Fish Fiorucci, Saul Hernandez and Caleb Abrego (pictured)
Fish
RC: When did you move back to Brownsville? Where and what were you doing before?
Fish: I moved back to Brownsville after traveling the world pre-covid. Came back to Brownsville in January of 2020 and BOOM. Covid hit. I finally had the privilege to travel to London, Paris, and New York for about 6 months in the second half of 2019. I felt like I was on top of the world doing what I love but felt so lonely. I felt incomplete and concluded that I needed more polishing. I’ve been working on my damn career for more than 8 years already but there’s always more to want in this industry and that’s what keeps me going. I came back to Brownsville to finish school in 2020 hoping to take classes in person. I wanted to socialize and remember what it was like to work with students in group projects. I was excited to pull up looking like Elle Woods to all my classes while enjoying the beautiful scenery this campus has to offer right next to the border. Unfortunately, my classes only lasted in person for about 3 weeks and went online due to Covid. I lost so much hope and felt even more lonely! No new friends, no one to socialize with. Back to feeling small as I did in Paris in Sept. of 2019 but this time in my hometown.
RC: Why did you want to create f10rucci initially and why did you choose Brownsville?
Fish: I created it to fill in the gap of what was missing in the industry in my own eyes (diversity) but more so to finish establishing any kind of fashion scene in South Texas. I choose Brownsville not because it’s my hometown but because this is where I struggled the most to find myself. I was able to get over that. When you live in bigger places like Austin or even New York, they make it easier for you to find yourself. Why? Cause there’s a scene for everyone. Down here it wasn’t easy but that’s what made my mind stronger. It allowed me to grow tough skin and when I felt tough enough, I decided to venture into Fashion and this is where it led me. I created F10 to fill in that missing bridge between the RGV and the fashion industry. I’m the middleman.
RC: What are your feelings about the fashion industry (and in terms of modeling)?
Fish: It’s dangerous. Without guidance, it’s so easy to get lost in all of it. At times I felt I had sold too much of myself to people who didn’t care about me. People who would do what they can to ensure I wouldn’t be able to work in this industry anymore. Not only was my body never respected but my gender identity too. I’ve experienced too much gender dysphoria when entering this industry and was ready to accept that I would never be able to become who I envisioned myself to be in this. I felt forced to play the role of a straight male model in various jobs for the first few years of working in this industry as a model. It wasn’t until I confessed to my agent at the time that I no longer felt comfortable working on jobs specifically for males, especially when these jobs were nothing but dangerous environments for any queer folks. I’ve gotten too far into all of this to just say FU to the industry. I want to fight for change.
RC: Do you see the industry changing? Do you want to create a change that will expand outside of Brownsville?
Fish:I do see the industry-changing. I see this huge wave ready to crash and take full control of what’s already happening. I’m on that wave and I want others to be riding on it with me. Those others are underrepresented. I’ve always had intentions of helping others out even when I was first starting. All this knowledge I’ve gained over the years is a lot for a single person to process but also came free to me by just venturing out on social media and working over the years. This side of Texas and in the nation has always been at a disadvantage when it comes to finding resources and information on anything related to creative spaces/ outlets. Brownsville has been hidden for too long from that. It’s time for change but community will always come first.
RC: How do you feel about SpaceX?
FISH:It’s a love-hate relationship. I want to appreciate it but it’s still very fresh to the area. Have we benefited yet as a city? No. Will we benefit? Not sure. We're not built to be like LA or Houston. Economically, we won’t be able to afford the lifestyle they want us to live. Socially, we might not be accepted anymore with the new culture they’re bringing. I wouldn’t even call it culture. It’s just money.
RC: How do the people from Brownsville feel about Space X?
FISH: It’s 50/50. I feel so involved with people who are totally against it and I want their voices to be heard! I want to imagine a middle ground between us, Brownsville and Space X. If we could improve the quality of work and create stricter regulations for Space X to be held accountable when they decide to pollute our oceans and colonize our area, some of us might have come with open hands. For now, we will continue the fight.
Saul and Caleb
RC: What was your experience like growing up in South Texas aka the Rio Grande Valley?
Saul:I’ve thought about this a lot. It was hard for me to find a reason to like the valley. I never felt enough was happening until I was old enough to make it happen! College came around and I began creating what my future could be here in Brownsville. I’ve lived in other big cities before and never really felt like I could find a home elsewhere.
