By Joseph Pimentel
DECEMBER 28, 2007
Asianjournal.com
FilAm Makes the Bad Guy Look Good
LOS ANGELES – Filipino American Dennis
He gathered a group of his friends and
Calvero is Crooks and Castles (C&C), a
started Crooks and Castles in 2002. The word
clothing brand for the new generation of hip
“crooks” is a metaphor to how some people
hop aficionados. His clothing line has been
attain their goals, while “castles” is the goal
growing in the urban art and fashion scene
itself.
that recently, hip hop moguls Jay-Z, Kanye
Although the company has received some
West and other rappers and celebrities have
criticism about the name, Calvero simply
appeared in public wearing C&C.
shrugged off the criticism.
Last December 14, Calvero, together with
“We’re not promoting [crime],” he said.
his partners, realized their dream when their
“We’re really business savvy. It’s just about
clothing brand opened the first C&C flagship
the market. We’re very design oriented. It’s a
store on Melrose in Los Angeles.
name that we’ve stuck with and it’s our goal
“It feels like we’ve made it,” said Calvero
to brand it.”
about the opening. “It’s been a long road.”
“You could say that we started out of a
For Calvero, it’s been nine years in the
garage [designing shirts],” said Soriano. “He
making. He’s suffered from a bankruptcy and
[Calvero] was in New York designing clothes
a job change,. He had to travel around the
in his small apartment. I was out here [Los
world before regrouping and starting C&C.
Angeles] trying to help him out,” said Emil
Landscape
Soriano, a designer for C&C.
What once was considered just underground
The clothing brand began to pick up steam
wear for a niche consumer base, street-wear
when consumers began to demand for hip
fashion is now a worldwide multi-billion
hop street wear.
dollar industry.
“There was this whole emergence in the
Growing up during the late 80s and early
street wear market,” said Soriano. “All these
90s, no community was immune to the gang
new start up street wear companies began to
lifestyle. The hip hop scene was still in the
come up and achieve success.”
infant stage of development. The youth were
“This is the kind of clothes that people we
beginning to transform their appearance from
grew up wanted to wear,” said Jon Palos, who
wearing tight to baggy jeans. This generation
works in marketing for C&C. “It’s a lifestyle
made it cool to look like a thug.
brand developed from growing up in Los
Calvero grew up in Cerritos, CA. He realized
Working for the billion-dollar company Angeles.”
early the clothing transformation of his peers
taught Calvero how to run a business more Unexpected promotion
and became aware of the growing “street
effectively. “That’s where I learned how to It also helped when Jay-Z and other
wear” segment. He started designing clothes
make a [clothing] brand,” said Calvero. celebrities began to sport the label in major
for the urban market in 1997 and created a
“I traveled to Asia and learned how to events and award shows. Immediately, rumors
clothing label dubbed Landscape. The label
[negotiate] with vendors. I learned just how began to fly that Jay-Z offered Calvero to buy
eventually failed to reach the mass numbers
to be a business person.” the company in a multi-million dollar deal.
in the US.
He also began to travel around the world “All I can say about that is that they are just
“During that time, the street wear industry
extensively. He has traveled to Hong Kong, rumors,” he said. “No formal offer has been
was young,” said Calvero. “There was no
China, Paris, Philippines, Germany, Barcelona, made.”
market for it here [US]. There was more of a
and Japan, considered the Mecca for In the three years, C&C has seen tremendous
market in Japan.”
underground clothing labels. growth. Just last year, Calvero went from
“From [that experience] we learned how to
“In Japan you can see how fashion and making six-figures in profit in one year to
do things on our own,” Calvero added.
commerce drives the clothing industry,” he millions of dollars. He plans to expand his
After the business failed, Calvero moved
said. US operations to Las Vegas, NV. He also said
to the New York/ New Jersey area to work
C&C he plans to open a store in the Philippines
for designer Marc Ecko and served as one of
After working for Ecko for a little over a sometime next year. Crooks and Castles
Ecko’s head clothing designers.
year, Calvero left the company to continue to merchandise is being distributed worldwide.
A blessing in disguise
pursue his dreams of having his own label. (AJ)
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