Forget Halloween. Each year more and more brands are tapping into the Mexican celebration of the dead, Día de Los Muertos, to target Latinos with their calavera-inspired designs. The Mexican holiday surrounds death, but it’s a time to celebrate life with loved ones, and each year it’s gaining more and more traction in the U.S. 

Celebrated in the U.S. from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, the holiday tradition calls for the creation of altars to deceased loved ones, decorated with photos, meaningful objects, and their favorite foods said to attract their souls. Petals of bright yellow-orange cempasúchil flowers are used to guide them from the cemetery, according to tradition. This year Nike took up the opportunity to celebrate, with a brand new collection dropping later this month, inspired by “traditional Mexican skeleton graphics.” This isn’t the first time the brand celebrates the Mexican holiday though, a few years back the Swoosh brand released another pair of Cortez’s to pay tribute to the dead on Día de Muertos. 

This latest ‘Día de Muertos’ collection is scheduled to release on Nike.com and at select Nike retailers on Oct. 30.

credit Twitter @Solecollector

This latest assortment will include the Air Force 1 Low, the Cortez, and the Air Max 95 which are all getting dressed up for the occasion. Each pair will reference the holiday ever-so-slightly with traditional Mexican skeleton graphics featured throughout the design on the upper parts of the shoe as well as on the insoles.  

The Cortez turns black and orange for Day of The Dead 

Credit Twitter @sneaker_arian

The Cortez, is a Nike style Mexican-Americans love to wear, and the sports company picked the iconic design to be part of the Day of the Dead collection. It’s not the first time the Swoosh gets the Mexican-inspired treatment though. As we mentioned earlier, back in 2015 a ‘Day of The Dead’ Nike Cortez was released in honor of the holiday, and the design was a lot more thematic than this year’s minimalist iteration.

Featuring a ‘papel picado’-inspired design on the inside, the stitching of the iconic Swoosh on the upper side of the shoe as well as on the soles, turns bright orange, reminiscent of cempasúchil and candle-lit ofrendas. The shoe is dressed in a nylon and suede floral print and has distinct embroidery on the heel.

The Day of The Dead Air Force 1s Glow in The Dark With Papel Picado-Inspired designs.

credit Twitter @unrtd

The iconic performance shoes were re-imagined to celebrate the Mexican holiday in the most subtle way. The classic silhouette has an all-white upper body, contrasted by piping in yellow, green, blue, pink and black, and also sports a black heel tab and stitching across the midsole. The best part though is that once the shoe’s in the dark, it reveals a glow-in-the-dark skull papel picado-inspired pattern that is fully reflective throughout the entire upper. It’s to die for!

The Nike Air Max 95 was reimagined for the occasion in muted colors and subtle touches of huichol-style graphics.

credit Twitter @RyoRyo719

Joining the AF1s and the Cortez, the Nike Air Max 95 will also be a part of the 2019 Day of The Dead Collection. The festive colorway of the Air Max 95 takes on a white mesh upper with the signature layered side panels taking on a textured/crackled leather appearance. The leather side panels are emblazoned with muted ‘Huichol’ or papel picado-inspired graphics to go along with the Mexican theme. The limited-edition shoe also features black leather mudguards, black Swoosh branding, speckled laces, and a black midsole that adds to the look, along with teal detailing on the skull graphic insoles, papel picado-style tongue branding, and translucent outsole.

There are 57 million Hispanics in the U.S. only, and they represent 18% of the country’s spending power— no wonder brands like Nike want to tap into Latino traditions.

credit Twitter @thesolesupplier

Over the past few years, companies and retailers have made it easier to get into the spirit of the holiday, offering themed apparel, home decor and containers in which to tote goodies. With 57 million Hispanics in the U.S. alone, this demographic represents almost 18 percent of the country’s population and significant spending power, according to Nielsen. In fact, the data analytics company expects its buying power to grow from $1.4 trillion in 2016 to $1.8 trillion by 2021. And that dollar strength isn’t lost on retailers.

‘Dia De Los Muertos’ celebrations run from  November 1st through November 2, and the Nike Air Force 1 will drop at retailers like Sneakersnstuff and nike.com on October 15. Priced at $100 USD, the festive sneakers are the ultimate day-to-day shoe to add to your rotation. The rest of this latest Nike Día de Muertos collection is scheduled to release on Nike.com and at select Nike retailers on Oct. 30.

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month and that means it’s time to show support to all the FIERCE mujeres out there who are breast cancer survivors or are fighting a battle against the disease. The arrival of October marks a month-long initiative helping put the spotlight firmly on women’s health and we want to do our part to help.

mitú partnered with Latinas Contra Cancer to create a collection of tees for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

Most of us dread going to the doctor for a mammogram and we push off getting the procedure done, no matter how important it is to our health. Of course, getting your boobs mashed into cold medical machines doesn’t sound like a good time, but it’s something you just have to do. 

