Brujas (founded 2014) are a feminist skate collective and streetwear brand based in the

Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...

History

The ''Brujas'' name (English: witches) is derived and inspired by a 1986 video called '' Skate Witches.'' Brujas was founded by Arianna Gil, Sheyla Grullon, and other skaters in 2014 to host safe meeting places for female skaters of color. Since its inception, the Brujas collective participates in

community organizing Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

and

political activism Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

with an interest in challenging oppressive traditions. Brujas hosts community events, making space for marginalized individuals and communities to skateboard. As a women-run brand, the Brujas collective advocates for women and people of color, partially informed by their own experiences as women in skateboarding. In regards to the name Brujas, Gil explained: "We are intersectional feminists who are interested in spirituality and the tradition of ''brujería'' (witchcraft) in our culture. So there was more going on than just that little YouTube video." In 2016 Brujas created Brujas x 1971, a limited edition

streetwear Streetwear is a style of casual clothing which became global in the 1990s. It grew from New York hip hop fashion and Californian surf culture to encompass elements of sportswear, punk, skateboarding and Japanese street fashion. Eventually hau ...

line that was funded through

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

. The 1971 in the name refers to Attica prisoner uprising, of 1971. The line raised money for prisoner rights. "We see 1971 as a combination of both the political

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

cultures that we were radicalized in the Lower East Side, anarchist organizing where people sell T-shirts and throw parties to get their friends out of prison, and the really brash street and skate wear

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

that have been developing for ages," said Izzy Nastasia a Bruja member. In 2016 the

New Museum The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a museum in New York City at 235 Bowery, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. History The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-named New Sc ...

in New York hosted Scamming the Patriarchy: A Youth Summit that included Brujas as one of the organizers. About their work, Sara O'Keeffe, assistant curator of the New Museum mentioned, "Brujas is a critical voice among an emerging generation of artists, writers and activists who are propelling conversations about politics and forging spaces for empowerment." In 2017, Brujas presented a pop-up classroom to present their

line as part of

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

. The grass-roots presentation received critical acclaim. In 2018, BRUJAS presented an exhibition titled "Training Facility" at

Performance Space New York Performance Space New York, formerly known as Performance Space 122 or P.S. 122, is a non-profitable arts organization founded in 1980 in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in an abandoned public school building. Origin The former eleme ...

where they turned the art venue into a skatepark. Brujas organizes inclusive parties, including Anti-Prom and SUCIA. In 2019, Brujas hosted the fourth Anti-Prom party in celebration of

Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

References

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External links

Training Facility by BRUJAS - 2018 - Performance Space New YorkInternet Bulldozing: ''Gentrification and The Rise of Cyberharassment, BRUJAS Calls for Coalition, Again! - by Arianna Gil, approved by BRUJAS - 2019''
American skateboarders American female skateboarders Skateboarding companies Sports in the Bronx 2014 establishments in New York (state) Clothing brands of the United States Clothing companies based in New York City Clothing companies established in 2014 American artist groups and collectives American contemporary artists Feminist artists Organizations based in New York City Culture of New York City Culture jamming Activists from New York City