US electro-pop artist Empress Of aka Lorely Rodriguez has joined forces with L.A. fashion brand Kids of Immigrants to create a special hoodie to raise funds for Border Angels, a non-profit agency providing shelter, legal advice and basic provisions including food and clothes to migrants and asylum seekers from South American countries attempting to gain access to America via the Mexican border in the face of increased hostility from President Trump’s border forces.
The I Don’t Smoke Weed singer and Kids of Immigrants founders Daniel Buezo and Weleh Dennis bonded over their shared Honduran heritage and were keen to help make the situation on the ground better for the people on the ground.
The simple grey hoodie the trio have chosen to collaborate on has a simple message that “love has no borders.” A message that will no doubt resonate with people all-over the world in the current political climate.
All proceeds from sales of the hoodie and donations to their Go Fund Me page will go towards building a new wing at the Border Angels shelter in Tijuana.
Empress of has often spoken publicly of her admiration for the hard-working example set by her mother and other South American migrant families she grew up with. Something which is evident in her approach to collaborating with artists of varied styles such as Blood Orange, Khalid, Dirty Projectors and MØ.
Empress Of’s second album ‘Us’ was a major step forwards for the artist and she followed it up last month with a top-notch re-imagining of one of its standout tracks When I’m With Him with Perfume Genius. Don’t miss your chance to see Empress Of live, when the European leg of her world tour concludes in Whelan’s on March 28th.
Empress Of plays Whelan’s on March 28th. Tickets €18.75.