Clint Ogbenna, a 28-year-old British-Nigerian entrepreneur, is the engine behind Corteiz. Before Corteiz Clint ran a short-lived label called Cade, which gave him a taste of the industry but ultimately folded . However, it was during this time that he became part of a creative collective called Apex, which helped him build an early online following organically .
Clint is not a traditional designer. He famously stated, “I didn’t know what Supreme was in 2014” . Instead of formal fashion training, he operates on pure intuition, drawing inspiration from the raw, independent hustle of 90s Black-owned American rap labels like Roc-A-Fella. He is the epitome of the modern founder—highly visible yet cryptic on X (formerly Twitter), charismatic yet grounded, turning his personal journey from sleeping on his sister’s couch to running a 25,000-square-foot warehouse into the brand’s foundational mythos .
The Marketing Masterclass: Scarcity, Spectacle, and Community
Corteiz’s meteoric rise isn’t due to celebrity seeding (Clint refuses to send free clothes to stars who aren’t genuine fans) . It is due to a marketing strategy that treats product drops not as sales, but as events. Here’s how they do it:
1. The Gamified Drop
Forget email newsletters and countdown clocks. A Corteiz drop often begins with a cryptic post from Clint, followed by GPS coordinates released at a random time. Fans rush to the location, transforming a Tuesday afternoon into a flash mob. This was seen most famously with the “99p Market Stall” in 2022, where hundreds of fans mobbed a West London market to buy the brand’s highly sought-after cargo pants for less than a pound .
2. The Great Exchanges
Corteiz has perfected the art of the trade-in. In 2022, Clint launched the “Da Great Bolo Exchange,” asking fans to trade their North Face, Moncler, or Supreme jackets for his new “Bolo” puffer. The twist? The traded jackets—worth an estimated £16,000—were donated to a local food bank, Laurence’s Larder . In 2024, he repeated the stunt in Brooklyn with a denim exchange, reinforcing that the brand values loyalty and community over mere transactions .
3. “We Don’t Pay for Attention”
Despite being worn by everyone from Drake to Ronaldinho, Clint insists the brand doesn’t buy influence. “No sponsored ads, no free clothes, no ass lickin celebs,” he once tweeted . This authenticity resonates with a youth culture tired of inorganic influencer marketing. When stars like Central Cee or Dave wear Corteiz, it’s because they bought it, fostering a genuine connection between the brand and its audience .
