Jockamo Barnes Is Building Culture, Not Just Brands

From scented boyfriend sweaters to cocktails that cross continents, Murali, Co-founder of Jockamo Barnes, is turning Dubai’s cultural quirks and everyday observations into unexpected creative experiences.

In an industry where every brand wants to be culturally relevant, Murali, Co-founder of innovation studio Jockamo Barnes, is challenging the very idea of what that means. “Culture is one of the most abused words today, especially in marketing and advertising. Every agency claims it. Every brand sees it as a shortcut to relevance. But few truly understand what it means to be a part of it.”

For Murali, the answer lies in creating rather than chasing culture. At Jockamo Barnes, that translates into unconventional objects, brands and experiences rooted in human behaviour, often inspired by the contradictions of life in the UAE. ““Every project starts with a tension: two things that shouldn’t necessarily work together, but somehow do. The UAE produces them faster than anywhere I’ve lived,” he explains.

Take Boomerang, a playful inversion of hospitality inspired by a New Orleans cocktail tradition. Instead of visiting bars to be served, Murali travels with a drink to gift bartenders around the world, creating an unexpected connection between cocktail communities across continents.

Then there’s Pre-Worn Boyfriend Sweater, a tongue-in-cheek take on Dubai’s dating culture, built around the observation that “the best part of situationships are the clothes you steal; the worst part is the man.” Created with fragrance studio Oo La Lab Dubai, the scented sweaters capture three familiar dating archetypes: the Entrepreneur, the Gym Rat and the Desert Philosopher. Beyond the humour, the project explores how scent and touch can evoke memories in ways traditional advertising cannot.

A more poignant expression of this thinking is Bitter Meat, created with Aidan Frederick. Described as a love letter to the UAE’s expat experience, the project challenges the familiar narrative of Dubai as a temporary stopover. Its message, “for those who chose here,” speaks to residents who have made the country home by choice. “Reverence without romanticism. We love this place too much to put it on a postcard,” says Murali.

This creative philosophy also shapes the studio’s collaborations. The Away Kit, developed with Super Cellar for the 2026 World Cup, features more than 17 editorial posters pairing nations with culturally inspired cocktails. The insight is distinctly local: Dubai experiences the tournament as a city of away fans, where people passionately support countries they no longer live in.

For Murali, partnerships like these are about shared authorship rather than conventional sponsorship. “Super Cellar started as a client and became a co-author. That’s the model we want: invite a brand into something already in motion instead of shopping them a finished idea.”

Ultimately, Jockamo Barnes is interested in ideas that live beyond the fleeting attention of a campaign. “Advertising asks for attention. People watch it, skim past it. But it’s ignorable and avoidable. Objects earn a place in someone’s life. We’re more interested in the second.”

And perhaps that’s the studio’s most compelling proposition: culture isn’t something brands need to borrow relevance from. It’s something they can meaningfully contribute to.