Latina-Owned Bella Doña Featured in New “Mean Girls” Film

L.A. based and Latina-owned brand Bella Doña made an appearance in the musical Mean Girls. The film adaptation of the Broadway musical version of the original 2004 film Mean Girls follows Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) as she navigates the social circles and cliques of high school. The surprise came for Bella Doña when one of their sweatshirts made its way to the big screen. While they were not aware of their feature in the film, they were appreciative as well as flooded by comments and direct messages supporting their work being featured in such a big film. The sweatshirt—which was donned by actress and singer Renee Rapp in her role as Regina George—is from the “Las Dramáticas Club” collection that features the “Dramatica” text as well as the imagery of the muses of tragedy and comedy.

“We’re so excited to see our Dramática Varsity Sweater on the big screen!! It really speaks volumes about who was in the room and helping make decisions behind the scenes,” co-founder LaLa Romero tells HipLatina. “Tons of approvals were needed to get Regina’s outfit greenlit & it feels great knowing Latinos are taking up space! We know there is still a long way to go with getting more Latina representation in film, fashion, tv & beyond but we also want to celebrate this moment!” 

Bella Doña was co-founded in 2013 by LaLa Romero and Natalia Durazo, best friends who share roots as Chicanas and in Los Angeles. The work of Bella Doña is rooted in the idea of “sisterhood, motherhood, and neighborhood”, spaces that center women and the city they love. From hoops to La Virgen de Guadalupe, Bella Doña centers the symbols that tie Latinas to their community and culture and They unapologetically create space for women of color who are often subject to their style and culture being appropriated. They’ve developed a strong following of more than 432K who feel connected to their homegirl ideology and chola aesthetic. It’s unclear how the sweater ended up getting selected but Arturo Perez Jr. is the Mexican co-director of the film and Bebe Wood, who is of Cuban heritage, stars as Gretchen Wieners and Auliʻi Cravalho, who is of Puerto Rican descent, as Janis Sarkisian. It could also have been a selection from the costume director considering how well the message matches the character.

Seeing jefas in the Latina community featured on the big screen is a huge win in representation and in appreciation of the work that they have put in their business over the years. This appearance in the film opens the doors for other jefas out there to continue the work they do and for people to recognize the talent of Latinas.

“This is just a lil message from the Universe that anything can happen when you put your blinders on, ignore the naysayers, stand by your creativity & dreams – SO KEEP GOING!!,” they wrote in the caption of their Instagram post. “It sounds so cliche, but you guys have seen us navigate this brand from day 1, rt here in front of your eyes, our main ingredients have been our community & resilience! No matter how many no’s we got (and absolutely still get) we keep going!! It’s always been about building our own table, with y’all, so we all have a place to sit, rest, cry & dream!!”