Why We’re Building a Brand That Speaks Local

One of the biggest gaps we see in emerging markets is this: a lack of consumer brands that truly reflect the culture and identity of the region they come from.

Walk through the aisles of any store or scroll through your feed, and you’ll notice a common thread - a dominance of Western-centric brand narratives, aesthetics, and value systems. While these may appeal globally, they often fail to connect deeply at a local level. In the process, rich cultural textures - stories, symbols, crafts, music, even flavours - are left untold or underrepresented.

At Guilden & Grey, we believe there’s an immense creative and commercial opportunity in closing this gap. That’s why, through our work with Peec Studio, we’re building a brand that doesn’t just sell products — it tells stories rooted in the places we live and love.

Our latest project, RePatrol: UAE Nostalgia Edition, is the first capsule in what we envision to be a series of rolling cultural studies on wheels. It draws inspiration from life in the UAE - from karak chai rituals to 90s cassette tapes, from traditional fabrics to desert snacks. But this isn’t just about nostalgia. It’s about reimagining a region’s cultural markers through design, motion, and meaning.

Each capsule will focus on a different country in the Global South - a region full of untapped creative energy, from Asia to Africa to South America and the Middle East. With every collection, we ask: what does local feel like when it’s done with intention, taste, and soul?

For us, brand building in 2025 isn’t about louder storytelling. It’s about truer storytelling. And some of the truest stories are still waiting to be told.