Metro.Style’s ‘My Pride in Fashion’ is a special series of profiles for Pride Month. We interview people from the Philippines’ LGBTQ+ community and see how they wear their pride on their sleeves, and how fashion is indeed a medium of their self-expression.

There’s a certain beauty in the act of falling in love; the way it’s a pas de deux filled with emotion from the occasional heartbreak to the steady euphoria of being with someone who understands you for who you are. Gabs Gibbs and Marga Bermudez seem to have perfected this dance, with their social media posts of their work being regularly intertwined with intimate messages for one another. Gabs and Marga have constructed a beautiful routine of finding their way back to one another despite operating on two corners of the dance floor that is the creatives industry.

But aside from their individual successes—Gabs being a makeup enthusiast and photographer and Marga being a DJ—the two manage to uplift each other and match each other’s wavelengths in realms outside of their day job ventures. We’re not just talking about their new joint creative hub, Open World, but also in their manner of dressing. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect inspiration for matching outfits, look no further! The creative couple has you covered and more. From casual to travel looks and even formal muses, there’s something to always be inspired by in the art of dressing up by Gabs and Marga.

Gabs and Marga at the wedding of Laureen Uy and Miggy Cruz | Gabs is wearing Vania Romoff

On Choosing Fits and Each Other

Although Marga may admit to Gabs taking the lead in their sartorial partnerships, the two still manage to complement one another in the most stylish ways by putting their own spin on coordinating ensembles. For Gabs, she describes their process as “More like getting notes from what textures she has that can match well with that for me or if she has a color in the print of her shirt that I can use to match my shoes,” while for Marga, “We always make sure our colors & looks match! On casual days, we always look cohesive together cause we share all our clothes.”

When asked to describe the other’s style, Gabs mentions the East Asian and Japanese influence Marga has on her clothes, “Sort of when you travel from Osaka to Harajuku.” While the latter describes the former’s style as being eclectic and transcendent of time—”Gabs can rock certain looks because of how she puts things together and it's usually outside of the box. She knows how to mix texture, color, and patterns all together.” Yet somehow, in spite of their stylistic differences, there’s a level of intimacy in meeting in the middle to the point of even sharing a wardrobe. Although their individual fashion may be fully realized, together they’re unstoppable.

Gabs Gibbs wearing Just Bonita

Through the Artistic Looking Glass

As contributors to the creatives industry, Gabs and Marga tend to use their artforms as a way of celebrating their identity. Gabs fondly recalls how even before she realized she was gay, her photographs were already reminiscent of her favorite queer icons and idols. She describes her artistic inspirations of the everyday as coming from all sorts of references to pop culture—from melted stamps to French and Western cinema and even the more contemporary, kitschy bits of media like “Trash TV” and 2000s boy band music. “It's been an interest of mine since I was little to know everything and anything about pop culture - you can quiz me on anything!”

In true harmonic fashion, Marga also admits to dabbling in a little bit of everything. Having been in the entertainment industry for quite some time, immersing herself in a variety of mediums to catch a glimpse of what it’s all about. She tends to dive deep into the various ways of the world, which perhaps allows her art to thrive with her adaptability, from commercial to underground club scenes, from fashion to art—and even production design such as the works of Es Devlin and Wes Anderson.

With the many streams of ideas that arise from such a compelling and booming field, Gabs and Marga ensure their voices are still heard amidst all the hubbub. Most especially when they come into the scene representing something much larger than them, the queer community. Marga admits to putting narratives like hers on the forefront, “I always make sure that the things I say yes to or get into somewhat expresses who I am or is in line with what I believe in. May it be performing for pride events, executing pride celebrations in our establishments or giving [opportunities] to queer individuals from different communities to have a platform with us by sharing the space and allowing them to express themselves however they please.”

Marga Bermudez in Armani Exchange

Pride as a Celebration of Living

For Gabs and Marga, being queer means continuously choosing to express yourself in a way that celebrates your identity, a choice that certainly takes one to greater heights of confidence, discovery and fulfillment.

As a visual marker of the self, fashion has become a quintessential avenue for the two to communicate to the world who they are. Gabs admits that being out and queer has led to a complete and satisfied version of herself that expertly manifests in her style, “I'm not tirelessly trying to find an escape with my clothing or my hair, I just simply do what feels right for me because I can and because I know my partner would appreciate and understand my choices.” Marga on the other hand highlights the freedom that comes with being proud of yourself and your identity, “Being able to be comfortable in your own skin regardless of who is looking at you and being able to express yourself without having to explain anything to anyone. And in fashion and the arts, that’s what it's all about. Expressing without words.”

There’s a level of intimacy the couple is able to display to the world by showing their outfits. The sartorial display on their social media is but an autobiography of the way the two find comfort with one another, so much so that even in the most menial activities of sharing shoes, there is love, passion and understanding. And isn’t that something everyone hopes for? Gabs and Marga show that to be queer is to love freely, to be queer is to find community, and to be queer is to get to celebrate, “Celebrating life & expression by gathering people together, celebrating artistry, celebrating freedom, celebrating opportunities, celebrating milestones & celebrating people winning. Everything.”

- Gabs in a Western-inspired look for Gucci.

- Gabs sporting the hot read and leopard trend.

- Marga in her quintessential all-black outfit.

- Marga in a statement jacket.

- Gabs and Marga traveling in Osaka.

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