Welcome to Brand To Watch, a new bi-weekly style column from COMPLEX UK. Here, we’ll be spotlighting the best emerging brands out of the UK, asking them what makes them stand out from the crowd, how they’ve navigated through unprecedented times and determining their vision of fashion and the future.
Having been thrown into the clothing game full throttle after the likes of A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti and Quavo donned his eye-catching rap tees back in 2016, the vision has steadily been getting clearer for London-based designer Marino Morwood. From what started as a simple idea from playing around on Photoshop in spring 2016, Marino’s designs were quick to get co-signs from some of the biggest rappers in the world.
Since then, Marino has been levelling up his bootleg designs, which pack plenty of late ‘90s/early noughties nostalgia for the win. Whether it’s Chief Keef or Steve Jobs, his work celebrates today’s icons with a real, tangible authenticity. After utilising his full creative freedom and gaining more and more resources to support his ideas, Marino continued to make creations that he would want to wear himself, with each design seemingly going down better than the last.
Following the buzz of his own named brand—a limited run of 8 tees became 30, then 30 became 80—Marino’s confidence, and vision, grew. In 2019, Cetra Visions was born, a brand that is a full extension of what Marino’s ethos is in a fully-fledged imprint.
With a host of drops now under his belt, we caught up with Marino Morwood to talk Cetra Vision and his plans to inspire the youth to do what they to want in life, unapologetically.
Tell us how you first got into the clothing game – what were your original influences behind setting up the imprint?
I came into the game the same way I feel like most of the kids from this generation have come into it and will continue to come into it – wanting to create something for themselves because nobody else is doing it how they want to do it. All I wanted to do was wear my own shit, but nobody ever shows you the hoops you’ve got to jump through to make that idea in your head something that comes out at the end of the tunnel real in front of you.
That’s something I really want to help kids with, break down the barriers between having an idea and making it happen. I want to show kids the steps, and what they’ve got to do to actualize that idea in their head. It’s taken me five years to learn what I’ve learnt but that could’ve been cut in half if I had somebody show me the way, or point me in the right direction when needed.
Do you come from an artistic / design background?
Nah I couldn’t draw, paint, play instruments, none of that. All I had is a strong sense of what I liked and didn’t like.
Your designs frequently reference US hip-hop and culture – what were you reading and listening to growing up that helped shape the aesthetic you bring to your imprint today?
I grew up with three older brothers, so when they were going through their teenage years I was like 8 years old and when you’re that age you listen to what your brothers listen to. They’d be discovering new music all the time andƒ I’d hear it playing from their rooms all day, then they’d let me play San Andreas on their PS2 and do a couple drive by listening to Radio Los Santos.
Hip Hop just naturally became what I listened to from being exposed to it constantly, and when you get wrapped up in the music, you dive into the whole world. You watch the visuals, how people dress, the whole lifestyle that goes with the music. That played a part in shaping me. I wanted to get fly, have jewelry and drive nice cars like the people I was listening to and watching on TV.
So now I’m in a position to be able to create clothing, I’d be crazy to say that it hasn’t played a big part in influencing my design style from the silhouettes down to the colour palettes I choose to use.
Your label used to be under your own name – how and why did you pivot the output onto Cetra Visions?
Cetra is the evolution of the rap tees. It’s the same ethos of being loud and in your face whilst beautiful, but fully developed and presented to you in the experience of a full outfit instead of a graphic t-shirt. It’s the full vision instead of only a part of the vision. They go hand in hand together. I see no distinction between the two. The rap tees are a branch off the tree of Cetra.
What were your main inspirations for setting up Cetra Visions originally?
The original inspiration was to prove to myself that I can do what I want to do in life, my way, without changing for anyone. I can do what I want to do and make what I want to make, and nobody can tell me shit about it. That’s what the clothing is for me, a trophy of living life on my own terms. That’s what Cetra has grown to represent and I hope people feel the same way when they put on that Cetra piece.
How have you navigated through 2020 as a business?
2020 didn’t really fuck us up like a lot of people that make clothes. We got a tight relationship with the people so nothing changed with them showing support and selling out every release as normal. The only thing it messed up was us not being able to throw parties and not as many pop-ups in different cities that we wanted to show love to, but we’re going to make up for it this summertime.
Talk to us about the collaborations, plans and activations you’ve got coming up with the brand in 2021?
I need Nike to hit me up. I’m trying to make these Cetra AF1s a reality this year! That is all.
What’s the ultimate vision for the company?
Have people dressing flyer than ever before, to inspire the youth to do what they want in life unapologetically, give back to the people that support Cetra, have fun whilst doing all this, and make sure that everybody who is part of the Cetra team has the means to take care of their families.
Head to the Cetra Visions website to be the first to know when the next releases from the brand will launch.
