Why Brent Faiyaz And Creative Director Mark Peaced Launch ...

MILAN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 24: Brent Faiyaz attends the Salvatore Ferragamo Spring/Summer 2023 Show on ... [+] September 24, 2022 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Salvatore Ferragamo )

Brent Faiyaz, a singer-songwriter, has partnered with his long-time Creative Director, Mark Peaced, to launch a new fashion brand called NUWO. NUWO stands for "Not Unless We Own," and it aims to revolutionize streetwear and culture with its debut collection. This is familiar territory for the R&B singer as a newly independent recording artist.

Brent Faiyaz, a singer-songwriter, has partnered with his long-time Creative Director, Mark Peaced, ... [+] to launch a new fashion brand called NUWO. NUWO stands for "Not Unless We Own," and it aims to revolutionize streetwear and culture with its debut collection. This is familiar territory for the R&B singer as a newly independent recording artist.

Brent Faiyaz recently shocked the music industry after he officially signed with independent label leader UnitedMasters. The groundbreaking partnership empowers the soulful and introspective artist with more creative control over his projects. The collaborative efforts of Faiyaz and UnitedMasters undoubtedly foreshadow a new era of creative brilliance and success for the rising star and with NUWO, Faiyaz opens up a new lane to seduce audiences.

Brent Faiyaz, a singer-songwriter, has partnered with his long-time Creative Director, Mark Peaced, ... [+] to launch a new fashion brand called NUWO. NUWO stands for "Not Unless We Own," and it aims to revolutionize streetwear and culture with its debut collection. This is familiar territory for the R&B singer as a newly independent recording artist.

NUWO is a work-in-progress, worn by Faiyaz over the years, but with resistance to officially launch until today. “I like so many different brands and aesthetics that I never found one thing to stick to,” Faiyaz describes of finding his sartorial notes. “I couldn’t call any brand my favorite. So, I'd pull from silhouettes I always gravitated to as a kid - that made me go, ‘Yeah that’s it,’ and made it for myself.”

Faiyaz continues, “'Let me make my favorite brand and live in it.’” He knows the marketing schemes of fashion well, having taken part in it before his music career took off. But he understands the power of building a community around brands with a deeper message for audiences.

Faiyaz is a generous storyteller in his music, doing so with his fashion after wearing some exclusive NUWO looks. He notes, “Then we gave [it] to our friends,” noting the distribution of his early NUWO designs. “It wasn’t to sell or anything. It was just for us to wear.”

Brent Faiyaz, a singer-songwriter, has partnered with his long-time Creative Director, Mark Peaced, ... [+] to launch a new fashion brand called NUWO. NUWO stands for "Not Unless We Own," and it aims to revolutionize streetwear and culture with its debut collection. This is familiar territory for the R&B singer as a newly independent recording artist.

Similarly, with the NUWO brand, he and Peaced are launching a label that reflects their sentiment as talented artists and marketers. “My mom introduced me to fashion,” Fiyaz recalls. “As a kid, she always instilled in me the importance of taking pride in my appearance, so I just held onto that.” Faiyaz understood the branding effect of fashion in having a seductive message, like in his music.

Brent Faiyaz, a singer-songwriter, has partnered with his long-time Creative Director, Mark Peaced, ... [+] to launch a new fashion brand called NUWO. NUWO stands for "Not Unless We Own," and it aims to revolutionize streetwear and culture with its debut collection. This is familiar territory for the R&B singer as a newly independent recording artist.

“She’d dress us for a church or take us back-to-school shopping, and I always liked how I felt when I wore something that was new or difficult to obtain,” Faiyaz reminiscing on hype-wear. “In school, I’d buy rare clothes from my classmates, or I’d skip school and go to the mall to steal stuff I couldn’t afford. I was voted best dressed in school.”

Mark Peaced: Brent Faiyaz, a singer-songwriter, has partnered with his long-time Creative Director, ... [+] Mark Peaced, to launch a new fashion brand called NUWO. NUWO stands for "Not Unless We Own," and it aims to revolutionize streetwear and culture with its debut collection. This is familiar territory for the R&B singer as a newly independent recording artist.

Peaced knows much about the creative process and finds the pivot to fashion a natural motion. He states, “It’s another medium to create with. Brent is one of the best singers and songwriters, and I'm a photographer-director, we so happen to have a love for fashion.”

Brent Faiyaz, a singer-songwriter, has partnered with his long-time Creative Director, Mark Peaced, ... [+] to launch a new fashion brand called NUWO. NUWO stands for "Not Unless We Own," and it aims to revolutionize streetwear and culture with its debut collection. This is familiar territory for the R&B singer as a newly independent recording artist.NUWO

Peaced and Faiyaz have grown their relationship over their lust for hype items and the moments attached to them. Peaced recalls when his father “would never gift me toys for my birthday, he’d buy me watches. Baby G Shock then Swatch, as I got older, I graduated into Seiko and Movado.” Today he shares this nostalgia with Faiyaz, “Brent and I always geek out on pieces, whether it’s the high end of streetwear, but the 90’s, collegiate, streetwear, is something we both love and enjoy.”

Brent Faiyaz, a singer-songwriter, has partnered with his long-time Creative Director, Mark Peaced, ... [+] to launch a new fashion brand called NUWO. NUWO stands for "Not Unless We Own," and it aims to revolutionize streetwear and culture with its debut collection. This is familiar territory for the R&B singer as a newly independent recording artist.

NUWO's nostalgic designs draw inspiration from music, art, and the late '90s/early 2000s era, something heard in his music, telling stories thru vivid depiction and steamy world-building. Faiyaz has built his image through these channels stating, “It goes hand and hand, based around lifestyle. It defines an era. A sound and a look can create a feeling that can’t be explained in words. Fashion influences music and music influences fashion.”

NUWO represents a sense of self-empowerment and the importance of ownership in creative endeavors in any space, whether music or fashion. Faiyaz remains an independent artist and hopes to inspire others through NUWO's designs and message.

“I really don’t know what to call it,” Faiyaz says of his creative takes on music, “I'm just throwing things together that make sense to me. That’s how I approach music. It sounds cliche, but I just do what feels natural.” This is how NUWO exists in his world.

Brent Faiyaz, a singer-songwriter, has partnered with his long-time Creative Director, Mark Peaced, ... [+] to launch a new fashion brand called NUWO. NUWO stands for "Not Unless We Own," and it aims to revolutionize streetwear and culture with its debut collection. This is familiar territory for the R&B singer as a newly independent recording artist.

“It’s still evolving. It’s like this living, breathing, and constantly changing idea,” Faiyaz states. “If it hasn’t been seen - it’s because it hasn’t been made [yet]. Y’all see - what I see.” NUWO's first collection officially launches on "NUWO Day," July 4th, 2023, with a one-day pop-up event in Los Angeles. The event will showcase NUWO's unique pieces, attended by peers in the music and fashion industries. Following the pop-up, exclusive NUWO items will be available on the website, set to go live, July 7, 2023.