I Was Inspired By Virgil Alboh, the Former Luis Vuitton creative director, Says Intellectual Streetwear Creator

Some of the products under the Intellectual streetwear

There’s a new trending Streetwear and Clothe brand in town, The Intellectual, We caught up with the face behind intellectual, David Ryan Kwera Bahati, who got his inspiration from Louis Vuittion creative director, Virgil Alboh

1.Tell us about Intellectual?
Intellectual is a streetwear brand that is based in Kampala, Uganda, and the word intellectual came from how we involuntarily go out our way everyday to find something new in life either it can be finding new music, making new friends, finding new piece of knowledge, etcetera.

it’s just basically pushing the idea of finding new stuff that would better our lives we can’t live life the same way as we did yesterday we have to find new ways to make it interesting it isn’t specifically targeted to only intellectual people but promoting that lifestyle of how we approach life intellectually which most people are not even aware of.

2. Why did you choose to venture into the fashion industry and which people do you hope to speak to with intellectual?
It happened so randomly I just wanted to start making clothes it’s as simple as that it isn’t that that deep actually but I’ve always been into dressing up and fashion and I thought making clothes was cool you get to orchestrate how they turn out you are the artist but in this case someone gets to wear your work my cousin jade was the first person I told about wanting to start a clothing brand, I sent him a message on Instagram and he was just all for it.

Jade (cousin) is such a supportive person and his smart too his one of the people that’s helping me out with the brand without him I believe intellectual wouldn’t have been brought to life I hope it speaks to the outcasts the people who are misunderstood like those who stand out from the crowd for just being themselves cause that’s basically intellectual.

We’re a misunderstood brand and you can tell through our name and our design’s you have to understand us from a prescriptive

3. What was your inspiration while creating this brand?
underground brands that I saw on my tiktok and Instagram helped with building the image and aesthetic for this brand I loved how they presented themselves in such a way that made them relevant buy different it was my first time seeing streetwear being presented in a way like that especially brands like dividetheyouth, Southofheaven and lifeofanoutsider I was also inspired by how Virgil Alboh the creator of offwhite and how he made streetwear mainstream to the magnitude it is in right now, he bridged the gap between streetwear and high end fashion with collaborating with Louis Vuitton and eventually being creative director for Louis Vuitton was really inspirational to me I would read articles talking about how he made off white the biggest streetwear brand in the world it really helped me with starting up intellectual and gave the push to make it big like him

4. What impact do you hope to achieve with the Intellectual brand?
Well first off I want the outreach of the brand to not only be felt in Kampala but across Uganda to even the point people in rural area’s know about the brand and physical own materials from the brand from what I’ve seen there’s a social divide in this country in terms of status if you live in Kampala or own anything from Kampala your considered rich or wealthy I hate that so much I don’t want the brand to be represented in that light I want it to be for everyone.

I want it to serve as a support system for the youth, something they can turn to when things aren’t going well for them like the ones who self doubt themselves who feel like that there that person, I feel like everyone should feel like there’s that person whenever you wear intellectual they should feel like the biggest person in the room and that’s what I want them to feel like I want them to feel free, feel optimistic about life ignore the people that don’t give you respect and talk down on your name the youth should know that were here for them were by there side no matter what you are worthy right now and forever.

so I hope intellectual serve’s as a host for the youth for them to feel there respect I’m confident in myself enough to be only wearing intellectual everywhere I go so I think that’s the impact I want it to also to have on them self love, confidence and respect.

5. Where do you see intellectual in the next 5 years?
I’ve been told that you can’t dictate what the future holds but I can see it branching out much further to what it is right now I see it becoming one the biggest brand’s in East Africa

Comments

comments