Recent research has found that Latinas and women of color are at higher risk when it comes to breast cancer fatalities. And this is mostly due to a lack of outreach to Latinas for medical breast cancer research. The disease is hitting a lot of Latina groups, including Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican women. 

Represent the poderosa breast cancer survivor by shopping this tee while donating 20% of the proceeds to breast cancer research.

Latinas Contra Cancer is an organization that aims to “create an inclusive health care system that provides services to the underserved Latino population around issues of breast and other cancers.

In support of the cause, we’ve teamed up with Latinas Contra Cancer, an organization that is raising awareness about cancer in the Latino community, increasing access to quality care, working to decrease mortality and improving the quality of health care experience. ‘Latinas Contra Cancer’s mission is to “create an inclusive health care system that provides services to the underserved Latino population around issues of breast and other cancers.”

Shop for a cause: wear rosita to honor your guerrera, and 20% of the proceeds will go to Latinas Contra Cancer.

Wear our #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth tees to honor someone you love, whether it’s your tía, your sobrina, your hermana, or a friend, give a very special shout out to a strong lady who is battling this disease and help fund resources to help Latino communities of patients affected during and after their fight against cancer. 

Represent the poderosa breast cancer survivor by shopping this tee while donating 20% of the proceeds to breast cancer research.

Donations to ‘Latinas Contra Cancer’ makes it possible for them to provide cancer survivors with a personalized wig and breast prosthesis, free of charge.

credit instagram @latinascontracancer

The proceeds raised by your purchase will go to important programs like “Survivor Support”, where Latinas Contra Cancer host a monthly Spanish language survivor support group and other events to encourage self-care for survivors and caregivers in the community. Donations to LCC also help keep their ‘Wig & Breast Prothesis Boutique” running. In this unique space, the organization provides cancer survivors with a personalized shopping experience with caring staff and trained mastectomy fitters both in English and Spanish, at no cost.

mitú x Latinas Contra Cancer’s ‘Rosita’ collection is for our amigas, tías, madres or abuelas who are battling breast cancer are warriors and are breast cancer survivors or are battling breast cancer. 

Wear rosita for whoever you’re supporting; whether it’s your friend or your mom, the collection in partnership with Latinas Contra Cancer and mitú, features 6 different tees that you can wear to give a huge shout out to your hermanas, amigas, tías, madres, abuelas and primas, to show your admiration, respect, and most importantly your support of their battle against breast cancer. if pink isn’t your color, we got you, all styles are available in white and black and rosita.

Represent the poderosa breast cancer survivor by shopping this tee while donating 20% of the proceeds to breast cancer research.

Latinas are diagnosed at more advanced stages of breast cancer and are 20% more likely to die from the disease, so stop putting off that mammogram and get checked now.

Credit Instagram @schoolatmhp

While Latinas experience breast cancer at lower rates than most ethnic groups, they tend to be diagnosed at more advanced stages, making them 20 percent more likely than white women to die from the disease. According to Susan G. Komen, Latinas have a greater probability of discovering the disease at later stages, often when the tumors are larger and have spread, because they are less likely to schedule consistent mammogram exams and more likely to delay follow-ups after an abnormal test result, often due to low-income, a lack of health insurance and limited English proficiency.

It turns out Latinas are just not great at checking in with doctors in general. According to a census report, Latinos are the group least likely to take a trip to the doctor’s office. At the time of the census, 42% of Latinos had never attended their annual doctor’s appointment. 

Represent the poderosa breast cancer survivor by shopping this tee while donating 20% of the proceeds to breast cancer research.

Breast cancer happens to women of all ages. Don’t forget to check your chichis in routine self-breast examinations and visit your doctor if you feel anything abnormal.

credit Instagram @marnie_rustemeyer

While the general consensus is that the ideal age at which you should start going to the doctor for breast cancer screenings is forty, it’s important for women to remember that breast cancer in young women is also possible. Mammogram screenings are essential for detecting breast cancer in all women, whether they’re experiencing symptoms or not. And don’t forget to touch your chichis. Self-breast examinations have saved women of all ages, be sure to self examine your breasts routinely and go to the doctor if you spot anything abnormal.  About 80% of breast lumps are benign. Still, you can prevent a lot of the false alarms you would maybe experience otherwise by always checking in with your doctor.

Represent the poderosa breast cancer survivor by shopping this tee while donating 20% of the proceeds to breast cancer research.