INMIGRANTS

MAURO HERNANDEZ — A STORY OF MIGRATION, HOPE AND THE AMERICAN DREAM

THE JOURNEY explores the human stories behind migration to the United States — the hope that begins the journey, the lives lost along the way, the children who disappear, the identities left unknown, and the souls that remain. Through six symbolic looks, MAURO HERNANDEZ transforms clothing into a visual narrative of sacrifice, freedom, mortality and the enduring search for a different life.

This look represents the journey of immigrants traveling toward the United States in pursuit of the American Dream.

Constructed from fragments of different garments, the dress draws inspiration from clothing left behind and found along desert migration routes — traces of people who undertook the journey, including those who never reached their destination. Within the piece, each fragment of clothing becomes a symbol of an individual life and the story carried with it.

The white tulle represents hope — the hope that remains even until the final moments of an uncertain journey. Gold appears as a symbol of the American Dream, the promise that exists beyond the distance and sacrifice.

The editorial landscape becomes part of the narrative itself. The endless road and horizon evoke the immense distance traveled, while the open sky and movement of the model’s hair become symbols of freedom.

A journey shaped by sacrifice, hope and the belief that somewhere beyond the horizon, another life may be possible.

FACE LESS confronts the human cost of migration and the lives that disappear along the journey.

Across the garment, the golden points represent the places where people have died while attempting to reach their destination — each one marking a life lost along the way.

The face is concealed beneath embroidered lace as a symbol of those whose identities were never known: individuals who died during the journey without a name, a face, or a story known to those who remained behind.

FACE LESS transforms absence into presence — asking us to see the lives behind what can otherwise become anonymous numbers.

This look represents the children who become lost along the border — those whose journeys disappear into uncertainty.

The delicate forms surrounding the body evoke innocence, purity and freedom. Their lightness and movement stand in contrast to the reality behind the piece, preserving the vulnerability and innocence of childhood within a story shaped by migration.

A reflection on the children whose stories, like their journeys, can remain unfinished.

An allusion to death, this look draws from the symbolism of La Catrina — one of Mexico’s most recognizable representations of mortality.

Within the collection’s narrative of migration, the figure becomes a reminder of death as a presence along the journey. The dramatic silhouette transforms that idea into something monumental: not hidden, but impossible to ignore.

Here, La Catrina becomes a symbol of those whose pursuit of another life ultimately ended along the way.

This look represents the souls of those lost along the journey.

Its reflective surface transforms with light, creating fragments of brightness that appear, disappear and move across the body. Each reflection becomes a symbolic presence — a reminder of the lives that remain beyond their physical absence.

Through light, what has been lost becomes visible again.

This final look represents La Bestia — the freight train that has become part of the northward journey through Mexico for many migrants seeking to reach the United States.

Running continuously from the top of the corset to the bottom of the gown, the central construction deliberately recreates the visual language of railroad tracks, transforming the silhouette itself into a representation of the journey.

LA BESTIA becomes a symbol of movement, risk and endurance — a path traveled toward the possibility of another life.

MAURO HERNANDEZ AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK.