Liberal Youth Ministry Balances Past, Present and Future
A conversation with brand founder Antonio Zaragoza ahead of LYM’s FW 24 “IGOR” collection launch.
Mexican brand Liberal Youth Ministry never ceases to surprise, balancing its singular version with a tasteful embrace of select trends. The brand is leaning into its iconic retro references and steering clear of the modern — think heraldic shields, dragons, wizards, and those jerseys from the ’80s and ’90s. Founder Antonio Zaragoza’s vision has drove the brand to unexpected heights, so we caught up with him to dive into his new collection, IGOR FW24, and see what’s been brewing creatively since their last show in Paris.
LYM’s presentation in Paris last year got a great reception from fans and the media alike. That show felt like a moment of arrival — how have things been since then?
It was definitely a monumental event in the brand’s history and in my career. Since then, I’ve tasked myself with restructuring the brand both creatively and business-wise, understanding the place of each creative ambition and generating a consistent discourse in each aspect of the brand. The show in Paris definitely opened the door for many projects that I am working on now. It took 10 years to get to that moment in Paris, and in a few years I want to be a permanent fixture at Paris Fashion Week.
You’ve also done some non-physical presentations of the latest collections. Why have you taken this direction, and what benefits does it bring to the brand?
The benefits of this approach manifest in an artistic/controlled sense. When I say that, I mean that the projection of the character I’m working on in the collection is presented cinematically, in an environment created from the artistic context of the character and collection. That allows me to present all the conceptual details in my garments through the photos and videos that I make myself.
Though you do that yourself, the brand is no stranger to collaborations. What’s your criteria for a collaborative partner?
Each collaboration is born from an idea transformed into an aesthetic discourse consistent with LYM. For the partnership to be generated, an aesthetic and energetic issue must be added. These are the 2 concepts that I gravitate towards with each project.
There’s a lot of Guadalajaraian pride in the designs. What’s behind this?
Here the brand was born, here the brand lies, here the brand is created and here the brand is produced, it is something that simple and I enjoy.
In the next few years I will work on creating a LYM satellite studio in Los Angeles.
You’ve experimented with trends like blokecore through your jersey designs. What trends do you see on the horizon?
Serendipitously, I designed the brand’s first jerseys 5 years ago with the need to propose an aesthetic to which I feel very attracted. That was a long time before they became the microtrend that it is today, so I am not a person who follows or sees trends. My work with the brand is to project and create garments from deep feelings in myself and on other occasions from artistic movements to which I gravitate very strongly.
How do you decide the direction of the campaigns for each collection? (Styling, models, location, mood, photographer, videographer, etc.)
I’ve been making styling, video and photography for my collections for the last five years now. This was a decision I made based on having total control of the final image and projecting my creative desires in the most poetic and direct way possible. I find this exercise a practical practice. and an artistic discourse that allows me to expose myself in a complete way. Everything is part of the discourse and history of each collection, in IGOR (FW24) I talked about the anti-hero, Goblin (SS25) I talked about the rebel character in mutation, etc.
What’s next for the brand?
This month is the launch of my IGOR FW24 collection worldwide. In September I will do a personal exhibition of an artistic nature.For the rest of the year, there are 2 collaborations coming up — about which I will give more information very soon.
