John and Jolly Malanday are the owners of G&G Apparel in Dubai. JONATHAN YBERA/EXPAT MEDIA

Tucked away in a corner of Al Dana Center along Al Maktoum Road is Dubai’s best kept thrift secret— G&G Apparel, a cozy shop filled with vintage treasures and rare fashion finds that would make even the most seasoned collectors’ hearts skip a beat. Run by husband-and-wife duo John and Jolly Malanday, G&G Apparel isn’t your typical thrift store. “We wanted to blend streetwear and high fashion,” John tells Expat Media in this exclusive interview. “If we were going to do a thrift store, it had to have a twist; something that tells a story.” Inside the store, racks of curated streetwear, vintage denim, designer sneakers, and rock band tees fill the space with character and history. “Those t-shirts up there?” Jolly points out. “Those cost over Dh1,000 each. If you don’t know what you’re looking at, you’ll think they’re just regular t-shirts.” Each item at the store is handpicked from around the world, restored and authenticated by experts. Prices range from Dh40 to Dh8,000 — depending on rarity, brand, and history. “Before any item reaches our shelves, it’s cleaned, restored, and verified. Every piece goes through authenticity checks because the goal is to sell stories, not just clothes,” John explains. Their store has become a cult favorite among Dubai’s collectors and fashion lovers. The shop draws people looking for that one rare piece; the kind of item that can’t be found elsewhere.

Fashion with a conscience

Beyond the style factor, G&G Apparel champions sustainable fashion. “Thrifting gives a second life to clothing. It’s not just a trend — it’s a movement toward conscious fashion,” John says. “That’s what we do with every item here: we make it valuable again.” Their clients range from sneakerheads to collectors who crave uniqueness. “Our customers don’t want to be seen wearing what everyone else wears,” John says. “They want something that tells a story; something that no one else has.” Their mission is to become the go-to for unique fashion finds. “There’s always that different level of happiness when someone finds a rare piece.”

Sneakerhead redefines vintage fashion

Before he became one-half of Dubai’s most stylish entrepreneurial duo, John Enrich Malanday was a small-town kid from Bulacan with a knack for hustle and a deep love for dogs and sneakers. “I grew up around my parents’ canteen business,” he shares with Expat Media. “I helped them buy ingredients and handle admin work. That’s where I learned the basics of running a business.” Although he studied IT in college, his heart was never in front of a computer. John worked as a warehouse supervisor and later a manager for major retail chains in the Philippines. But when he saw his parents aging, he returned home to help with their canteen. “Still, I knew I wanted something more,” he says. That “something more” led him to Dubai in 2018. “I borrowed money from cousins and friends to pay for my trip here,” he admits. “My parents didn’t even know. I just told them two weeks before flying out.” Life in Dubai was tough at first. “The culture, the job hunt — it was all new,” John recalls. “But those challenges molded me.” Then, during the 2020 lockdown, he met Jolly, the woman who would become his partner in life and business. “We met, fell in love fast, and got married. People thought it was too soon, but here we are, five years strong,” he grins. Together, they launched G&G Apparel, combining John’s sneaker expertise with Jolly’s flair for luxury fashion. “I wanted to create a store that’s not just a thrift shop, but a story shop,” he says. “We don’t just sell clothes, we sell stories,” he adds. John lights up when he talks about sustainability. “Thrifting gives a second life to items. It’s fashion with a conscience,” he says. “We’re helping the environment and giving people access to unique pieces that make them feel good.” “You might see a t-shirt priced at over Dh1,000,” John says. “At first glance, you’d think it’s just an ordinary shirt but it could be a concert tee from 1989, a vintage find with history stitched into it.” For him, G&G Apparel isn’t just about profit. It’s about purpose. “When a customer finds a piece they’ve been looking for, the joy on their face is simply priceless,” he says.

Dubai’s most unique thrift store

G&G Apparel means Gild and Gleam, John explains. “Gild means to make something more valuable; to show people that there’s beauty in what others might overlook. Gleam means to shine, to glow,” he says. At G&G Apparel, every thrifted piece tells a story. As John says with a grin, “Thrifting in Dubai is like finding gems. And if you look hard enough, you’ll realize: sometimes, the biggest treasure is right in front of you.” With increasing demand, G&G Apparel is expanding in the UAE; with the recent opening of a warehouse in Al Hamriyah that will serve as an import-export hub for sustainable fashion, supplying bulk items abroad. “Our dream is to open more branches across the GCC,” John says. “We’ve already had calls from Saudi and Bahrain asking when we’ll open there.” PIA/Expat Media This story also appears in the Expat Media Special Edition magazine. Visit G&G Apparel in Al Dana Center, Al Maktoum Road, Dubai
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