We had the good fortune of connecting with Juwan Wharton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juwan, what’s the end goal, career-wise?
I have multiple career goals that I want to say I accomplished by the end of my life. It starts out with the fact that I want my brand, CultureXCI, to be more than just a clothing line. I want it to be a creative outlet that lets me get into many different ventures.

I want to have a couple clothing stores across the globe. Probably one in NYC, ATL, Cali, and a few international spots. Also, I would love to have a grand creative expo but I don’t want to give too many details on the vision too soon. I think, often, about delving into hosting carnival events because carnival is such a big part of my culture. And lastly I want to have charity events to provide disaster relief for the Caribbean because of how often we’re affected by natural disasters.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
To start out, I just wanted to provide clarity on the pronunciation of my brand: CultureXCI. It’s said as ‘Culture 91’ lol . The Roman numerals just looked cooler.

I’m trying my hardest to make clothing that is both trendy and affordable. It feels almost impossible to do both, but I still want to try because I’ve always been someone who felt like I didn’t have to wear the latest, most expensive designer to have style. People always thought I had expensive taste but in reality I almost never wore anything high-end. I want my brand to follow suit. So what sets me apart from others, for starters is the cost of my products will probably be more affordable than a lot of other independent brands.

What excites me most about my work is always styling the photoshoot for my newest pieces. It’s such a fun process and then seeing the photos afterwards always gives me a huge sense of pride.

None of this is easy, especially not juggling a 40+ hrs a week job and social life on top of running this brand on my own, but if it was easy, I wouldn’t appreciate the wins as much.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far has been that building this brand is a marathon, not a race, and I have to allow people to be there for me when they offer because nobody builds an empire from ground up completely alone. ‘Let people help you’ is something I say to myself daily.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Haha, well if they’re visiting, it would have to be a big weekend for the Caribbean scene in ATL because I’d want to show them that we have a good time here too.

We’d try eating at the many different Caribbean restaurants around the city like International Roti house, Royal Caribbean Bakery, Spice House. We’d also check out other eats like Yumbii, because I’m really a simple food guy. Give me some dope fries, tacos, chicken, and I’m sold.

Me and my friends, pre-covid, used to frequent this Mexican spot called ‘El Pounce’ because they serve some of the best margaritas ever!

We’d do things like ride scooters around the city, checkout the beltline, hit Ponce City Market’s Rooftop, and we’d end the trip by going to Rum Punch Brunch because who doesn’t love Sunday fun day? Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Man, whoever said “it takes a village” wasn’t lying because I wouldn’t be here without so many people!

1st, my family and friends. They’re my biggest, loudest, proudest supporters. The way they promote my brand, buy my products, wear my products, I can honestly say they make me feel accomplished even though I just started.

2nd shoutout goes to Wade, Darrian, Matthew, and Kee’Ana. My CXCI ‘team’ if I ever had one lol. They’re My models/photographers. They’re always willing to hear my vision and work with me to make it come to life, and one of them lives in NYC and still manages to hold me down!

3rd, my friend/colleague Cymphoni. She’s been in the industry longer than I have so she’s been such a solid resource for me. She has no idea how much I appreciate her listening ear and willing counsel!

Website: CultureXCI.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/CultureXCI

Image Credits
IG: @Djones_photos IG: @ThatGuyMateo IG: @Vvisuals__

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