Inspiring Conversations with Carlos Guzman of Brown N Proud

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Guzman.

Hi Carlos, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always loved creating; my first love was music, writing rhymes, and creating songs, that’s honestly what opened up my creative eye and ear to even more possibilities to express my creativity. This all started back in 2001 when I was in middle school. Throughout the years, I began trying new things like graffiti art and painting, and although I was never too savvy in that area, my mind was exploding with ideas, and I did my best to jot them down on paper. Time went by, and I learned that my creativity can be transferred onto garments so then I started a small brand in high school, then another and another. None of them were successful, but I never gave up. Going back to middle school and high school I remember writing Brown N Proud on school walls and street walls, it was click my older cousin was part of and I was representing on my neck of the woods. That term sat with me for a very long time, as a kid, it really had no meaning to me; it was more of a “street thing” but as I got older, I looked back at the term BROWN N PROUD, and it started to resonate with me as I became more aware of my background, ethnicity, and culture, years later I created the brand BROWN N PROUD as a way for people to represent their culture.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
They say nothing in life is easy, and I partially believe that. I had a lot of failures during my life when it came to starting businesses using my creativity but I also succeeded in a few, as far as Brown N Proud, it was something so natural and didn’t involve too much effort. One day I created the BNP logo and decided to make a mock-up and share it on Instagram to get people’s thoughts and the rest was history. People began sharing and demanding that I release the shirts, and so I did. The starting process was very easy and natural, but once the brand was up and established that’s when the actual work started. Being a representative of the people isn’t an easy task; it sure is beautiful, but it involves a lot of thought and responsibility, so everything that is made, posted and released has a long thought process knowing everything we do, is for the expansion of our culture.

We’ve been impressed with Brown N Proud, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Brown N Proud is far more that just a clothing brand and way bigger than myself, the owner; it’s a movement for the Latino community. We make garments for people who want to represent their roots and culture. We tell everyone that whenever they are wearing a Brown N Proud garment, they aren’t just wearing a “cool t shirt”, they are walking representatives of our people and culture, and these garments should be worn proudly.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I was born in Mexico but was raised in LA County, specifically the San Fernando Valley. I love it here; it’s a diverse city full of culture and life, you get to learn of different ethnicities, cultures, foods, music, and the Latino community is booming here, although those are some of the good things there are also negatives of this city, and I include all of Los Angeles and it’s the crazy cost of living, the crime rate, the homeless problem and drug problem that has been on the rise. I wish our government would do a better job at fixing these issues.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brownnproudla.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brownnproudla/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brownnproudla

Image Credits
Photography by Carlos Guzman of Brown N Proud