tools we have at our disposal.
Marquez got into hatmaking in 2017 by way of mezcal: He’s a brand ambassador for Ilegal and dedicated much of his early professional life to learning about the spirit, which is deeply rooted in Mexican Indigenous traditions. During trips to Oaxaca, Marquez would buy hats to protect himself from the scorching sun that shone over agave fields.
Once, he went into a hat shop and observed that hatmaking was actually a lot like making mezcal — each hat was meticulously crafted and told a story, and you could even tell where someone was from simply from the style of the hat they wore.
