Los Espirales Will Outlive This Administration

Seventy-five billion dollars has been allocated to ICE.
Warehouses are being purchased across the country to detain undocumented immigrants.
Just this week, the eighth death in ICE custody was named: 27-year-old Jairo Garcia Hernandez. He was an American citizen.

You might be wondering what any of this has to do with my collection Hasta la Raíz.

In October, I traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico to collaborate with artisans to outsource my production. Many people advised me to outsource to China to save money, but that went against everything I’ve been trying to build with Moon & Milk. This brand is rooted in craftsmanship, women’s empowerment, and cultural storytelling. It matters where things are made. It matters who makes them. And it matters that the people behind the work are recognized and valued.

Going to Mexico felt like divine timing. There couldn’t have been a more urgent moment to release a collection that centers Mexican artistry and honors its depth, ingenuity, and history. At a time when Mexican and immigrant communities are being dehumanized and targeted, I wanted to create something that tells the real story. One that has existed long before any current administration.

I was fortunate to meet two artisans who created the brass frames you see in Caracoles en el Agave. The moment I saw their work, I knew I wanted to collaborate with them. They called the brass frames “espirales’’ or “caracoles,” which is why I named the first pair Caracoles de Barro. Little did I know, while visiting the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City, I began to notice these caracoles forms everywhere. In many Mesoamerican traditions, the spiral represents the cycle of life. The circular form speaks to birth, death, and continuity. In Mexican culture, death is not a taboo subject. It is acknowledged, honored, and even made fun of during Día de Muertos.

That symbolism felt especially prominent while creating this collection. Cycles. Survival. Continuity. The understanding that even in times of violence and ethnic cleansing, culture always endures.

What I want to convey with Hasta la Raíz is this: no matter how hard systems of power try to erase people, they cannot erase what has existed for thousands of years. They cannot erase culture, joy, and the power of love. They cannot erase the land’s history. They cannot erase the ideas of dignity, justice, and most importantly, freedom. Because freedom is innate to being human.

Freedom and dignity has survived empires, borders, and centuries of oppression. It will outlive this moment too.

This collection is my way to showcase the unparalleled craftsmanship of Mexican artistry. Los “espirales” will continue to live on and will continue long after this administration.