How 19Twelve Clothing Co. showcases New Mexico culture through locally designed threads

Albuquerque artist Fred Franco vividly remembers the chills he felt as a kid when his uncle would pick him and his cousins up for an ice cream trip that would always turn into a late-night storytime about La Llorona by the river in Roswell.

He also remembers the comfort he felt when he was sick, as his grandmother rubbed Vicks VapoRub on his chest and feet, and wrapped him up like a burrito in a blanket.

These are the stories, traditions and memories that Franco says set New Mexico apart, which he aims to capture in his creations at 19Twelve Clothing Co., a local apparel business with locations in Old Town and the Albuquerque International Sunport.

“I’ve lived all kinds of different places, and there’s nowhere like New Mexico,” Franco said. “This shop is a blend of my roots of Hispanic culture — the food, the stories we tell our kids or that we were told when we were little, and just all the things that New Mexico has to offer.”

Franco opened 19Twelve, formerly Born & Raised Clothing Co., in Old Town’s Plaza Don Luis at 303 Romero NW in late 2024, following a two-year stint at The ABQ Collective on Eubank Boulevard.

T-shirts, windbreakers, beanies, ballcaps, hoodies and socks with New Mexico expressions and symbols, including the Zia, bigfoot, chile, yucca and roadrunner, are just some of what customers can find at 19Twelve. All of the shop’s products are designed by Franco and largely printed in-house.

The rebrand to 19Twelve — inspired by the year that New Mexico achieved statehood and a desire to reach more people — took place last year, just in time for the business’ September 2025 launch at the Sunport.

19Twelve was one of nine local businesses recently selected to participate in the Ascend ABQ program, part of the Sunport’s Dream of Flight initiative aimed at transforming the terminal experience with New Mexico offerings by allowing small and family businesses to operate kiosks and units in the airport.

The business is also currently in talks with Coronado Center about operating a space there.

“It’s amazing,” Franco said of 19Twelve’s growth. “My son actually asked me yesterday — because I’m showing him graphic design, so he’s on the computer drawing and designing stuff — he asked me, ‘What is your dream job?’ And I said, ‘I’m doing my dream job.’”

Franco’s journey into graphic design started nearly 10 years ago when he was working at T-Mobile and spending his breaks drawing. One day, his boss took notice and encouraged Franco to produce murals for the company. Murals eventually turned into graphic design when his boss bought him a computer, and the company hired him at the corporate level.

“They started showing me how to do apparel, and I met all these manufacturers, and I was like, ‘OK, I know what I’m doing. I know how to do this now. I think I should do this on my own,’” Franco recalled.

He gave his boss a year’s notice, wanting to take time to build and test the venture before jumping in because he has a family. He launched the business through local art markets, igniting a buzz that simply “took off from there,” Franco said.

With help from his wife and two children, Franco quickly became known in local markets as “the hat guy,” displaying about 150 hat designs on a small booth.

“We’re really known for our headwear,” Franco said. “We design it, make it, produce it, manufacture it, print it in our shop — AKA garage — and straight to people’s homes.”

Headwear is still a big part of 19Twelve and its retail presence. Franco spent much of January — during which the business had reduced hours — creating dozens of leather add-ons with a variety of logos that customers can choose for the shop to punch onto a beanie in the color of their choice.

“As an artist, I really love that,” Franco said of the customization option, which he said has been a hit among customers. “I love to be able to share the artistic aspect of it and let people have a hand in designing their own pieces.”

Franco also recently purchased a laser engraver so that he can offer customization for the shop’s 120 different “fancy hats,” or fedoras — a service he plans to launch before Valentine’s Day, he said. Franco thinks the fancy hat customization will appeal to several of the tourists that make up the Old Town shop’s customer base.

Like many other local tourist-centric businesses, last year was slow for Franco’s business. He’s not entirely sure what to expect this year but said he is hopeful that the business will continue to grow and innovate despite whatever challenges lie ahead.

19Twelve had amassed roughly 47,000 online orders and upward of 300,000 total credit card transactions through January. But after more than a decade of creating, Franco said the feeling of seeing someone wear his work still doesn’t get old.

“Every day, I get to draw what I want, and people wear it,” Franco said. “We see people all over the country wearing our stuff. As an artist, that is awesome.”

Beyond cool designs, Franco hopes his business serves as a vessel for people to learn about New Mexico culture and carry it forward. All of the shop’s shirts that display the Zia symbol come with a patch that shares the symbol’s meaning and ties to Zia Pueblo.

The shop isn’t all serious, Franco said, stating it wouldn’t be abnormal for customers to walk in on a breakdance session at the Old Town store.

“The other day, we had people that came in, and we did slam poetry in here. I’ve had kids come in and breakdance,” Franco said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on; if we have customers in here, I’ll be like, ‘Do you mind? We’re going to do a breakdance session real quick.’ If I have an outlet to show what our city offers, I just want to do that.”

Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.