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By Jenna Go
Streetwear has been a ubiquitous staple in the
coolest cities around the world since the 1970s. For decades, urban
threads were only sported by the African American youth in cities
like New York and Los Angeles. However, urban style seems to be
permeating the local fashion scene in Manila, and around the world
as streetwear-inspired pieces have even been seen on a multitude of
couture runways. Locally, some of Manila’s best dressed can be
spotted sporting spunky streetwear staples such as hoodies, colored
denim, and garishly colorful sneakers. Unfortunately, established
sportswear brands are cashing in on this trend, which gives rise to
mass production, and running the risk of bumping into someone with
the same jacket! Of course, this is utterly mortifying, and just
plain annoying.
Luckily, there is salvation for all the
frustrated trendsetters out there, as three innovative friends have
collaborated to pioneer a clothing line with an equally avant-garde
name to boot! “It’s called Filthygrommet,” says Gio Bote, one
third of the trio—with Emil Perez and Chris Comedoy—behind this
brand. The way the name came about—“one of our partners
suggested grommet, and then I was like, it sounds cool,
Filthygrommet” —captures the offhand, yet surprisingly cool feel
of their products. “Grommet,” Bote informs me, “is basically a
slang word used by surfers and skaters, which means a really good
rookie,” which is an entirely appropriate brandname as that’s
exactly what these boys are. They began customizing hoodies and
jeans about a year ago, and, incredulously, all three are still in
college! They’ve come out with a range of T-shirts, shorts and
colored denim, however, their most impressive endeavor is the
customized hoodie. They take the generic hoodie and you get to pick
what zippers, knittings, pockets, and pattern on the material that
suits your taste. They then send your design off to a tailor, and in
a week or so, you’ll be turning heads with your very own
Filthygrommet hoodie! And you surely won’t bump into anyone with
the same outfit!
They also have ready-made products for those who
aren’t quite ready to flex their creativity muscles just yet. Two
new shirt designs have just been launched, one depicting a cheeky
homeless man holding up a sign with ‘My father was killed by
ninjas need money for karate lessons’ scrawled on, and the other
features a sultry vintage photograph of Madonna, because the trio
“really like[s] Madonna, for some reason,” Bote explains. You
can channel urban hipster with their colored denim, which is
available in a range of kitschy cool colors for men and women.
If you’re raring to get your hands on some
Filthygrommet merchandise, check out their boutique, set to open in
mid-September, or visit their website, http://filthygrommet.blogspot.com.
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