Few have made as big an impact on the luxury streetwear industry as the sibling-duo behind Represent, the British-born label that has mastered the ideal wardrobe for a dynamic lifestyle. Ahead of their pop-up in 360 Mall, Kuwait, we sat down with the co-founders to discuss the brand’s distinctive DNA, building a community, and the inspiration behind the exclusive collection on Ounass.

Experience the exclusive Middle East collection by the British luxury streetwear brand from May 8th - 15th at 360 Mall, Kuwait.

Tell us about how Represent began.

Represent began as a college project when we realised that we could sell art, in the form of graphics on clothing. We started locally sourcing blank clothing and screen printing designs. The brand name came from writing down 15 random names on a sheet of paper and landing on ‘Representing’. A friend then told us to drop the ‘-ing’, and the rest was history. Represent was born.

Describe your dynamic as siblings and co-founders.

The dynamic between us is yin and yang. We’re extremely dedicated and focused on Represent, so our vision is aligned, but we have different skill sets. Over the years of building the brand we’ve naturally found our strengths and weaknesses, and found the lanes that work best for us individually.

What inspired you to disrupt the luxury streetwear industry and create designs for a 24/7 lifestyle?

During 2020, we saw a huge switch in brands not being so focused on one lane, and personal growth, training and running became a fundamental part of our lives. With Represent being our dedication, it felt right to bring that passion of fitness and wellness into the brand, and add this fundamental pillar of Represent transferred into activewear through 247, carrying across our DNA, shapes and silhouettes.

Describe the brand’s DNA.

Represent’s DNA is distinctive. Its bold, oversized silhouettes, brought in for shape at the waist, the cobras pop buttons and metal hardware sign offs. Even the minimal product is noticeable from a long distance when you see the detailing.

Tell us about the man you design for and what fuels your creative process.

The man we design for is ourselves, and the more youthful versions of ourselves. We’re open minded enough to know that we’re getting older, so our style is maturing and so is the brand’s. We can maintain our customer who has been on that journey with us, but also grow the new consumer, the younger demographic. The creative fuel has always come from us wanting what is missing within our wardrobes.

Community often plays a significant role when it comes to streetwear. How do you actively engage with yours?

Community is essential. We’re very transparent as leaders, designers and brand builders through our social media, to the point where we share raw footage behind-the-scenes via youtube. This builds a great connection with the consumer. Alongside this we’ve always pushed the limits of the best product quality, which creates a loyal following. Those points teamed with our desire to be consistently engaged with our customer through direct messaging, instagram, whatsapp groups. We then host annual pop-ups, sample sales and community days to bring the IRL experience to life.

If you had to choose one piece to represent your brand, what would it be?

The piece that truly represents who we are is the Owners Club Hoodie.

Tell us about the inspiration behind the exclusive collection on Ounass.

The inspiration behind this collaborative collection with Ounass is about naturally combining local tones with our brand’s DNA, and creating a concept that would fit seamlessly within the brand, but express our foot in the ground in the UAE.

Graphics and symbols have been part of the brand’s signature since inception. Tell us about the chosen graphics and design details in the exclusive collection on Ounass.

For the collection, signature graphic styles that have become synonymous with Represent’s identity such as ‘Thoroughbred’ and Owners Club were reimagined with themes and imagery that paired with Ounass’ identity. Both Birds of Prey, and Ride the wind play off classic Represent graphic composition incorporating the Saker Falcon, the national bird of the United Arab Emirates. Similarly Wild Horses, is inspired by the UAE’s equestrian desert races. High temperatures, large open expanses and horses bred for endurance; the t-shirt artwork depicts three wild horses charging through the desert.

What are the brand’s aspirations for its presence in the Middle East?

We’re launching this collection at the Mall of the Emirates as part of our partnership with Ounass based on the growing influence of the Middle East. Our goal is to build a relationship with the consumers at a larger scale, where we can open distribution and a permanent store in the near future.