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Miguel’s Vision for a Creative Renaissance

BY Jex Exmundo

September 02, 2022

With Web3, creatives across various industries and disciplines have found a place that undeniably feels like home. The promise of selling your works directly to your fans is everything for a creative. One such visionary is Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Miguel, who has steadily made a name for himself as one of Web3’s most outspoken supporters.

Through his recently established membership-based lifestyle solutions brand, S1C, he hopes to utilize the power inherent in blockchain technology and its underlying concepts. Namely, decentralization.

“The creative renaissance through NFTs, through blockchain, through Web3 is already happening. Web3 is always about the artist — or creator — and the consumer. It’s really focused on those two people and not about the business in between,” said Miguel in nft now’s latest episode of Behind the Drop.

So what is S1C exactly? S1C — short for Schedule 1 Concept — is a brand that hopes to live up to its name. “The DEA is basically where [the idea of] scheduling controlled substances comes from. Schedule 1 [refers to] the most illicit, the most forbidden, the most banned [substances,]” the singer said. “I think greatness always challenges the status quo. I wanted to build a brand and build something that carried that energy and hopefully inspire people to continue on whatever their path is to their own greatness.”

Miguel’s S1C, REO, and learning to break with conformity

During our time with Miguel and S1C, we also spoke with visual artist and music producer REO, a longtime collaborator and friend of the singer, who walked us through the background of Miguel’s 2021 single So I Lie and its accompanying art. We also got a sneak peek at S1C’s upcoming collaboration with Midnight Rave.

S1C is a lifestyle brand, so much of its business model revolves around selling physical products. And S1C’s product line will include items ranging from homeware to jewelry and, eventually, technology. But to kick off the line, S1C sold clothes. “I started with clothing, started with something that’s tangible, something that’s visual. It’s a medium that evolves consistently and allows for a lot of creativity,” Miguel said.

Staying true to S1C’s status as a responsible brand, Miguel also walked us through the brand’s factory, where its highly-coveted clothing lines are designed and produced. To ensure the creation of these pieces of apparel, Miguel stated that all fabric used in the creation of S1C is sourced by the singer himself, and primarily consists of dead stock fabric that otherwise would’ve ended up in a landfill.

To end our time together, the singer asked, “why do we have to conform to what is? Why not build what can be?” Given the direction S1C’s gone in its first year of operations, we can’t wait to see how Miguel’s vast potential and high expectations for the future will play out.

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