Archive note: This newly written profile revisits Giles & Brother, the subject recorded at this historical Grandpa Style address. It does not reproduce the original article or photography.
Giles & Brother offers a way into jewelry through familiar objects: a cufflink that recalls a fastener, or a bracelet shaped like a railroad spike. The historical interviews below connect those recognizable forms with Philip and Courtney Crangi’s ideas about making things and wearing them.
The people and the early label
Jewelry designer Philip Crangi and his sister Courtney were the pair behind Giles & Brother. A 2010 report in Interview dated the label’s founding to 2001 and described its nut-and-bolt cufflinks. The report placed Crangi at Bergdorf Goodman, stamping custom engravings into his work.
Hardware becomes personal
In the same report, Crangi pointed to a brass railroad-spike bracelet while discussing hardware as a source of inspiration. Victorian and nautical references also entered the conversation. These were recognizable starting points, open to interpretation through jewelry.
Our reading is that this familiarity gives the designs an immediate point of contact. A viewer can recognize the shape before knowing the label. An engraving adds another layer: a common form can carry a name or memory specific to its wearer.
Design through making
In a September 2014 studio interview published by GQ, Crangi described a process that began with materials and technique. He emphasized working directly with raw materials rather than drawing, while also considering how a piece would make its wearer feel.
The connection to denim
A November 2013 conversation with Jean Stories brought Philip and Courtney’s clothes into the discussion. Courtney connected the jewelry’s brass, cotton rope and nautical references with a familiar American style. Philip placed value in the way a person wore the jewelry, drawing a parallel with denim.
For us, that is a useful way to approach everyday accessories: consider how a piece sits within clothes you already wear. A personal detail need not become the loudest part of an outfit. This is an editorial styling suggestion, not a claim about any piece’s durability or current specifications.
Related reading
For another approach to jewelry form, read Bande des Quatres: Geometry, Illusion and Jewelry. Continue into everyday dressing with Watches with Denim and Workwear, or browse the Grandpa Style archive.