The TitanBehind the Runway
Daniel Beltran-Fierro Editor in Chief Executive Fashion Director Ian André Díaz Granai Executive Director of Finance and Business Development Executive AlessandraProducerBregni Senior B usiness Direc tor Executive Director of Communications Maggie Villela PR Director Social Media Director Editor At Large Calambra Editors Deparment Fashion Editor DANIEL BELTRAN Beauty Editor FERNANDA GOMAR Copy Director IAN ANDRE DÍAZ GRANAI Director of Special Events MAGGIE VILLELA Fitness Editor IAN ANDRÉ DÍAZ GRANAI Men’s Health & Living Editor IAN ANDRÉ DÍAZ GRANAI Women’s Health & Living Editor ALESSANDRA BREGNI Food Editor MAGGIE VILLELA Arts & Design Editor DANIEL BELTRAN Architecture Editor MARIA FERNANDA SOSA Interiorism Editor MARIA FERNANDA SOSA Alessandra Bregni Casting Director Contributing Editors LADY D, COYOTIO MALVADO
The TitanBehind the Runway
By Daniel Beltran-Ferro
Gabi Garcia-Gallont: The Titan Behind the Runway MICHAEL DWYER Photographed by
Brilliance is appreciated, brilliance is respected, brilliance MUST be celebrated. Recently, immersed in a conversation with quite a few important people within the (Tv, commercial, film & events) production industry in Guatemala, it dawned on me that even though we all know the role-players needed for a successful production, you rarely give credit where the credit is due, we only talk about how amazing such production went. When the audience sees the result of a production (it being for a commercial, a film or a fashion runway), they could vaguely imagine the size of the army that is needed to pull it off, all the sweat, blood and tears that come into it, they only see the final product. So WE know where the credit is due, and how important it is for these genies to be acknowledged for their amazing work without which the world would be a very dull place to live in, genies like Gabi García-Gallont who deserve to be celebrated and recognized, because without brilliant, hard-working people like Gabi, the fashion industry would not be everything it is to this day.
Another of her triumphs in her extensive portfolio as a producer, is Simbiótica, a special project developed by AGEXPORT (Asociación Guatemalteca de Exportadores).
As I mentioned before, we all know about this side of Gabi, the amazing runway producer who’s got everything nailed down to the point, but what is not of common knowledge is that she is an excellent universal producer.
An international platform that merges contemporary art with millenarian techniques, creating the space needed to empower guatemalan female artisans. Such was the success of her work in this project, that Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) named it as one of the top 50 circular economy projects in Latin America. This expo was then moved to Taipei, China, because it was just THAT excellent.
Like all of us, the pandemic affected her as well. Social events were the first to be shut down and the last to be permitted again, and even though we are slowly getting back to “normal”, social events are still on the edge depending on the health restrictions we face each day. This is why, now more than ever, the industry needs talented humans as Gabi, quick-witted professionals who can solve any problems that come up, that not only know about this uncertainty, but are not scared or intimidated by it. I can personally attest to this marvelous skill that Gabi has, the UNIS 2021 Runway had to change its
“The Devil is in the details” and Gabi not only knows this, she has taken this work ethic and applied it to every other project she has ever worked on throughout her career, now letting her collaborate on different projects, in different industries. One of her biggest projects was working alongside Diego Sánchez Algara, producing and supervising events for Facebook and Instagram in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama. I told you… This woman is a titan.
If you know how a runway backstage works at all, then you know that without the right producer, the complete show won’t stand a chance. You have to know each and every part of the show by heart: the lineup, the intervals, the circuit, the lighting setup and how it will look on camera once the photographer has set everything up, all this (and more) Gabi knows by heart. I won’t say any names, but we all have seen some disasters on the runway that just wouldn’t have happened if she had been there.
If you happen to live beneath a rock, and don’t know who she is, Gabi is one of the most important and successful producers within the event-planning industry in Central America. Guatemala Fashion Week (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Guatemala), is her biggest and most important media-related event in the year, but not the only one. Gabi is also responsible for a vastly amount of successful fashion runways in the country, such as Saúl E. Méndez Fashion Runway, the final runway of fashion students of Universidad del Itsmo, and the beneficial runway for the Margarita Tejada Foundation, just to name a few. We are not saying that the other producer’s work is not good, there are other runway producers in the country who are ok, we are just saying that Gabi is the titan behind the biggest and most important runways in Guatemala, and everyone who works in this fashion world, knows it. Personally, there has never been a scuro runway or event in which she wasn’t involved, and frankly I would not have it any other way, part of why those were iconic is because of her and her golden touch.
But enough with the fashion talk, let’s focus on this titan.
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setting 4 different times in order to oblige to the health regulations put in place by the government, and even after all of this unexpected changes, the show did not only go on, it was a total success.
“I make sure everything happens the exact second it’s meant to happen” -This quote by Gabi resumes in a single sentence her work, but she makes it sound oh, so much more easier than it really is. The truth is, only a very selected few are capable of this kind of magic.
As a fashion editor, I believe it it important for the audience and readers to recognize and praise Gabi’s work, because she is proof of the quality of talent that can be found in Guatemala. Ten years ago, this industry was next to nonexistent, and today, people like myself have a future thanks to all the hard works and dedication that professionals like Gabi have given to each and every one of the projects they’ve participated in. I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working along her and learning from her. I’ve admired her for such a long time and was always an icon and a guide before getting into the fashion industry. Today, I have the privilege of calling her my friend, and I can keep on telling you how inspiring her work ethic is, watching her backstage or on set is just beyond words, and I can guarantee you that the world will know her name, she’s got a brilliant future ahead and I can only excitedly wait to see where she ends up. It was only a couple of months ago that she volunteered in LA Fashion Week and NAILED IT, it’s not going to be long before we see her producing events as big and as important as this one. Gabi García-Gallont, remember her name kids. This household of the local industry will soon become a household worldwide.
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