The powerful Chicano street-tough look—or cholo style—continues to become incorporated as a matter of pride in the fast-growing American Hispanic culture and, as reported by The New York Times, is now part of “the fashion vernacular of non-Latinos as well.”
From his San Francisco home, author Reynaldo Berrios started Mi Vida Loca maga-zine in 1992 (nearly two years prior to the release of Allison Anders’ movie of the same name) with ambitious goals: “I wanted vatos to get started on a peace treaty. I wanted for cholos to stop the drive-bys. I wanted for the mainstream to stop acting as if La Raza didn’t exist. I wanted my people to have a voice and to be proud of our beliefs, our heroes, and our culture.”
Cholo Style includes interviews and photographs obtained at great risk from gang members and underworld leaders throughout the state of California, plus intense, stylized line drawings from barrios, prisons, and low-rider cultural gatherings.
With over 150 photographs, illustrations, and letters, the sharply designed Cholo Style presents the fast-expanding Chicano barrio culture from its most authentic and street-credible perspective.
