Marcos Morales

Marcos Morales

Meet Marcos (he/they) 

Marcos Gabriel Morales Gutiérrez is a Xicanx artist who was raised by people of Michoacán, Mexico in Okolona, Louisville, Kentucky. Primarily a fabric artist, Marcos also dabbles in poetry, dance, and photography. Marcos’ work expresses their lived experience as a first-generation child of immigrant parents and their journey and practice of remembering their ancestral roots through story and fashion. Marcos started designing clothes in 2012 when his mother taught him how to stitch and use her sewing machine. Since then, Marcos has come out with three clothing collections, Warriors of the Here & Now (2016), TRIQUER0 (2020) and most recently AFL0RAR (2022). Overall, Marcos’ work can be found at the intersection of clothing upcycling, expression of cultural lived experiences, and fashion futurism.     

Marcos’ Project 

Marcos’ work will focus on the oral history collection of five individuals who have lived the majority of their lives in Okolona, Louisville, Kentucky. These oral histories will focus on preserving family history, livelihood, loss of land/immigration, and lived experiences. The oral histories will then be honored through a technique developed by Marcos which is called ‘R0PAMEM,’ which is defined as the practice of clothing that carries memory. This technique will be used to upcycle a jacket that will house an interchangeable fabric patch, which will then house 5 quilted pieces. Each piece will attempt to capture the essence of each oral history interview through photos, embroidery, reflective sew-on tape, and other fabric/clothing materials. See the photos for a visual on this technique.