<p><em>L'Officiel Philippines</em> pauses for a chat with Caballes, the Filipino-Canadian designer behind bespoke label Denim Dealer.</p>

<p>Gian Caballes, also known as G, is the Filipino-Canadian designer behind bespoke label Denim Dealer, and he most certainly has a honed eye for his textile of choice. It's the most egalitarian of fabrics: denim, with its unending versatility, presents as the kind of medium that's forever shapeshifting. The brand specializes in the distressing, reworking, and rebuilding of garments, the intricacies of which have become central to Caballes' craft.</p>
<p>"I see denim as a universal language," Caballes tells <em>L'Officiel Philippines</em>. "No matter who you&rsquo;re asking, anywhere in the world...they may not even speak the same language but I can guarantee you they know what jeans are. It's kind of like the idea of a stop sign or a stick figure. Anyone and everyone at any age wears it. You can dress it up or dress it down. It looks as good fresh out the factory as it does with 10 years of daily wear."</p>
<p>Following a one-day exhibit at Annex House in Poblacion, we pause for a chat with Caballes about the personal narrative behind his work.</p>

<h4>How did your brand begin? What are your dreams for it?&nbsp;</h4>
<p>I found my passion for design in my university dorm. It was early 2019. Through other friends, I was linked up with a likeminded mutual, Stefan, who I keep close to this day. We were in school for programs completely unrelated to fashion or design, but we shared the same favorite designers and artists. Fast forward and found ourselves scouring Japanese auction sites for clothes to resell and keep. As we built on that, we were always bouncing around ideas on how we&rsquo;d design clothes ourselves&mdash;eventually, we started by reworking our own clothes. Stefan already owned a sewing machine, while I went ahead and bought my own. From there, Stefan continued to build his brand, and I gave clothing design a try. In 2020, right before the pandemic was about to shut down all the schools, I sold my first garment to a client in Los Angeles. At that point, I decided to go all in. I'm forever thankful to have an incredibly supportive inner circle that has always shared my work; as the [brand] expanded, online friends connected me with potential clients around the world. Ever since then, I haven&rsquo;t looked back.</p>

<h4>What do you love about denim? What fascinates you about it?</h4>
<p>Everyone has their own unique perspective on it, so it makes for the perfect bespoke garment fabric and wearable art medium.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It brings me peace knowing my all creations are sustainable, both environmentally and within the market. I don't and won&rsquo;t mass produce. The best part is that there is also an endless supply of high quality vintage American and Japanese denim floating around, because nothing beats the level of character in old, worn-in denim.</p>

<h4>So how do you source your denims? What's the most interesting piece you've found?</h4>
<p>I work with middlemen friends that curate some of the most unique vintage clothing that date back to the 1930s. From the base material to the patch materials, everything is thoughtfully selected.</p>
<h4>Your favorite client so far? What did you make for that person?</h4>
<p>My favourite project so far was a poncho jacket I made for my friend Ruiz. He had the initial vision of a hooded denim jacket&mdash;it was a unique request, so I figured we could elevate it for him by integrating a personal touch. We came together with the final vision of reworking a vintage poncho from his favorite Colombian football team into the jacket.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Another favorite piece of mine were these carpenter pants I customized for my friend Franz, who's the bassist of the band Turnstile. This comission was interesting because he knew exactly what he wanted. He mailed over his favorite vintage carpenter pants to rework and wanted the design inspiration to come from his favorite album. I enjoyed every part of the creation process. Everything was free-flowing. I delivered his revived garment to him right before his show in Toronto, and he ended up performing in them.</p>

<h4>What's your creation process like? I imagine it's a multi-step thing, and also largely depends on the person you're creating for.</h4>
<p>I feel like I only take on projects if the person I&rsquo;m creating for either comes to me with a very specific vision or if we&rsquo;re friends. I can only create something meaningful if the client shares a piece of their story, or if I know my client enough for me to create something I know they&rsquo;d appreciate.</p>

<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Contact Denim Dealer via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/denimdealerr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>.</em></p>

Jean Pool: Meet Gian Caballes of Denim Dealer

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