John Malanday is the co-owner of G&G Apparel in Dubai. JONATHAN YBERA/EXPAT MEDIA

Meet John Malanday, the sneakerhead redefining vintage fashion

When you walk into G&G Apparel in Dubai’s Al Dana Center, you’ll feel it instantly. That buzz of discovery, the quiet thrill of stumbling upon a piece of fashion history. Rows of vintage t-shirts, old-school jackets, and collectible sneakers line the walls, each tagged not just with a price, but a story. Behind this treasure trove of rare finds is John Enrick Malanday, the Filipino sneakerhead-turned-entrepreneur who, together with his wife Jolly, has turned their shared love for unique fashion into one of Dubai’s coolest thrift destinations. But long before he became known for curating rare fashion gems, John was a young boy from Bulacan — mischievous, determined, and endlessly curious. “I was the ‘prodigal son,’” John says with a laugh. “I was a bit of a naughty kid.” Growing up as an only child, he helped his parents run a small canteen in their town. “My parents handled the cooking, while I did the errands. I’d go to the market on my motorcycle to buy ingredients,” he recalls. It was his first taste of entrepreneurship — a small family business built on daily grit and teamwork. John’s natural business instincts kicked in early. As a teenager, he bred and sold dogs and birds, turning his love for animals into a way to fund his schooling. “The first dog I sold was a shih tzu. It helped me pay for my allowance. That’s when I realized I could actually make money doing something I loved,” he says. Although he studied Information Technology in college, his heart was never in front of a computer and was set into being an entrepreneur. “I wanted to build my own company,” he explains. “I liked selling, managing, creating things.” Seeing his parents getting older also provided John the nudge to chase his dream. “That’s when I decided I wanted something more for us. I didn’t want to grow old just as an employee.”

A leap of faith to Dubai

Without telling his parents the full story, John borrowed money from friends and cousins to fund his ticket to Dubai. “I told them I was okay, but in reality, I was struggling,” he admits. “I had no job, just faith that I’d make it.” Those first months in 2018 were difficult. “It was humbling. I faced culture shocks, financial struggles, and uncertainty,” he recalls. “But it also molded me. It taught me resilience.” Eventually, he landed a job and started building a life in Dubai, working his way up from warehouse officer to operations manager for one of the leading logistics companies in the UAE. It was around this time that fate led him to Jolly. During the pandemic in 2020, John temporarily moved into an apartment with Jolly and her cousin. When the lockdowns began, he couldn’t move out. “We were literally stuck together,” he laughs. “We became friends, then partners, then husband and wife, all in one year!” Their whirlwind love story turned into a strong marriage and a powerful partnership. “She’s impulsive,” John says affectionately. “I take calculated risks, but she’s the one who pushes me to move. She’ll say, ‘If not now, when?’ And she’s right.” As collectors themselves — John with sneakers and Jolly with luxury bags — the couple shared an idea with Jolly’s brother and their friends: a thrift shop that combined streetwear, luxury, and sustainability. Not just another secondhand store, but one with meaning. That’s how G&G Apparel was born. “G&G 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.” Their store, tucked inside Al Dana Center on Al Maktoum Road, quickly became 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 anywhere else. “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.” Each piece that lands in their store is handpicked, cleaned, authenticated, and restored at their facility in Hamriyah. “We don’t just sell clothes,” John says proudly. “We sell stories.” 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.” 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. That’s priceless,” he says. “One time, I sold a pair of sneakers from my personal collection: a Travis Scott Air Jordan 1 that my wife gifted me. It was hard to let go, but seeing the customer so happy made it worth it.” The couple recently earned their master’s degree in Business Administration, a feat they are proud of. “We attended classes together as husband and wife, and it was surreal to graduate together,” he says. Now, John and Jolly are expanding their business. They recently opened a warehouse in Al Hamriyah, which will serve as an import-export hub for sustainable fashion, supplying bulk items to the Philippines and beyond. “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.”

The man behind the modern-day treasure hunt

Despite the success, John remains humble. “I’m still the same guy who used to help in my parents’ canteen,” he says. “The difference is now, I’m building something for my own family.” He credits his growth to his partnership with Jolly. “Whatever I do, she’s involved,” he smiles. “From naming the business to choosing what we sell, we do it together. That’s our strength.” Asked what keeps him going, John doesn’t hesitate. “You fall eight times, you stand up the ninth or tenth. Don’t quit. Don’t stop doing what you love. Success isn’t instant, it’s found in persistence.” At G&G Apparel, every thrifted piece tells a story and so does every dream stitched together by hands that never gave up. 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.” PIA/Expat Media ALSO READ: Finding Dubai's best kept thrift secret

Quick fire with John

Best thrift find A signed Linkin Park t-shirt. Your weakness Designer sneakers. I’ve got 250 pairs! Biggest myth about thrifting That it’s outdated. Dream celebrity client Russell Westbrook. A condensed version of this story also appears in the Expat Media Special Edition magazine. Visit G&G Apparel, Ground Floor, Al Dana Centre, Al Maktoum Road, Dubai.
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