Agustina: Celebrating Latinx Culture and Fashion on TikTok

Agustina: Celebrating Latinx Culture and Fashion on TikTok\n\nAgustina, an Argentinian immigrant known as @thealgorythm on TikTok, uses her unique perspective to provide cultural context to the latest fashion trends and promote emerging fashion talent, particularly from Latin American designers. After losing her dream job in 2019, Agustina became an entrepreneur focused on trend forecasting. She joined TikTok in December 2020 to share her passion for trends and has since been recognized by Teen Vogue as an expert trend forecaster.\n\nBeing part of the Latinx community means being part of a large and diverse family that shares similar values while celebrating our cultural differences. We come from different places with different foods, music, accents, and customs, but there is something that unifies us at our core. Our values, passions, and experiences as immigrants or children of immigrants in the U.S. are what bring us together. Family is one of the core values of the Latinx community, and we stand by each other, growing stronger because of it.\n\nAgustina's culture and lived experiences have played a significant role in shaping who she is today. Argentinian culture has influenced her values, perspective, and the way she builds relationships. Her experience with immigration has led her on an identity-defining journey, where she has surrounded herself with other Latinx immigrants and learned about their cultures. Her household now reflects a mix of Mexican and Argentinean cultures, with breakfasts of quesadillas and Sunday parrilladas. She embraces her culture both on and off TikTok, sharing it through music, food, and inviting friends to soccer watch parties at the Cafe Argentino in Brooklyn.\n\nThe TikTok community has inspired Agustina to be her most authentic self and celebrate her cultural differences and similarities. As an immigrant, she used to try to assimilate as much as possible, but TikTok has taught her not to lose herself in that process. For example, she used to be self-conscious about her accent and initially made videos without voice. However, her audience encouraged her to provide more context for each trend, and their support and appreciation for her accent helped her overcome her fears.\n\nOne of Agustina's proudest creations is the subversive basics video. Instead of simply labeling design elements as trends, she explained the cultural context behind them and named the trend "subversive basics." She also used this opportunity to showcase rising Latinx fashion design talent, featuring Clarissa Larrazabal, whose designs sold out in just three days. The subversive basics trend gained attention from major news publications like Hypebeast and Refinery29.\n\nAgustina's advice to other creators is to not be afraid to use their voice. She herself had been afraid to use her voice due to fear of prosecution during the previous administration. However, the TikTok community helped her gain courage and realize that she has the right to be heard. She encourages all Latinx creators to speak up and show their light.\n\nSome Latinx creators that Agustina recommends following are hellotefi, foreverurmuse, ricotaquito, and shiadanni. These creators contribute to the diverse and vibrant Latinx community on TikTok.