Street fighters

Somewhere across the Atlantic, there is a movement brewing. Where our singers are making waves in TV shows abroad, our couture designers are being worn by top model-smizer Tyra Banks, our boxers are becoming the kings of the ring, and our cuisine is being recognized as the next big thing, there is a group of street wear designers who have been constantly hustlin’ and doin’ their thing — putting their own stamp on clothing labels whose hem and haw trace back to the motherland.

Born on the streets of California, leading streetwear brands Crooks & Castles, Hellz Bellz, BotB, GPPR and Illest are finding East-to-West acclaim and are being worn on the backs of Kanye West, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, among many others. Lanie Alabanza-Barcena, mastermind behind Hellz Bellz and BotB, shares, “If you look behind the scenes of the leading streetwear brands, they’re all Filipino. Almost every brand has a Filipino designer behind it.” Emil Soriano of Crooks & Castle shares, “The best graffiti artists, the best DJs, the best break dancers are of Filipino descent.”  

Crooks & Castle’s Dennis Calvero thinks there’s something in the water but we all know for a fact that success stories in America aren’t served on a platter. At the launch of Trilogy at the New Glorietta Activity Center, Young STAR caught up with these Pinoy OGs and talked about music, family, and why there’s no such thing as racism when talent is the only standard.

YOUNG STAR: Tell us a lil’ something about your brand.

LANIE ALABANZA-BARCENA (Hellz Bellz): I have a brand called Hellz Bellz. It’s a women’s street contemporary brand. We started it in 2005. The premise of the brand is it’s for girls who have a love for streetwear but aren’t looking for something overly feminine or too cute. It’s very edgy — in your face.

BAM BARCENA (GPPR): I have a menswear brand called GPPR, which stands for “gentleman, philosopher, pervert, rebel.” It started in 2010 and it was kind of my creative outlet to do men’s clothing while I was working with Lanie on Hellz Bellz.

LANIE: He wanted clothes to wear too! (Laughs)

EMIL SORIANO (Crooks & Castles): Crooks & Castles is a brand out of Los Angeles, California. And it’s been around since 2002. The brand has been progressing, and now, it’s here in the Philippines — in the homeland. We’re a brand that’s a band of brothers.  

MARK ARCENAL (Illest): Illest is a brand where I can just create and be free. It’s also a word that a lot of people can relate to. They want everything they do to be “ill,” being the best you could possibly be.

What’s in a name?

BAM: Funny thing, GPPR was just all the elements that represented my friends and I. One day we want to be dapper and wear a tie, the next, we want to listen to punk and be a rebel. Pervert is something that happens every day. (Laughs) They either love it, or hate it.

LANIE: There’s an AC/DC song called Hells Bells, and there’s a lyric there that says, “Cause if good’s on the left, then I’m sticking to the right.” That’s always kind of been my philosophy behind the brand — to be off the path.

DENNIS CALVERO (Crooks & Castles): When I was designing one time, I was listening to a song by the group Camp Lo in ’99. And they kept shouting, “Crooks, can’t stop the crooks!” And somehow, castles just popped in my head. I thought it had a good duality. And obviously, behind every castle, there’s a crook that had to do something to get his empire.

MARK: I listen to a lot of Nas and Notorious B.I.G. They always use “ill.” And when I was working in Nike, I said, “I want to have a shirt that says ‘illest’ on it.” And that kind of just took off.

Where do you get inspiration for your designs?

LANIE: We’re always stuck in the office — so it’s everyday things. It could be a conversation I have with you, or somebody else, or if I’m people-watching, and I see something somebody has on. A majority of it is experiencing new cultures and through my travels. I’m always inspired when I go to Tokyo.

BAM: For me, I would say music really inspires my design. I’d go through phases when I’d be really into a band. I’d study the way they dress — like for example, The Clash. I’d go rent a video, look at the books, see the outfits, and see what I can apply to my collection. As for cities, I think Barcelona was amazing. And New York is a constant inspiration.

DENNIS: Everything that’s street-related — rap culture, skateboarding, being in the gang culture in the early ‘90s.

EMIL: Brands became the way out. So you talk about people who’d still be selling drugs on the streets, and we basically employ these guys, and now they’re not on the streets. It’s a blessing from God — turning a negative into a positive.

MARK: I go to Japan a lot. It’s the architecture — that was my background in college. And the little details, everything is about details there.

When was that moment you felt that you were doing something right?

LANIE: It was a season or two after I started the brand and I saw Beyoncé wearing my stuff. When I worked with Jay-Z, I gave him a package to give to her. I didn’t think he was going to give it but he did, and she was photographed wearing it!

BAM: I’ve always wanted to be in the Japanese market. And when I got in, and I was in all the magazines, I was like, check mark!

DENNIS: Seeing Jay-Z and Kanye and all the likes of Rick Ross and Drake genuinely gravitating towards the brand and us not paying them to wear it…

MARK: If I get to see my brand on a Formula One racecar, that would be a milestone! Or if Brad Pitt wore an Illest shirt. (Laughs)

Finally, what mantra do you guys live by?

LANIE: If you don’t grind, you’ll fall behind. I gotta always be on my toes, and never be complacent.

BAM: Work smart, not hard. You can work as hard as you can but if you’re not doing it the right way, the results may not be what you want.

MARK: That it’s okay to look at other brands and be influenced by them.

DENNIS: Can’t stop the crooks. (Laughs)

ROBERT PANLILIO (Crooks & Castles): Loyalty! Our crew used to be triple the size — but after the fights and battles and business, people started to shed away like snakes. You get rid of the weak links in the chain to make the chain strong.

* * *

These brands are available at Trilogy Boutique located at the ground level of Glorietta 3.