How Fernando Garcia is bringing fashion’s past to our future wardrobes through Pinkgun Gallery
Behind the nondescript façade of Pinkgun Gallery in the NoMi Art District lies a treasure trove of eccentric objets de désir dating from Art Deco to the 1990s. “I like to see the store as a mixture of ‘Sanford and Son’ and Bulgari in Singapore,” says proprietor and fashion designer Fernando Garcia in his rapid-fire patter, referencing the 1970s sitcom about fictional junk dealer Fred Sanford. “High-end crap with a bunch of crappy-crap. But in a good way.” The Bulgari store in Singapore? It’s based on a photograph a friend once sent him.
Such is the rarefied world of Pinkgun Gallery, a 1,200-square-foot space filled with a madcap assortment of vintage clothing and accessories, artwork, furniture and oversized display props. And hats. Lots of hats.
Garcia estimates that between one-third to one-half of sales at Pinkgun – which Fernando operates with business partner Fernando Sanchez – come from hats, sold both in the shop and through its thriving eBay store (100 percent positive feedback!). “I buy weird little hats but people seem to like them,” says Garcia.
One of said weird hats – a black, modified witch hat by British milliner Stephen Jones from the mid-1980s -- was purchased by Vogue editor Hamish Bowles. Garcia has a penchant for straw sun hats from the 1940s through the 1960s (“Very Mrs. Howell,” quips Garcia, in a “Gilligan’s Island” reference), often adorned with raffia fringe or whimsical felt appliques with nautical, travel or even fruit and vegetable motifs. The rarest hat at Pinkgun (at the time of this interview) is a cartoonishly oversized, grey felt Giorgio Armani bowler from the 1990s with a price tag of $540. Sanchez (of The Fernandos) models it, the hat dwarfing him but, as Garcia would say, in a good way.
“I’m drawn to things that are somewhat surreal,” says Garcia, stating the obvious. “It’s not about the era; it’s about the item. We’re not selling everyday clothes, but we’re selling clothes you can wear every day. Upcycled, recycled – that’s the idea.”
A Vintage Affair
Among the upcycled finds at Pinkgun is a pink silk chiffon blouse from the 1980s with an applique of a black-and-gold hand mirror Garcia ordered from the Ukraine that reads: “Who is the most beautiful?” There are neatly curated racks of vintage clothing – a blend of designer names and anonymous beauties, all dry-cleaned and repaired. Garcia pulls favorite pieces that he thinks may look good on you, or just wants you to see, such as a hot pink leather moto jacket from the 1990s designed by Stephen Sprouse, or a 1970s mauve-and-silver-lurex polyester gown designed by Luis Estevez with Gabor sister Eva of “Green Acres” fame.
Pinkgun’s clients include Miami socialites, shoppers from fashion houses such as Miu Miu, Prada and Moschino, and celebrities Paris Hilton, Venus Williams and Miami homegirl Gloria Estefan. Garcia’s muse is iconic gallerist Bernice Steinbaum, whom Garcia met in the early 2000s and has dressed in designs from his eponymous clothing line. “I love strong women that you can learn from,” says Garcia.
Resident Fashionista
Born in Miami of Cuban parents, Garcia has been a presence on Miami’s fashion scene since the late 1980s when he opened Utopian Rags on Lincoln Road in 1986. That was followed by Salon Tiburon on Washington Avenue, which was followed by Alta y Baja Costura, also on Washington Avenue. In 2001, he opened FG Designs in a storefront on Biscayne Boulevard before moving operations to his private villa in 2004. Towards the end of 2018, Garcia opened Pinkgun Gallery in the sleepy strip of antique and vintage stores in North Miami, where he has become the area’s biggest cheerleader, coming to our interview with a list of neighboring shops that I must visit.
“I like everything to be mixed – multi-cultural and a bit subversive,” says Garcia, adjusting his mask, a gender-fluid, where-did-you-get-it accessory imprinted with a pixelated black-and-white design inspired by cult Italian artist Fornasetti. Available at Pinkgun, naturally.
Pinkgun Gallery is located at 785 Northeast 125th Street, North Miami, Florida; 786-542-5386. Follow the on Instagram at @pinkgungallery.
