In early 2019 Mas and Irfan learned about a KicksTQ event. It was then that they witnessed how he had amassed a community inspired by art and music. People from different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities came together as a community, sharing their stories and experiences. From a personal perspective, Mas thought it was beautiful the way it came together and thought it would be awesome if he could be a part of something through which he could create something similar. With his strong affinity for basketball, an atmosphere which exposed him to the urban clothing scene and streetwear, he was deeply inspired to start a new narrative. So, he partnered up with long-time friend, Irfan, and buckled up for a wild and exciting ride that became Cre8 Clothing.

The duo is a great match and have managed to split their responsibilities towards the brand. Mas handles the creative and fun side of things and Irfan handles the boring (or so they claim) operations stuff. Right now, the Divine collection which features the words Hustle and Soul writing in English but adorned with Arabic tashkeel is out on tshirts and hoodies. It is an interesting melding of language and culture, naturally we were curious and wanted to speak to them to find out more.

Why Hustle and Soul? What do they mean to you?
Mas: Both designs have their own story, Soul was one of the first designs I’ve sketched out like a zillion times until I went for the final one, it always felt profound and inspiring to think, reflect and make a design that’s meaningful. Hustle has always been a mindset for us and applying it to everything we do, it became a driving force to run the extra mile, that we live by.
Irfan: We decided to start off with these designs because these are the main ingredients to ones being. Hustle shows how hungry you are for your success, and Soul connects to your tranquility and serenity.

You chose an interesting intersection between Arabic and English, using English words but Arabic tashkeel, can you explain the story behind that?
Mas: Drawing inspiration from Thuluth calligraphy was one of the main reasons to merge both my handwriting and Arabic Tashkeel to make it feel seamless and being able to read the words, this idea was my brainchild.

What other words can we expect?
Mas: These designs are a part of the Divine series which we have dropped recently, and we have more designs and series in the works, keep an eye out!

You have tshirts and hoodies, are there other products in the pipeline?
Irfan: We are currently in the sampling stage of other products and hope to release them soon.

Which one is your favorite design and why?
Mas: Definitely the Hustle, knowing people relate to it and them wearing my handwritten design inspires me, that’s special.
Irfan: Our designs (including our potential future designs) are all our babies, and it’s impossible to choose a favorite. But from an emotional perspective, the Hustle and Soul designs might be closer to my heart; these designs started the movement, allowing us to generate momentum and accumulate our community.

How would you describe the cre8 customer?
Mas: The Cre8 customer can be described as loud and bold, and desires to make a statement and wants to express themselves through the way they dress. No matter who you are or where you come from , Always be fearless to express yourself and embody the passion the drives you , this is what we believe in.

Right now, you are selling via WhatsApp, is a website in the plan?
Irfan: That’s right currently we are operating Via WhatsApp and we are working on our website which is in the works and also we are negotiating partnerships with retailers in the region.

Are the designs vinyl or screen printed?
Mas: Our designs are done with good old’ screen printing.

Can you tell us more about what it was like starting a clothing brand? How did you start? How did you find suppliers/vendors? Do you print locally?
Irfan: We envisioned the idea of cre8 back in early 2019 but were only able to actually start selling merchandise the summer of 2021. Initially we explored local suppliers, but were dissatisfied because of various reasons including quality, durability, and other things of that sort. Which is when we discovered that sourcing from abroad was a whole different ball game. Finally, we were able to zero in on suppliers we can trust and since then have been trying to move forward all the way, our products are sourced and manufactured outside of Kuwait.

What are your hopes for the future regarding cre8?
Our goal is to bring together a community that believes in self-expression, embracing their creativity and passion forming a unity through the brand to bring out stories and various aspects of design languages that we hope will be appreciated by our customers.

For more information follow @cre8clothing.kw on Instagram.