Why I Started a Streetwear Brand in Dubai at 33

I've wanted to build a streetwear brand since I was 20. No money, no connections; so the dream just sat there for over a decade.

I moved to Dubai in 2018 to work as a product designer. When COVID hit, I finally had the time. I started sketching, researching fabrics, drafting the brand. The idea had been building for years; a frustration I couldn't shake.

People pointing at someone and saying "he's one of those" just because of what they're wearing. Brands putting you in a box, telling you what "type" of person you are. I never fit into any of those boxes. And I know I'm not the only one.

So I started building something for the people who feel the same way. Sustainable from day one; if I was going to create something new, it had to respect the planet.

It nearly broke me. Finding the right manufacturer took forever. Samples kept coming back wrong. Money was tight; my full-time salary was paying my bills and funding the brand at the same time. And I was doing it completely alone. Every problem was mine to solve.

I almost gave up more times than I want to admit.

But in April 2025, I launched Unidentity. Eleven days later, I was at home refreshing Shopify like crazy, watching visitors come and go, adding to cart then leaving. Then a guy from Abu Dhabi showed up. I watched him browse. He added something to cart. I thought "one more abandoned cart." Then he moved to checkout. Then the screen said "Purchased."

I checked the name. Not a friend. A complete stranger believed in what I built.

I started crying.

That was the moment I knew this was real. Not a side project, not a hobby; a real brand that strangers believed in.

Today, Unidentity is available in the UAE and across the Middle East. Every piece is made from 100% organic cotton, GOTS and OEKO-TEX certified. Every purchase plants a mangrove tree in Kenya. And every drop is a reminder that fashion should express who you are, not assign it.

That was just the beginning.

Jorge Grande, 

Unidentity Founder.