Kwame Mensah
male · 32 ans · Single
Brixton, London, United Kingdom
Graphic Designer (brand and editorial) · full time permanent contract
"I will pay for craft, provenance and a point of view, but not for noise."
About
Kwame is a 32 year old London based graphic designer moving between the Brixton and Peckham circuit, known among friends for an eye for typography, patina and quiet objects with a story. He buys slowly and deliberately, mixing secondhand finds from markets with a few small British labels, and spends his downtime in independent coffee shops, record led conversations and long walks that turn into detours through furniture and ceramics. He wants to live ethically and aesthetically, but he is wary of performative activism and gets impatient with brands that confuse values with slogans. He converts when a brand can show real making, materials and repairability, and when discovery feels like editorial culture rather than advertising.
Power
Why is this persona strategic?
High signal tastemaker in a dense urban creative network: he influences peer purchases via recommendations, social posts and IRL conversations, but only after he has validated craft and provenance. He is reachable through design and culture media, coffee and market touchpoints, and audio led discovery, and he rewards brands that behave like publishers and workshops rather than hype machines.
What defines his socio-economic situation?
£22,800
is the approximate annual net equivalised household income he needs to sit above the 50th percentile as a single individual, which frames his careful splurges rather than constant buying
HBAI 2024, single individual percentilesProfessional occupation in a city, culturally engaged, spends selectively on quality and experiences rather than frequent trend purchases.
Mid income for a London creative professional, comfortable for day to day life but rent and transport keep discretionary spend deliberate.
BA (Hons) level education, aligned with the UK pattern of high tertiary attainment among 25 to 34 year olds.
Compact one bedroom above an independent gallery in South London, paying for location and walkable culture rather than space.
Rent and bills for a one bed in South London
Market cooking plus frequent coffee stops
Buffers for irregular freelance or larger purchases
Secondhand most months, occasional high quality new pieces
Exhibitions, cinema, gigs, nights out
Oyster, occasional Uber, infrequent driving
City breaks, occasional family trips
Gym or classes vary by project load
Music and media subscriptions
- Crafted footwear and repairs
- Small batch ceramics and home objects
- Independent coffee and music nights
- Fast fashion hauls
- Logo heavy luxury
- Hard discount driven shopping
Pays by card almost everywhere, uses credit mainly for protections on higher value objects. Avoids BNPL because it feels like fast fashion logic.
What drives his decisions?
1h14m
is how much time he can easily lose on TikTok in a day when the feed serves design and studio process content, but he still buys only after offline validation
We Are Social 2026, UK Android social app time- Trust builds through materials, making process and repair options
- Prefers editorial storytelling to product claims
- Buys after peer confirmation and seeing the object in person
What cultural context shapes his expectations?
47%
growth in UK adult use of Reddit in a year makes him more comfortable researching brands in community threads than trusting influencer placements
Ofcom 2024 via TechCrunch, UK adults Reddit reachHe builds identity through objects that weather well and through places that carry cultural weight. He values the worn in over the pristine, and the story over the logo, using design literacy to filter what is worth attention.
In London, cultural capital is often signalled through restraint, references and where you spend your time. For Kwame, the right objects and places read as literacy in craft and culture, while overt selling feels suspect.
Weekends move between markets, gallery openings, coffee counters and record conversations. Discovery is hyper local and reputation travels fast through friends, studios and venue staff.
He avoids anything that feels try hard or virtue signalling. People respect receipts: who made it, where it is from, how it ages, and what you will do if it breaks.
Repair and resole services · Small batch ceramics and studio drops · Mid century furniture sourced through markets · Process content from studios and makers
Haul culture · Overtly logoed luxury flex · Performative sustainability statements without proof · Fast fashion novelty prints
Brand run repair programs · Pop up exhibitions that double as retail · Community led resale and swaps · AI assisted search for niche references
What are his key lifestyle behaviors?
51 min/day
on YouTube, often watching long form craft and design videos while working or cooking
Ofcom Online Nation 2025, UK adults YouTube timeGrooming is understated and sensory: texture, leather care, and scent matter more than trend products.
Daily basics, shoe care weekly
Shoe conditioning and polishing · Haircut every 3 to 4 weeks · Occasional barber hot towel
Craft appreciation · Feeling put together without flash
Travel is for markets and culture rather than resorts, with a bias toward places that reward walking.
3 to 5 city breaks per year, plus occasional family visits
European flea markets · Gallery cities · Coastal decompression
Carry on only · Neighbourhood based · Coffee and bookshop led itineraries
Eurostar when possible · Budget airlines only for short hops
Culture is his main fuel: exhibitions, publishing, radio, and design references feed his work.
One exhibition or talk most weeks, heavier on weekends
Gallery openings · Book launches · Furniture and ceramics fairs
Solo visits to concentrate · Small group nights for music
Audio discovery is constant, mixing radio tastemaking with personal playlists for mood and work.
Afropop · Jazz · Alternative and indie
Kokoroko · Ezra Collective · Amaarae
BBC Sounds on commute · NTS while working · YouTube sets at home
Collecting and making are entwined: furniture, ceramics, books and the craft of visual culture.
Flea market hunting · Ceramics studio drops · Bookshop browsing
Design friends group chats · Local gallery openings
Social Life
Social time is built around coffee, markets and gigs, with small circles rather than big nights.
Independent coffee shops
Market stalls
Small plates restaurants
Natural wine bars
Neighbourhood pubs
Listening bars
Club nights
Signature
He dresses and furnishes like an editor: secondhand base, one crafted hero piece, then a quiet detail that signals literacy.
