He trained in commercial issues, specializing in franchises and senior management. Israel Garcia (Mexico City, 1980) He started working in the dental sector and immediately saw the need to make a value proposition within this area, creating a brand of medical uniforms, Gallantdale. The history of the firm, created in 2009, is linked to that of his wife, María García, a designer with training in fashion business management, whose family has a clothing brand for mass consumption. She invoices 10 million euros in her country and has just opened a store on Calle Serrano in Madrid, the first in Spain. The interview takes place at the CincoDias headquarters, after completing the Camino de Santiago, a trip that has served him to reflect, to think; the same exercise that he, he assures, a doctor does when faced with a diagnosis.
What is new that they have brought to the wardrobe of healthcare professionals?
We provide fashion, we make annual collections, we design and make all the fabrics, made with repellent and antibacterial technology. We have an added value to design such as knowing how to listen. In Mexico we have 32 points of sale that cover two million doctors, veterinarians and dentists. One in ten people in Mexico has to do with health. There are 140 million Mexicans and the healthcare market is made up of 14 million professionals.
Does your international expansion begin in Spain?
Yes, and we do it because we have a distributor near Antequera that covers Spain and Portugal. We have regular customers of the brand, and we have created a new company to serve this market, EuroGallantdale. Here our concept of technology, design of the collections and helping professionals breaking paradigms, so that they can work comfortably, have been very well understood. All our garments are made by hand in the state of Hidalgo. We have workshops in which we teach communities to sew. We have a workshop with a leader in charge, in the style of Amancio Ortega’s model, in which we have been inspired. Our professionals are paid positively, and we recognize their work by putting their name on the garment label. When creating the company, we have been moved by the fact of being able to improve the conditions of the entire environment. In walking you have to have the conviction of everything that is done and expressed. We love to create value and that the professional grants that value. The beautiful thing is to create fashion and that professionals protect themselves with antibacterial, repellent fabrics that can withstand a hundred washes. The fabrics of the sanitary garments are not prepared for this. For this we have done a lot of research, trial and error.
Have you listened to the toilets?
Sometimes you have to be humble and know how to listen to people. Doctors know very well what needs they have as fashion leaders. We are always willing to improve. Toilets are also concerned with fashion, we have a number of silhouettes to adapt to your needs. We are the Massimo Dutti of doctors. We imagine the doctor’s profile, his style, and based on this we make custom designs. Our gowns are in high demand because they protect. And we also work with influencers of the healthcare world. There are millions of followers, and we like the idea of generating fans of the brands. We like to enhance the silhouettes of professionals and we flee from a world only in black and white, we add color and humor. For the 2023 collection we have been inspired by the Center Pompidou.
What growth forecast do you have?
We are in the phase of beginning the consolidation of the brand. We do not bet on the quantity, but what we want is to give a service to people. And the growth will begin in Spain. We are going to the biggest dentistry fair in Cologne (Germany) in March. We advise, for example, clinics in their makeover. For example, for the Vivanta clinics we have made uniforms for all their staff. In the pandemic we made more than a million uniforms. Spain is a showcase for us in Europe. We have put the store in an emblematic neighborhood and the intention is to open franchises.
How many stores do you have under franchise?
We have 26 franchises. There are owners with four or five stores. It’s a solid business, relatively easy, with products that don’t spoil. You have to have experience working with doctors. Our relationships are very strong with franchisees, and we have not closed any stores. We have a brand purpose, which is to help practitioners improve their practice, and we want brand value over money.
Are you a business romantic?
That vision has worked for me. We are constant, persevering. The reception we have had has been excellent. People like our proposal, especially young people. They like to feel well dressed when they work.
Is it an expensive product?
We have a supply chain, we buy the yarn and have it made. The fabric is made in Asia and sent to Mexico. A uniform costs between 70-80 euros, a price below that set by the Mexican competition, which is very competitive. Also surprising for the price.