Such an essential part of the rave culture involves the fashion that makes it so unique from every other music scene. Mimicking the immense positivity and happiness found at shows, colors and light radiate from the bodies of smiling attendees everywhere. Girls can be seen prancing around festival grounds in anything from hand-crafted bras and tutus to mesh tops paired with pasties and cheeky bottoms. Without knowing the ins and outs of rave culture, an outsider to the scene would probably find our styles to be peculiar.

The acceptance of such wild and unique style displays the love, creativity and acceptance embodied by ravers everywhere. There aren't many places where someone can dress as freely as they’d like without fearing the judgement and even harassment from their peers. For women, being able to attend a rave or festival and have the freedom to wear as much or as little clothing as they desire is one of the most liberating parts of the entire experience. The fact that our culture has given people a comfortable place to practice self-expression at a massive scale  within a world of judgement is something our generation should be proud of!

Many online-based stores have popped up all over the internet and even social media, catering to the fashion needs of ravers all across the U.S. and other nations. One of the shops that caught my eye is Mi Gente Clothing, a hand-made Etsy shop created and ran by Esabelle Herrera in Southern Florida. She sells a variety of women’s clothing from halter tops made of mesh, velvet and rainbow fur, to hooded tops, bandanas and kimonos! I’ve been following her work for quite a few months now, and I’m always pleased to frequently see her new designs popping up on my Instagram feed. Using all the colors of the rainbow, each of her products are unique from the many others I’ve seen attempting to cater such bold clothing for the masses. She also offers custom work if any buyers have an idea they would love to see come to life!

Whereas many competitors of Mi Gente Clothing tend to all produce the same styles recycled into new colors and patterns, Mi Gente has produced several new styles just in the past few months that have definitely grabbed the public’s attention! Some of my personal favorites include the Furry Heart Scandal Halter and the Dreamscape 2.0 Hologram Halter in Vneck. I’ve also ordered my own purple velvet hooded halter from Herrera’s store, which I hold very near and dear to my heart! If you are looking to spice up your wardrobe and want to make sure you stand out in a crowd, then Mi Gente Clothing is the perfect fit for you!

I recently made contact with the lovely Esabelle to ask for her inspirations behind Mi Gente and what she hopes to bring to our beloved rave culture:

“My inspiration for creating the store was during college when I began to make my own alterations to clothing to wear to festivals. I had to improvise back then! Outfits to an event or festival have always been a big deal to me. I would plan months in advance just trying to pick the PERFECT outfit.  As I continued, I became more creative. I went from altering clothes, to rave bras, to making my own clothing. It's really fun for me because it doesn't feel like work. I'm in my own world and anything I want to see come to life, I try to make it happen. It was last year around Ultra when I tried searching everywhere for halter tops that were made from holographic materials or shiny glittery ones. I told myself I'm gonna make it happen because I couldn't seem to locate any. That's when I bought a sewing machine and slowly began to make them. It took me a while to get them how I wanted, but it eventually worked out well. It's so fulfilling to be able to create something with your own two hands and have someone wear it and absolutely love it. The praise I get for my work is just incredible. Those girls make me feel like a queen. What I hope to bring to the rave culture is originality and self expression. I want these girls (and guys) to feel confident and beautiful in my rave wear. I want them to walk into a music festival and feel like they have the best outfit there. Outfits to festivals are so important to me; and to MANY people. They always have been. It's our one chance to dress out of the social norm and be whoever we want. Whether that be an alien, a space cadet, a fairy...doesn't matter. It diversifies us from other communities and makes us who we are. I think that's important and as the rave culture evolves, so will our style. But we will always have that creative and vibrant spirit, that's what I love.”

Photos from @ajnaphotos Check her out on Instagram