H&M is once again collaborating with local streetwear brand DBTK (Don’t Blame the Kids) for a new collection, this time featuring the iconic character Garapata by local artist Dex Fernandez!
H&M will be debuting the DBTK x H&M x Garapata Collection in select H&M stores on September 21, 2023, with a total of 5 colorways, each including different garment types—a t-shirt, a long-sleeved tee, a sweatshirt, a non-zip hoodie, a zip hoodie, and jogger pants. The first drop on September 21 will feature 4 colors, black, beige, brown, and light pink, while the second drop launching on October 19 will highlight limited white pieces.
Check them out below:
Garapante (Brown and t-shirts) – Inspired by the expression “there is an elephant in the room”. The design creates a scenery of enjoying the adventures of life and straying away from the negativities.
Lazy Day (Pink and t-shirts) – Features a Garapatized Sneaky Kid and other silhouettes of Garapata.
Garaglobo (Black and t-shirts) – Features Garapata dominating the world together with his space comrades like they are the kings or queens of their own world.
Gombatron (Beige and t-shirts) –The design is inspired by the local comic character in the 90s, Combatron, which was heavily influenced by Megaman in Japan. The crab represents his villain, with an evil plan to squat in an empty home because that home is a lonely one.
Paneks (pink and black t-shirts only) – Inspired by childhood memories of not doing anything and just taking a break from school days or the time spent playing Tetris or brick games. The phrase “paneks” is taken from “pa-next ako” which is said while in line to be the next player.
GaraSpiro Drop 2 (White) – GaraSpiro is a discovery of magic. “When I was a kid, I found this mechanical tool set in our living room and for some reason, I already knew how to use it. I took my notebook and laid an empty page with a ballpoint pen. It was how I started spiral drawing. It felt so mesmerizing and just couldn’t stop drawing the spiral patterns. The experience was so magical and exciting. Now, they became Garariso characters as part of my happy magical childhood,” says Dex.
“We decided to do a flashback [to our] childhood experiences [with this collection],” shared Garapata creator Dex. “This is my second time to collaborate with an international brand, so for me it’s super easy to work with [H&M] because they’re super open and they will give you artistic freedom to do our creative things.”
“When we think of a three-way collaboration it’s always about ‘how does this connect to our values within our brand or companies, etc.?’ And I think that the philosophy that we have collectively speaks to the community and it really connects to the local customer, and this is what makes it a success,” added H&M Sales Manager for Southeast Asia Frankie Shadbolt. “It’s really exciting to see where we start this process and how it evolves. It’s so fantastic to see this end result.”
“Sobrang simple lang naman ng ginawa namin, kung ano lang yung story ni Dex ng childhood niya, ‘yun ‘yung parang ginawan namin na inspiration dito sa collab,” shared DBTK co-founder Vince Javier. “Noong una, medyo nahirapan din ako talaga to express kung paano ba siya gagawin with Dex’s art. So for us, kung ano lang ‘yung pinaka-upbringing niya noong childhood niya and with our experience noong bata rin kami, 80s to 90s, ‘yun ‘yung parang pinag-merge namin. Kaya nakikita ko na special ‘yung collab namin.”
DBTK co-founder Emil Javier chimed in: “Siguro what makes this very special is yun nga with Dex’s art and with our art as well, we can do whatever we want. That’s what’s important here in this project. We were able to express ourselves the way we wanted to express ourselves. Very relatable to us as well ‘yung childhood experiences ni Dex, so nakakatuwa rin.”
Prices start at PHP 1,290 for t-shirts, PHP 1,690 for long-sleeved tees, PHP 2,690 for sweaters, PHP 2,490 for jogger pants, and PHP 3,290 for both zip and non-zip hoodies. These will be available at SM Megamall, SM Makati, Robinsons Place Manila, SM North EDSA, SM Mall of Asia, SM Aura, Festival Mall Alabang, and SM City Clark.
Which of these are you getting? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
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