From ponchos with patchwork patterns and second-hand clothes, to worn suits and lilac shoes. The Chilean composer went through multiple stages where his clothes stood out as much as his music. Here, Gepe reviews that evolution and reveals some of the signatures that helped him show his identity to the world.
The clock reads 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, and Gepe appears on a coastal terrace at Punta Piedra Beach, located near Viña del Mar.
Much of his outfit sports shades closer to black, while a thin dark blue waistcoat, light brown jockey and chain across his torso provide contrast.
In a few hours, it will be presented on the festival stage Crown Sunsets in order to complete the turn of the sword Realism (2022) which since October of last year has moved it through different cities in Mexico and parts of Chile.
“Lately I feel more like Gepe than Daniel,” he tells The third alluding to his first name – and I love it.
Since he released his first album titled Gepinto (2005), the composer and multi-instrumentalist has gone through many stages where music is only one of the many facets of his creations.
Gepe studied design at Catholic University and worked on his own record art, in addition to his music, of course. On stage or in work photos, their wardrobes – very different from each other, but with a clear leaning towards South American roots – range from brightly colored ponchos and shirts to worn suits and lilac shoes.
This reflects its evolution over the years. And although music and fashion thrive in the realm of artistic expression, Gepe experiences both in a different way.
In reference to the latter, he says that for him it is “even more intuitive than music”.
“Those ponchos you mentioned have to do with a job of letting things flow a bit,” he explains, only to add later that “at that time, like 2010-2011, I said 12th (dozen) who works with recycled clothes, ‘look, I’m looking for a poncho, but which is completely free and looks like a kind of patchwork, a mixture of many pieces that stretches, does not dilute and is not a single piece, but a chance of riddles”.
The result: the copy that appears at the end of the video of “By the window ”, a song that stands out for its fresh synthesizers and marked percussion, from an interpretation in the key of pop.
Similarly, other poncho designs from the same company can be seen in audiovisual recordings such as “Alphabet ”, a song with a greater presence of folk instruments and the voice of Cristián Heyne.
For the author of audio vision (2010), collaborative work with other artists is essential and the result of perspectives coming together to reach a precise point, where textures, colors and aesthetics shape what you want to express.
Gepe and his audio vision of the fashion world
More than a decade after the release of such songs and with a battery of new singles under his arm, the singer-songwriter has devoted himself to experimenting with different names.
One of them is santiago herrera who he describes as a fashion producer and who has created one of his most acclaimed looks in recent times: a two-piece suit with a worn aesthetic, which oscillates between white and light blue tones, symbolizing a change of stage.
As he himself describes it in conceptual terms:
– That way we wash a little and change color, it rolls.
“He understood perfectly,” says Gepe on the beach. He grabbed a suit, painted it white, then blue, I think he sanded it down, spilled wine and a lot of other things. He gave for experimental work on his part, because he also didn’t know much about what was going to happen. He just combined the colors and I loved it. Free (…) It’s not just “help me do that”. Things, at least for me, work super well when there’s a friendly relationship.
When it comes to shoes, he says one of his favorite brands is the National Crete because they have “very nice shoes and also very practical, because everyone can wear them”, in addition to “they have the colors you ask for”.
“You can tell them, for example, that you need lilac, but like water spilled on it, and they always have something, no matter how messed up your description is,” recommends Gepe.
In addition to the work he does with other fashion and style designers, also including MO Store with the costume he wore at the Latin Grammys—the musician points out that he likes to look for clothes for himself in second-hand clothes, an aspect that alludes to a kind of norm:
— That the clothes are not big or medium-sized brands — such as those commonly found in mass-produced multinational stores.
And it is precisely that one of the flags he has raised the most in his career is the protection of the environment.
In fact, last March 22, on the occasion of World Water Day, it was created “Yenny, Las Cruces », a theme in collaboration with the producer Red Fingers which seeks to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the vital element, through the figure of a seaweed collector who works on the coasts of the country and who motivates more people to do it.
In a scenario where technology has made it possible to speed up the production of designs and clothing – even more – he believes that “without a doubt, the abundance of products is now a problem that needs to be taken care of”.
“I think the world, in a way, is generating a response to this and hopefully it will be fast enough that textile waste does not proliferate in areas like the desert in northern Chile.
Even so, despite the complications, he appreciates the efforts made in spaces such as the Sunsets festival, among others, which apply measures to counter this scenario and obtain an international Blue Oceanic certification.
In search of a visual identity
The outfits she has worn throughout her career are as diverse as the musical influences found in her songs.
He points out that “clothing has an interpretation or a use that can be political or social”, so each of these outfits has a particular meaning at a given time or space.
But, how can you start looking for your own identity from fashion?
Gepe’s answer is categorical.
—I have the impression that imitation, at least for me, has always been a first step and also a second step for many things, both musical and clothing —he says—I think that making ours in certain ways dressing up is a great way to find an identity, which of course, in most cases, is not immediately found.
In this sense, he believes that “taking inspiration from another person, whether it’s an artist or someone you’ve seen on Pinterest or whoever, is good for a first instance that then facilitates this personal search. “.
Source: Latercera
I am David Jack and I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years. As an experienced journalist, I specialize in covering sports news with a focus on golf. My articles have been published by some of the most respected publications in the world including The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
