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Go there, the phrase that serves as the foundation of the creation of Nomad World Citizen, a brand that combines music creativity, fashion, and personal motivation for black culture. Founder Blake Symphony, has been putting his best foot forward by providing unique clothing to buyers that embodies a mix of empowerment and versatile taste.
A Dream Come True
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, surrounded by sports, music, and city culture there was a missing piece for Symphony that needed to be filled. Thanks to Nickelodeon, he slowly found his niche, discovering that fun and work could coexist.
“Once I learned who Stan Lee was, the spider man cartoon and iron man cartoon, I realized that oh you can use your ideas to make a job out of it,” he said. “I didn’t know how to bridge it, how to make it happen but between seeing [all of that combined] — I was like wait a minute, this stuff that’s fun to me can be a job.”
His creativity was also influenced by music production, beginning when he was 15-16, focusing on the beats and practicing off fruity loops. His drive continued even during college. After transferring from Flo Valley to Western University in 2006, becoming involved with the art club brand.
“My whole 10,000 hours was just spending my whole coming of age just designing on paper and not having anything made,” Symphony said. Over time, he developed a mission, beginning with his music before progressing into his clothing line. In 2010, he made his first piece of clothing for the SYZU’s teese party series. At the time, he promoted his mixtape, featuring a Nintendo 8-bit portrait of himself. In efforts to promote it with merchandise, he was unaware that it would serve as the stepping stone into a world of creativity and business.
The Birth of Nomad World Citizen
Nomad World Citizen unexpectedly emerged in 2020, initially intended to be a follow-up album to his 2018 release of Nomad. The second album was called Nomad 2 MegaJet and featured a Street Fighter 2 theme. With the game serving as his first introduction to world travel, he wanted his second album to embody the game’s travel aspect.
Instead, it marked the beginning of a new chapter in a different line of work. After creating a pair of shorts inspired by Sagat, a street fighter character, in an attempt to solely sell merchandise for the album, he received more recognition than expected. “I posted it on Instagram because I was so excited about how it came out and I got like 70 responses in one day and that doesn’t happen in a lot of things I post — that one went crazy immediately and I was like oh I can’t make these ideas depend on the music, it gotta be it’s on thing,” Symphony said. “From there I decided to make its brand whether it’s a music release to go with it or not.”
As a multi-talented entrepreneur, Symphony has blended his illustrations and designs into a graphic form, which he uses to convey fashion and culture uniquely, whether it’s on his clothing or a music release cover. “I wish I could go to Target and they have a variety of kimono puffer jackets instead of regular puffer jackets. I wish I could have cargos that have camo print that I don’t have to go to army surplus for so I make my own,” he said. “I make the clothes that I want to wear and use my personal taste and personal gaps in the market as a prophecy.” His store sells a wide selection of clothes, but he makes an effort to showcase pants, shorts, and kimonos.
A Blend Between Music and Fashion Creativity
“The music is the audio form of the clothing, the clothing is the audio form of the music,” Symphony said. He emphasized that while clothes will be available everywhere, original and creative ideas will not be found all the time. He strives to take that extra step in finding a balance between what is familiar and what is unique, making his mark and shaping the black fashion industry, believing in the sweet spot between not standing out or fitting in.
“The heavy lifting to put out to the market for the people is me recognizing the middle point between what you expect and what’s normal versus the step to the left, one or two steps that isn’t so weird or crazy but a little extra flavor that you aren’t gonna get everywhere you go.”
Room to Grow
Nomad World Citizen has extended outreach to states across the United States outside of New York, where he currently resides. “I remain a student of how to cast a big net and really invest in that,” he said. Taking inspiration from major influencers like Nigo with the human-made brand, Jerry Lorenzo, and Micahel Jordan with his tennis shoe, he continues to learn how to put the building blocks together for his business, creating a space that is beyond simply selling and instead, embodying his brand.
“My philosophy with the brand and anything I represent is to embody it because it comes from me – in the spirit of showing others how it can work for them as well,” he said. Additional work will also be released soon after spending all year revamping Nomad World Citizen including product, promotion and world building. Currently, Symphony is collaborating with friends from St. Louis on an experience-based piece. “It’s gonna be immersive and express this next era of how we consume media, products and information,” he said.
GO THERE
The business slogan emphasizes motivation physically or mentally, which is the heart of the brand. It is a lesson that inspires others to follow their dreams and take all necessary steps to reach them, even if it’s difficult. “You got to go deep, you got to actually be it, actually go there, “ Symphony said. “Be the real whole thing, not just the local version, not just the version that’s comfortable for you but do the real thing as it’s supposed to be done. That’s what go there is for.”
Although the brand is currently only online, obtaining a dedicated space for the business is the next step. The second album, Nomad 2 MegaJet is also in the works of being released. For purchase and further inquiries, products can be found online at www.blakesympohny.com.
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