Meet Giancarlo Ruiz | Creative Director / Model

We had the good fortune of connecting with Giancarlo Ruiz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Giancarlo, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m from Miami, FL; born and raised, but all my family is dominican. My heritage and my upbringing instilled a high morality and holding myself to a higher standard. Hispanic families are huge on manners and respect and that plays a big part in who I am today.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets me apart from other brands with my art is that its genuine and its for everybody. What im most proud about is staying true to myself and still making pieces that I love and that my supporters love. Building this brand wasn’t easy. I started my senior year in high school and at first you dont know what you’re doing or what direction you want to go in. Through trial and error, you start to learn your strengths and weaknesses and learn how to maneuver better in the business. Lessons I’ve learned are to stay consistent, dont get discouraged, and do what you do becaus you love it, not for money… cause this dont pay my bills (yet). I want the world to know that my brand is for everyone and thats why I consider my brand Streetwear because I do it for my community. Theres a lot more to my story than just my brand, but people wont ever see that. They see me and they think, “Buttons! Yo when’s the next drop?” They dont see that i have a personal life, maybe legal trouble im enduring, an eldery grandmother I take care of alone. So it’s more than just the brand. With that being said, this year Nov 2021 is Buttons Brand 10 year Anniversary and I have big things planned for it, Buttons Brand is here to stay. Streetwear is forever.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well I like the vibe out in Wynwood and out in the city so i would definately take them out there to hang out and shop and stuff. I would probably take them to eat and all the good spanish spots I know. With this pandemic going on theres not much to do so we would probaly result to things like roller skating, bowling and an action park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My first shot out would go to Bobby & Ben Hundreds of The Hundreds just because their brand was my biggest inspiration in starting mine. Also, got to give credit to guys like Nicky Diamonds, Anwar Carrots, 10Deep, Crooks & Castles, Nigo, Pharrell and some more guys in streetwear. Also, I cant go without mentioning my homie Gianfranco Ballon. He was REALLY the person to get me into streetwear and he’s actually who i started Buttons Brand with. I owe a lot of what I know to him. Big shout out to the homie from Kosta from FELT, another big inspiration and someone who keeps me motivated.

Website: https://buttons-brand.myshopify.com

Instagram: @buttonsbrand

Twitter: @solemuchhype45

Image Credits
@photosviajojo @onyxismyrealname @99visuals