Show Your Roots Collective #2

César A. Cordero Sánchez - PUERTO RICO

Cesar was also the only person of this collective to choose his own shoot location. We met at midnight at the corner of Grand and Mott street where he showed me the location of his first apartment in New York; the only place he ever felt at home since he moved from Puerto Rico. It was a nostalgic moment and I’m happy I got to be a participant in reliving the strong emotional attachment he has to that intersection.

It’s a rare occasion to catch Cesar in a bad mood. But don’t let his dashing smile fool you; he’s one tough cookie. Cordero Sánchez moved to the States from Puerto Rico three years ago to be with his ex-boyfriend, but he made sure to bring a few pieces from home with him. A former surfer, Cordero Sánchez was used to living in clothing from Hurley. His limited edition Hurley Tron Legacy Hoodie was a high school impulse buy. “I'm an impulsive person, whatever I want I usually get, and my father wouldn't get it for me. I was in high school, I think 11th grade, so I just took out a credit card at PacSun and I bought it! Even though I don't have credit to this day, it is the BEST thing I have ever purchased” he says.

His Hurley obsession continued throughout his lifetime, so much to the point that he used to sleep in one of his twenty nine Hurley swim trunks. When he met his ex-boyfriend, this was a pet peeve and Cesar finally gave in and stole a pair of pajama pants from him and declared them his own in order to appease his love. “They're a sense of comfort for me and it makes me feel like I have something”, he states, “in a way, it makes me feel like I still have him, like he's still a part of my life, and that means a lot because he was the guy that I moved to the States to be with. I kind of feel like I owe everything to him. He broke me down, but he also built me”. In return for his cooperation, his ex gifted Cordero Sánchez with a pair of Nike Sneakers when he went to Puerto Rico to work with the brand. “This was the first gift that I'd received from someone who actually mattered” he says. “Now, I didn't know that you're supposed to wear snow boots in the snow, so I was like oh okay, I'll wear these. I’ve had these sneakers for almost five years and I am horrible at buying shoes, and then I wear them until they die; these shoes stink”, he comments, laughing. He’s made a promise to me to buy new sneakers shortly after this piece comes out, but I know this pair will always be in his closet. Cesar was also the only person of this collective to choose his own shoot location. We met at midnight at the corner of Grand and Mott street where he showed me the location of his first apartment in New York; the only place he ever felt at home since he moved from Puerto Rico. It was a nostalgic moment and I’m happy I got to be a participant in reliving the strong emotional attachment he has to that intersection.

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