Appropriation of the Mexican blackletter font in current fashion

         Appropriation of the Blackletter Font in     

modern fashion

Today in Mexico blackletter can be found mostly in folk functional graphics such as fascia lettering, signage, do-it-yourself advertisements and labels; it has also proven its popularity in tattoos, concert posters and less – but still present – in graffiti. Don't be mistaken by the contents of this book and believe that most folk Mexican lettering a set in blackletter, however. Unquestionably, most folk graphics use roman type in its serif or sans serif versions. The purpose of this book is to show the presence and anatomy of blackletter in contemporary Mexico, and no examples of roman type are included. The blackletter that adorns countless small stores, shops and service providers all over Mexico has a long history that today enjoys a wholly Mexican twist that caters to the everyday needs of people, from plumbers to cobblers and everything in between. More than a way to create signage, Mexican blackletter speaks volumes about contemporary Mexican culture. There are many explanations for why blackletter is popular in Mexico. The country's overwhelming colonial Spanish background is still present today, not only in the collective unconscious, but also in buildings, plazas and entire cities, some of which use blackletter in their signage to appeal to tourists, who visit these places to see colonial remnants.

Blackletter in Mexico is also associated with Christianity, from divine elegance to exuberant transcendence. Rooted in European religious traditions, the lettering possesses the quality of being above and beyond the normal. The same as the religious applications of blackletter instilled European practitioners with the importance of meditative devotion, the secular uses of blackletter in Mexico today convey the importance of such daily and simple practices as selling tortas or shoes, and symbolizes the fact that these acts are not just silly little hobbies, but people's lives. Why wouldn't a merchant or craftsperson advertise their service through a form that imparts a sense of lasting for a long time, or even being eternal? Mexicans are fond of ornaments, colour and contrast because they elicit laughter and fantasies, rituals and sense of place. One needs only to visit the nearest marketplace where all of this is bundled into one tangle of sensory overload. The songs of local music mix with the endless chatter of merchants hawking their wares, from an abundant range of fruits and vegetables, to herbs and plants sure to cure what ails you, to colourful textiles. Every step of the way, as often as the colours change, so too do the aromas wafting off piles and garlands of flowers, and the carts of food vendors, grilling, frying and peppering regional delicacies. This is a significant reality of everyday life in Mexico and the perfect point of entry for understanding the contexts in which blackletter is embraced and used.

The letterform's characteristics rely on ornaments and contrast, which are both playful and mysterious at the same time. The same as the market engulfs the shopper with its array of stimuli, the conjunction of blackletter characters overpowers the background. Blackletter heavily anchors the symbols by means of its robust structure. It is this structure of the blackletter shapes – amusing, flamboyant, and even comical – that establishes the dialogue with the viewer. Why is Blackletter Popular in Mexico? From talking to the people that decorate their body with it, or that draw the letterform on a sign, I have discovered that Mexicans feel that blackletter communicates “tradition,” or that “normal letters”—Roman type—just wouldn’t be good enough for the particular message they need to express. More so, many who elect to employ blackletter for tattoos, signs and anything else imaginable believe that it takes the written message to a “religious” level and therefore, implicitly, associates the message with a kind of transcendence. In speaking with people, words such as “tradition,” “religion,” and “historical” continually surfaced.

 One stylistic example is the blackletter typeface or Gothic lettering. Although it has European origins, it’s most renowned for being adorned on memorial garbs created by Chicano communities in LA. These commemorative pieces of clothing were made to honour friends or family members who passed away. Nowadays, however, the typeface is observed on concert merch or one-off capsule collections, more notably on Kanye West’s ‘The life of Pablo’ wares designed by Vancouver-born artist Cali Thornhill DeWitt, as well as war.

For graffiti artists, the use of blackletter is a direct link to the “Cholo” (Mexican-American) culture, given that Cholos and Chicanos frequently select this letterform for tattoos, tags and murals. Many tend to describe it as “elegant” and others simply state that they use it because they “like it,” and that’s it, no need for more explanation. More times than not, in light of my questions, many people looked surprised and simply stated, “it’s beautiful,” “it’s different” and for them that is all that matters. Just raising the question of why they choose blackletter made some people uncomfortable under the pressure of having to verbalize an un-rationalized aesthetic whim.