Nico Aviña, artist and resident of Boyle Heights, was featured in the LA Local Jan. 26 for his silk-screened soccer jerseys. Aviña’s jerseys combine religious and Indigenous symbols with slogans that directly challenge immigration enforcement, racism and xenophobia.
Aviña said he has played soccer since he was 5 years old, collecting jerseys from different eras, teams and idols. Aviña said jerseys have since become a canvas for him to take a stance on immigration and challenge the commercialization of the sport.
“I wanted to do a mashup of cultural elements that represented the community, myself and the passion that I have for soccer in one garment,” Aviña said.
According to Aviña, the project started as a piece he made for himself, which quickly gained attention after he posted it online and people began to resonate with the message and imagery he had woven together. With the recent ICE raids that have been affecting LA, Aviña said his jerseys have become wearable statements within the community while also reaching an international audience.
“I’m getting people that are coming in from outside of the United States, and they make sure that they stop by because they’ve seen the jerseys,” Aviña said.
According to Aviña, customers wear the jerseys at protests, events and in everyday life as a way to express solidarity and resistance. Aviña said he feels artists cannot always predict how a piece will resonate, but the role of an artist is to uplift the voice and sentiment of a community.
Jocelyn Becerra, a Boyle Heights makeup artist who owns one of Aviña’s shirts, said she feels wearing the jersey helps her find a sense of belonging.
“There’s a lot of pain and hurt with what’s going on, not being accepted because of the color of your skin,” Becerra said. “It’s a way for me to express the way I feel without having to say anything.”
Becerra said as a Latina who is vocal about supporting and uplifting her community, the jersey’s messaging immediately resonated with her identity and lived experience.
“When I saw it, I felt like I need one — I want one,” Becerra said. “It’s a form of protest for me. For you.”
According to Aviña, the jerseys are inseparable from the space where they are created and sold. Aviña said he is a co-founder of Espacio1839, a Boyle Heights storefront that functions as both a retail shop and a community arts hub. Aviña said he has been operating out of the space for the past two years.
“We feel that the fundamental theory of an organizer is to facilitate space,” Aviña said. “This space belongs to the community.”
According to Aviña, in recent months Espacio1839’s mission has expanded beyond art shows and poetry readings, hosting pop-ups to support families affected by ICE raids.
According to Krystal Ramirez, cofounder of Trenzas Amigas, a Feb. 1 collaboration with Aviña raised more than $5,000 for families impacted by ICE. Trenzas Amigas is a braiding initiative inspired by the Adelitas of the Mexican Revolution, women who wore their braids as symbols of identity and resilience during wartime.
According to Ramirez, she first connected with Aviña after purchasing several of his jerseys. Ramirez said the partnership felt natural — both the jerseys and her braiding work are accessible forms of protest.
“Fashion is political,” Ramirez said. “They’re both showing empowerment, resistance. If you take them out to a public space, people are going to know what it signifies — it has culture and history behind it.”
Becerra said she attends various Espacio1893 events and sees the jerseys and collaborations, such as with Trenzas Amigas, as part of something larger.
“I think it’s beautiful,” Becerra said. “I feel it’s like a unity. A community is uniting. We’re standing strong […] supporting one another.”
Beyond the jerseys, Espacio1839 continues to host community-centered events, including its upcoming 10th annual “Eres Poderosa” art exhibit organized by Aviña’s wife, featuring female artists, poets, DJs and local vendors — another reflection of the space’s commitment to uplifting and unifying community voices.
Aviña said he will continue pushing the movement forward as long as injustice persists.
“We’re always going to be on the side of the people and the side of the community,” Aviña said. “Until we see the injustice stop — and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen — we’re going to continue doing the work. We’re going to continue printing T-shirts, we’re going to continue printing jerseys.”
As LA prepares to host matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Aviña said he hopes his jerseys will continue to serve as tools for expression, echoing the message emphasized by Becerra and Ramirez.
“I honestly hope that people are able to use them to express themselves,” Aviña said. “They have sayings on them, and it allows us to speak without actually being out there and speaking. You’re just wearing it, and they speak for themselves.”
Contact Martina Long at mlong2@oxy.edu
