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Kids Of Immigrants And Buchanan’s Scotch Whisky Are Celebrating The ‘200%er’ Experience

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LA-based brand and collective Kids of Immigrants is redefining the first-generation American experience through creative collaboration and community building. Their current partnership with Buchanan's Scotch Whisky celebrates the unique "200%er" experience as those who are one hundred percent Immigrant and one hundred percent American, with the arrival of their new "What Glory We Are" capsule collection. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the Buchanan’s x Kids of Immigrants collection will benefit LA-based non-profit No Us Without You, which has committed to feeding the immigrant community in LA. 

Kids of Immigrants was cofounded by Daniel Buezo and Weleh Dennis, who were inspired by their roots, environments, and life experiences. Buezo and Dennis are first-generation Americans and established the name from what united them and what makes this country, we are all immigrants. 

Kids of Immigrants is a movement to recognize that we are all cut from different fabrics but together make a whole.

Daniel Buezo and Weleh Dennis sat for an interview with For(bes) The Culture regarding their Buchanan’s x Kids of Immigrants collection "The Glory We Are". This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. 

For(bes)The Culture: How did this partnership with Buchanan's Scotch Whisky come about?

Daniel Buezo: The collaboration came together organically, understanding that we were doing something bigger than ourselves. For us, coming together with a company like Buchanan's and telling them about our community and what's important to our community was very important. It has been a lot of fun to create this capsule collection with a company like Buchanan's. To be able to put together the "What Glory We Are" capsule collection together, they supported not only us but an organization like No Us Without You.

For(bes)The Culture: All proceeds from the What Glory We Are capsule collection will go to No Us Without You. What makes this organization special to you and why do you support their mission and work? 

Daniel Buezo: Supporting grassroots organizations is important to us. We've been working with No Us Without You for almost two years, and they have become friends and sort of like family to the brand. We've seen their growth from helping twenty to thirty families to now, supporting about one thousand families a week through their initiatives. Together with people we believe in, we are doing what we can with what we have. For Buchanan's to be a part of this and support us, this is a collaboration that we're proud of.

For(bes) The Culture: What is a "200%er?" 

Daniel Buezo: We have a quote that we've used since day one, and it's "we're all made from different fabrics, but together we make a whole." It's a combination of different things that is synonymous with our message of being a kid of an immigrant and American. We are a brand and tribe of people who have come from different places around the world. We respect what makes us different and celebrate what makes us the same.

Weleh Dennis: I love the idea of not being a fifty-fifty thing. One hundred percent of me is my family and heritage, while one hundred percent is my experiences living in America. It feels more limitless, which is why I love the term. 

For(bes) The Culture: How can first-generation Americans lead that charge on uplifting underrepresented immigrant communities?

Daniel Buezo: That is what the mission of Kids Of Immigrants is all about. We are creating our own narrative of what it is to be Hispanic. I grew up in New York, so to be Latino in New York, there wasn't a lot of Honduran representation in pop culture. I hope kids that come from my background get that representation. That's what Kids Of Immigrants do. We did this to represent something that we saw that was missing. As individuals, that's what we do and as a collective. We hope to inspire so that when kids see the name, they can recognize themselves in it and be empowered.  

Weleh Dennis: Diversity is the key to life. Understanding there is a connecting factor in terms of the ethnic background. But, I also think it's simultaneously diversifying like what it even means to be a kid of an immigrant. When you can acknowledge the diversity within cultures, it allows other people to connect outside of skin tone or language. You connect to what moves and motivates people. I would love for every culture to diversify what it means to be what you are.

The Buchanan’s Scotch Whiskey X Kids Of Immigrants "What Glory We Are" capsule collection is available for purchase now.

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