BROOKLYN — In the spring heat, more than 30 young women waited for something many hadn’t experienced in years: the tender ritual of having their hair brushed, braided, and decorated with moños.

They were there for a pop-up hosted by Evanelly Aguilar, the Los Angeles-born, first-generation Mexican designer behind Moños de mi Niñez, a brand that specializes in maximalist, handcrafted bows. What started as a braiding event in L.A. has grown into something more intimate: a space where Mexican American women can find community, connect with their heritage, and bask in nostalgia.

Aguilar describes wearing the bows as having your eight-year-old self “holding your hand through it all.”

For Sama Bajonero Moreno, a Mexico City native now living in New York, that feeling was real. She described sitting in the chair as “magical” and like “inner child happiness.” She said the pulling of her hair transported her back to childhood, when her mom would do her hair. 

The event was held in Bushwick, a largely Latino neighborhood in northeast Brooklyn, where lowriders were parked along the curb, reggaeton blasted from speakers, and aguas frescas flowed freely. Vendors hung clothes along a metal fence, turning it into a colorful backdrop of stripes, polka dots, and reworked Mexican soccer jerseys.

Ashley Cervantes, who grew up in the neighborhood, said the experience was therapeutic, a reminder of her mom styling her hair for special occasions like el 12 de diciembre, the Mexican holiday honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe. The braids resonated not just for their nostalgia, but because they aligned with how she expresses her identity through fashion. 

“Even though I’m in the U.S. and Mexican American, that Mexican part doesn’t leave me,” she said. “It’s not just an aesthetic for me. It’s my life.”

The braiding process itself is part ritual, part art project. Attendees picked their color palette, then a style —two trenzas, one, or a half-up ponytail— though many let Aguilar freestyle. The look nods to traditional hairstyles worn by women in Oaxaca, Mexico, where colorful ribbons are woven into long braids.

Aguilar sometimes finishes each style with glitter or gems.

“It’s like arts and crafts, but on someone’s hair,” she says.

Each session takes about 15 minutes, and with the help of a small team, she’ll style dozens of people in a single afternoon, fingers cramping by the end of it. She doesn’t seem to mind it, though.

For Aguilar, the most rewarding part is seeing her creations come to life and connecting with other women over inner child healing. For many, sitting in Aguilar’s chair stirs something deeper, a physical reminder of being cared for. A moment that stuck with her was when a woman started crying while getting her hair braided. Aguilar said the woman described the experience as feeling safe and like a little girl again. That moment reflects what moños truly offer. They aren't just accessories but a way to “reassert reassurance.”

On TikTok, videos from Aguilar’s events have racked up thousands of views and sparked emotional reactions from women across the US. “From mother to daughter, their love penetrates into our hair,” one user commented. Others shared their own memories of moms, grandmas, or even dads doing their hair. “These are core memories for me,” one wrote. Several have asked Aguilar to bring the experience to cities like Chicago, Austin, Atlanta, and Las Vegas.

Now, Aguilar is taking Moños de mi Niñez overseas. She headed to Tokyo last month for a workshop in collaboration with Hood Baby, one of the LA-based brands that helped organize the Brooklyn pop-up. There, she offered braiding and taught attendees how to make bows. Aguilar said she was excited to share her culture in a city with a community that appreciates and embraces Chicano style. 

“Moños are for everyone,” she says. “It goes beyond culture. It’s about girlhood.”

About the Author

Chantal Vaca is a multimedia journalist based in New York City. She has written for The Skimm’s flagship newsletter and Esquire. 

See every side of every story

"I subscribed because I don't trust any single news source. Ground News saves me time by comparing multiple sources across the spectrum, helping me figure out what's really going on."

Join thousands of subscribers from across the political spectrum who trust Ground News to keep them informed, not outraged.

Start your free trial today

What We’re Reading

The Molina Catcher Dynasty: From Deadline, “Disney is shepherding the feature project Molina based on the New York Times best-selling autobiographical book Molina: The Story of the Father Who Raised an Unlikely Baseball Dynasty by Bengie Molina.

Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jose Rivera (Motorcycle Diaries, 100 Years of Solitude), who also hails from Puerto Rico, is writing the script.

Viajes Miranda’s Lin-Manuel Miranda and Luis Miranda, Jr. are producing along with Rideback’s Jonathan Eirich (Lilo & Stitch) and Diana Nabatoff of Tiara Blu Films, who secured the rights to the book. Rideback’s Nick Reynolds is an executive producer.”

Consider donating to The Latino Newsletter. Any little bit helps to keep this newsletter free and accessible to all. ¡Gracias mil!