What media does he trust?
77%
of UK online adults used BBC news services in a month, which lets him justify Guardian culture reads as a deliberate choice rather than default habit
Ofcom Online Nation 2025, BBC online news reachWhere does he shop?
54%
of UK shoppers bought secondhand clothing online in 2024, which matches his comfort buying pre owned when quality checks are clear
CEBR 2024 via Just Style, UK adultsShops secondhand first for uniqueness, then fills gaps with a small number of well made new pieces.
Food spend is split between market ingredients at home and coffee led social routines.
Grooming spend is minimal but premium within a narrow set of trusted items.
Home purchases happen slowly, usually after multiple sightings of the same type of object.
He buys culture objects like books and prints as a way to furnish his mind and his home.
How do we reach him effectively?
28%
of UK Gen Z trust influencer ads, which informs his scepticism of creator led selling and pushes him toward proof based storytelling instead
Talkwalker 2025, UK influencer trusteffectiveness
He already moves through galleries and music, so a craft led pop up feels natural.
Commute touchpoint, strong for quiet visual craft imagery.
High alignment with his listening habits and cultural trust.
Works only if it is process led and transparent, not a discount code post.
effectiveness
Can spark saving and consideration if it looks like editorial content.
Captures intent when he is already problem solving.
Editorial language that shows process, materials, makers and repair. Understated visuals, tactile photography, and specific provenance details that feel like a studio note rather than a campaign.
Hard selling, discount urgency, performative values claims, and influencer scripts. Anything that feels like a trend costume or a brand using activism as a texture.
How does he move through the buying journey?
49.3%
of UK adult internet users use social media to find information about products, so discovery often starts on Instagram saves rather than a brand homepage
We Are Social 2026, UK adultsAwareness
"This looks good, but is it real craft or just styling?"
- Editorial style video
- A friend shares a studio post
- YouTube
- OOH
- ✕ Looks too branded
- ✕ No maker proof
Consideration
"What is it made of, who made it, and how does it hold up?"
- Clear material specs
- Repair and care information
- Brand site
- In store visit
- ✕ Vague sourcing
- ✕ No repair policy
Decision
"I will buy if it feels right in hand and the story checks out."
- Touch and try
- Peer confirmation
- Pop up
- Independent retailer
- Direct checkout
- ✕ Poor sizing clarity
- ✕ Cheap finishing
Loyalty
"Do they stand behind the product after the sale?"
- Repair experience
- Care content
- In person repair
- ✕ No aftercare
- ✕ Drop in quality
Advocacy
"I will recommend if it earns cultural credibility."
- Compliments from peers
- Good aging and repair
- Instagram post
- Group chats
- IRL recommendations
- ✕ Brand becomes too loud
- ✕ Overexposure
How do we convert him?
$27-44
estimated CAC range for a craft and culture led DTC brand reaching London 25 to 34 creatives through Instagram and events, driven by high intent but selective conversion
Estimate based on channel mix reasoning
Win by behaving like a studio plus publisher: show making, repair, and provenance, and create IRL moments in South London and East London that feel like culture first retail second. He will advocate if the object ages well and the brand respects his intelligence.
strategy
Understated, specific, materially literate, with cultural references used sparingly and correctly.
- "Show the maker, the tools, and the steps, then show how it ages in two years."
- "Offer repair or resole as part of ownership, not as an upsell."
- "Invite him to a pop up that feels like an exhibition with a small run drop."
- A discount countdown timer
- An influencer code as the main value proposition
- Sustainability claims without receipts and specifics
Sources
- 1. Average household income, UK: Financial Year Ending 2024
- 2. Employee earnings in the UK: 2025
- 3. Households below average income: analysis of the UK income distribution FYE 1995 to FYE 2024
- 4. Education at a Glance 2024 country note: United Kingdom
- 5. Digital 2026: The United Kingdom (We Are Social UK blog summary)
- 6. Ofcom Online Nation 2025 summary (ISPreview)
- 7. Time spent online by adults in the UK jumped in 2024 says Ofcom (TechCrunch)
- 8. Clothing tops UK's £4.3bn secondhand online market in 2024 (CEBR survey)
- 9. Visit London: 10 best coffee shops in London (includes Monmouth, Prufrock)
- 10. Top 50 UK Male Fashion Influencers in 2026 (Feedspot list)
- 11. Top 37 Fashion Influencers in the UK (The Social Shepherd)
- 12. 15 Best UK Fashion Podcasts You Must Follow in 2025 (Feedspot)
- 13. NTS Radio overview
- 14. NTS live radio archive
- 15. Talkwalker blog: Social media statistics in the UK (influencer trust stat referenced)
What social content does he engage with?
20 min/day
on Instagram, mostly saving references and posting rarely to keep his grid non promotional
Ofcom Online Nation 2025, Instagram timeconsumption
Saves typography, studio process clips, gallery documentation, and posts carefully curated photos a few times a month.
Daily, short sessions across the day
Typography · Studio process · Street photography · Market finds
consumption
Watches craft, design and music sessions, uses it as background while cooking or sketching.
Most days, long form viewing at home
Design talks · Music sessions · Craft tutorials
Reads threads for product reality checks, repair advice and brand reputation before buying.
A few times a week
Menswear fit checks · Repair advice · Secondhand sourcing
Keeps it professional, follows studios and design roles, posts case studies a few times a year.
2 to 4x per week
Design industry jobs · Studio work · Brand identity
TikTok (Occasional binge sessions) · Discord (Weekly)