Caleb: It’s hot. Extremely hot but also very shelled off with very little diversity. We’re huge in Mexican culture but I sometimes feel like our own culture down here isn’t fully aware of the issues happening politically and environmentally. Though the border wars are typically what we’re recognized for, there’s so much more happening. Our Mexican culture is typically religious with some form of catholicism tied behind it. I grew up in a part of Texas filled with extremely old temples to which I felt I could not run away from this conservative lifestyle. Growing up I had intentions of becoming a pastor. This lead me to attending church over 3 times a week while disregarding the fact that my sibling is coming to terms with their own non-binary identity. In other words, the valley isn’t filled with white conservatives, just extremely religious mexicans.
RC: How do you feel about Space X and what kind of future do you envision in the Valley with it here?
Saul: I remember I was in 7th grade when I first heard of space x. Though this was 10 years ago, I was in school when they told us we were up against Costa Rica for the new Space X location and where they were going to migrate and really nobody thought Brownsville was going to get picked. That happened and I thought it was cool! I was into space, the electric cars and I was excited to see the mixture of our culture with something new and so advanced. A new flavor to these border towns nobody really knows about. I do however feel that our border is so different from the one’s in California. People are moving here from all over the country; New Hampshire, Arizona. Etc. and at an alarming rate! I just dont think any of this movement will hit Matamoros. I go pretty regularly, I love Mexico. I just wish there was some part in this for our neighbors as well.
Caleb: I want to like the idea but they aren’t doing much for the community at the moment. Will they in the future? It’s not looking promising. I want to believe there’s a space for everyone in the valley to feel accepted by space x and Elon musk but there isn't. With more money coming in, it feels like a cover-up to take away from the many issues already happening down here. The poverty rate will go up, rent will no longer be affordable and the standard to what success is down here will change. Community work isn’t what will bring you success. It’s how many businesses you own, how much money you have, and what car you drive. Why make it harder for the people down here to make a living when you could have chosen to help us before you colonized our space? Studying computer engineering for a bit made me want to believe there's going to be a good chance for me, my cousins, and my friends to show our skills but sometimes the skills we learn down here aren’t enough for the bigger people.
RC: Machismo; Toxic Masculinity is apparent in the RGV. How has it played a role in your life?
Saul:It’s omnipresent. I was raised in a Mexican household and I’ve seen it affect my cousins all my life. I'm the only male in my family and it’s hit me to where I felt I was living a stereotypical life. Even though I wasn’t inclined to it, it affected close friends of mine and forced me to conform to it for the sake of family and culture. You see everywhere unfortunately down here but I feel there’s an easy way to solve this. Just think before you act! People are conditioned to be dicks down here cause that’s how they’re taught to act. Even against women. Our culture doesn’t see women as equal and it doesn't cross people’s heads how behind they are.
Caleb:With how visible my sister became with their identity, my mind began to question anything related to gender such as colors like pink, lilac. This was the same for my clothes. I no longer feel like a piece of cloth defines who I am. It was hard to get away from this with the lifestyle I grew accustomed to in the RGV. I no longer feel the need to be a macho man in front of anyone to gain respect. People should respect you regardless of the way you dress and what you identify with. I felt like I had to be this way growing up for the majority of my life and now I want to inspire others to push the boundaries of what it means to be a Chicano living in a border town.
RC: Compared to other cities such as Austin or San Antonio, what makes the valley special?
Saul:The air is very clean! The sky is pretty and honestly, there’s a lot of special things here. I think that Brownsville has all of what you need to make what you want out of it. I feel there's a lot of good people here who have great ideas for our city. There’s however many things that haven't been executed the best and have been misguided due to the loss in translation between people who speak English and the majority who’s first language is Spanish. The average person here speaks both and I know they envision a better Brownsville. For those rich white men who only speak English and bring their money is where the translation gets lost in the language and work. Some people don't want to lose their Mexican heritage. I don't why there can't be room for both. We have a strong culture down here. People should be accustomed to it and not want to change it.
Caleb:It’s genuine! It hasn’t been white-washed yet like Austin or San Antonio. My culture plays a huge role in the population down here. Our pride and culture are carried throughout Texas but the more north you go, the less Spanish they speak. The real difference between Valley natives and North Texas people is that the majority of people who aren’t from the valley have never seen the border wall in their life. For us, it’s a 5-minute walk. For others, it’s something they read about in the media. Very misconstrued. The side of the border that I live on is called Progresso, a common area for people who have never been to Mexico and want to visit a safer side. Why is it safer? Well, it’s just pure shopping centers when you step across the wall. I don't go shopping. I go to save money on dental work and any medicine we can’t afford in America. People down here aren't as bad as the media makes it. We're just trying to make enough money to support our family and make a living.
