Origin

Hometown : Monterey Park, CA
Established : 2020
Launched : 2026

Founded on the principles of creating a brand that broke the rules of fashion, distribution, resellers, and wages.
It is a brand created by the people for the people.

As the brand continues to grow, we will move operations to a place that keeps our overall operational costs down and invest into building a big warehouse to distribute all of our catalogue from. Through this, we will allocate funding to fund INVISIBLE FACES and pay all of our partners, sponsors, employees, creators and team more than their share for their time. We will make every effort to restructure the way everyone gets paid so that it is more than enough to help fund their own dreams.

We can do all things through Elegance, Passion & Desire.

"OUR MISSION IS A GLOBAL MOVEMENT OF EMPOWERMENT TO ALL.
THROUGH ELEGANCE, PASSION & DESIRE WE WILL EMPOWER THE WORLD."

- Yūma D'artiste

The origin of the brand was a seed planted in 2018 behind shadows and silence. What would become UNUS VIRTUS™ first came to light under the name LOVEAPHILIA — a mirror to Yūma’s album. It was born from the fusion of the words love & aphilia, defined as Love and Obsession and indirectly translated as 'in love with love'.

In retrospect the concept fit the lyricism and vision at the time but the suffix carried connotations Yūma refused to endorse, so the name was quietly retired.

Yūma’s album was reborn as VPNY and the search for UNUS VIRTUS™ began.

A pivotal moment took place this year, where projects shifted, personal changes unfolded, and influenced ideas surfaced. The brand went through several identities — The Nonbelievers, Co.; The Outsiders; LOVE IMPACT; VISIONARY PSYCHEDELIC; VSNRYwav — each as an attempt to articulate the mission of "being a global movement of empowerment to all. Through elegance, passion & desire we will empower the world".

During this period the first concept known as "Vice/Virtue" emerged. It became the earliest version of the brand as it was shown to the most important person in Yūma’s life, known only through the initials 'S.B.A.', whose contribution was essential for the brand's survival.

Initially the new concept was shelved for a few months while Yūma and S.B.A. settled on a name between VSNRYwav and Vice/Virtue. Despite her support for the former, it was concluded through mutual understanding that the vision demanded more than music alone could carry and Vice/Virtue became the foundational concept of the rebrand.

The Vice/Virtue concept demanded a name that matched its purpose — elegance, passion, and desire rendered permanent. After careful study, it became clear the name needed to feel universal, almost inevitable and the Latin language fulfilled that desire.

From the first concept came UNUS VIRTUS — “One Virtue.”

Which birthed the first slogan: "This is my virtue. What’s yours?"

By year’s end the new brand name's logo, mark and dimensions were finalized. Blank garments were ordered in volume — Champion Heritage and American Apparel — to test fit, weight, and the desired vintage fade after repeated wear. The goal was precise: a narrow neck, an oversized drape, and fabric that would age with character.

The domain and social handles were secured as all fundamentals began to take shape.

As the brand continued to take shape, the first design, Memento Mori Angels, was committed to a limited run of 75 shirts. The imagery had appeared to Yūma in a dream and was later rendered in Illustrator.

The debut collection was originally titled “THE NODUS TOLLENS COLLECTION,” drawn from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. Copyright constraints forced a change, but that dark-esque influence remained. La Prima Vertu — The First Virtue — became the official announcement that the first collection was coming.

In this same year, the first UV logo Strapbacks were ordered. Production cycles stretched to roughly six months. The rest of 2021 was spent in patient refinement — quality control, new designs, and the slow development of a coherent brand identity.

As the foundation continued to take shape, Trademark protection became essential. A lawyer was contracted and both UNUS VIRTUS and the UV mark were filed. It was a deliberate act of safeguarding the name, the image, and the years already invested.

The first official photoshoot took place in Los Angeles, captured by Yūma alongside Tony — a partner in both film and modeling. The movement began to take visual form.

While the trademark was processing, all production was paused. COVID-related delays at the USPTO extended the wait by approximately nine months.

In August, during a trip to London, Yūma and S.B.A. spoke at length about the brand’s future with an intention of bringing her onboard. It was made clear that she would continue to remain hands-off and she would not take on further operational involvement. Her position remains solemnly as a nominal co-founder of the brand's identity.

Weeks later the trademark cleared without opposition and production was resumed.

Yūma's unavoidable health issues forced a temporary pause. He stepped away on leave to focus on recovery but the brand did not remain stagnant.

Website development began in prototype form. New designs were archived for future release. The framework for INVISIBLE FACES — the nonprofit orphanage that would eventually be funded by UNUS VIRTUS & Co — was drafted. Its mission is singular: to raise orphaned children through education and the arts, beginning in the United States and expanding outward.

Progress moved forward in small increments.

This year became the year of convergence. The website underwent a final rebrand. A physical location was leased to house operations. The mission statement was locked in:

"A global movement of empowerment. Through elegance, passion, and desire we will empower the world."

Slogans finalized — La Sagrata Luxuria and Elegance, Passion & Desire. The complete vision, long in gestation, finally held the direction that took years to build.

Tools, machinery, and software were acquired. All legal company documentation was filed before year’s end to have it ready before the brand's launch.

In January the final documents arrived — company filings, seller’s permits, and the remaining legal architecture. Bank accounts were opened, photography equipment secured, and the studio completed its remodel.

Formerly, the collection was only announced as LA PRIMA VERTU however, in July, Yūma announced the collection’s final concept:

IDENTITY™ (n)/īˈden(t)ədē/ the unique set of qualities, beliefs, values, and traits that define who a person is or what a group represents. A collective holding all core, essential and staple items that build our IDENTITY™.

The launch date remains as: August 8th, 2026