This article was originally published by i-D México. Andrés Mañón takes his time thinking about the intricate scenes where his subjects pose for his camera. The 23-year-old photographer and Mexico City native shows us his friends in all their colorful splendor, while they tell us how they live in the capital on their own terms. “If I’m with my friends, I can feel at home anywhere; they give me that security. If Mexico City doesn’t offer something, try to get it yourself, through your own channels.” Illustrators, designers, models, photographers — enter the world of Andrés Mañón and dive into the heart of the city through his images.
Jovan Israel, 26, Illustrator
How did you meet Andrés?
On the Internet.
Who’d you like to be your friend in real life?
Salma Hayek.
What do you and your friends like to do when you’re together?
Cross-dress, eat, dance, smoke, have a good time, make things together.
Where’s the best nightlife in Mexico City?
Wherever you want; there are many places in the city where you can have a great time. The key is that you feel safe.
If you were an animated character, who would you be?
Daria, but without hair.
The best place to go out to eat after a late-night party?
Casa de Toño.
What’s your favorite party?
Mami Slut.
What’s a piece of art that you’d steal for yourself?
I wouldn’t steal art.
If your closet had clothes by only one designer and you didn’t have to pay for it, whose clothes would you have?
Sánchez-Kane.
What movie has the best soundtrack?
Violet Perfume: No One Is Listening.
Do you have a personal motto?
I don’t know — does ‘to flow’ count as a personal motto?
Natalia, 20, Designer
How did you meet Andrés?
He’s a friend of friends of mine and I wrote him on Instagram because I wanted to make a fashion film with him.
What does friendship mean to you?
‘Friendship is something that settles in the soul; it doesn’t go away.’ — Laura Pausini
Who would you like to be friends with in real life?
Paris Hilton.
What do you like to do with your friends when you get together?
Play with sand at Oxxo.
If you got married, who would play at your wedding?
[The group] La banda limón.
Where can you have the best night out in Mexico City?
At the Cuore Hotel.
If you were an animated character, who would you be?
SpongeBob.
What’s your favorite party?
My party.
What’s the anthem of 2017?
The National Anthem.
A piece of art you’d steal for yourself.
‘La estela de la luz,’ [a massive sculpture built for the 2010 Mexican bicentennial]
If your closet had clothes by only one designer and you didn’t have to pay for it, whose clothes would they be?
Demna Gvasalia.
What movie has the best soundtrack?
Spy Kids.
Do you have a life motto?
Smoking kills.
Samuel Guerrero, 20, Art Student
What does friendship mean to you?
Friendship means having a lot of trust, empathy, and those sorts of things, in common; like a relationship, but without XXX.
Who would you like to be friends with in real life?
I’d like to be friends with some eccentric Russian millionaire, an illuminati, or some secret government agent.
What do you like to do with your friends when you get together?
Come up with projects, mix, tattoo ourselves, go to the pre- and after-parties, and, of course, just talk, see random things online, check Instagram, take photos, go out at night in the city, etc.
Where can you have the best night out in the city?
There’s definitely no specific place, but what I can tell you is that if there’s an event with a real cool line-up and in a cool place, you’ll see a side of the city that’s not easy to see or find.
What movie character has the best style?
Neo.
What’s the anthem of 2017?
I think it was Resurrection by Dinamarca.
What’s a piece of art you’d steal for yourself?
I’d steal The Black Sheep With Golden Horns by Damien Hirst.
If your closet had clothes by only one designer and you didn’t have to pay for it, whose clothes would they be?
Y/Project.
What’s your favorite novel?
El Francotirador Paciente (The Sniper Bides His Time) by Arturo Pérez-Reverte.
Do you have a life motto?
My motto in life is to never take anything for granted.
Gabriela, Photographer
How did you meet Andrés?
I saw his work on Instagram.
What does friendship mean to you?
Friendship is friend.
What do you and your friends like to do when you get together?
Take a lot of photos, dance, eat, smoke, hang out…
If you got married, who would play at your wedding?
That’s not going to happen.
Where can you experience the best night out in Mexico City?
In my bedroom, of course.
If you were an animated character, who would you be?
How embarrassing that I can only think of Disney, but Megara [from Hercules].
Favorite dessert?
I miss jericalla [a flan that’s a traditional dessert in Guadalajara].
Favorite novel?
Tropic of Cancer.
What movie has the best soundtrack?
I know it’s super old, but I like the soundtrack of Drive.
Luis Alfredo Castañeda, 25, Designer and Housewife
How did you meet Andrés?
At school.
Who would you like to be friends with in real life?
With Evy Reds.
What do you like to do when you get together with your friends?
Pretend that we’re pop stars.
If you got married, who would play at your wedding?
Sonido Cóndor or Róisín Murphy.
Where can you have the best night out in Mexico City?
La Covacha, on Bucareli.
Which movie character has the best style?
Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) in The Man Who Fell To Earth.
If you were an animated character, who would you be?
Sponge Bob.
What’s your favorite party?
One where they serve chicken with mole and rice.
What’s the anthem of 2017?
The devotion with which [La Montra] sings ‘qué perra mi amiga’ (‘what a bitch, girlfriend’ in English).
What’s your favorite tattoo?
t.A.t.U.
A piece of art you’d steal for yourself.
The Articulated Wall by Herbert Bayer.
If your closet had clothes by only one designer and you didn’t have to pay for it, whose clothes would they be?
David Mendez Alonso (Outsiders Division).
Favorite novel?
María la del Barrio [a Mexican telenovela produced in the 90s].
Marva, Fashion Designer
How did you meet Andrés?
Social media.
What does friendship mean to you?
Friendship is friends.
Who would you like to be friends with in real life?
Eva Rojas.
What do you like to do with your friends when you get together?
Cook, gossip, watch movie series, dance, laugh a lot, etc.
If you got married, who would play at your wedding?
Bad Gyal.
What movie character has the best style?
Iris from Taxi Driver… I don’t know if it’s the best, but I like it a lot.
What’s the anthem of 2017?
The word ‘baby.’