Nuveen taps Mark Wahlberg's Municipal brand in client-facing apparel collab

Nuveen has partnered with actor Mark Wahlberg’s clothing company Municipal to make co-branded apparel available to the employees and clients of the $1.4 trillion asset manager.

Wahlberg’s advisor Bruce Lee set up the collaboration, which includes Nuveen branded Municipal gear such as jackets, hats, sweatshirts, and sneakers. The companies see a shared synergy with Nuveen being one of the largest municipal bond asset managers in the U.S., overseeing more than $200 billion in municipal assets under management. Wahlberg posted a video on his Instagram account from the Nuveen x Municipal launch in Las Vegas. 

“At Nuveen, our goal and brand tagline is to "invest like the future is watching." The Municipal brand was co-founded by Mark Wahlberg in 2019, who sought out to create an apparel company that could last all day – from the gym, to the office and to the golf course – and everywhere in between, and is built for what the next generation wants,” Nuveen’s chief marketing officer Tara Giuliano told InvestmentNews.

The co-branded merchandise will also be made available to prospective clients for Nuveen. Lee, who runs Chicago-based RIA and multi-family office Keebeck Wealth Management, appeared on stage with Wahlberg and Guiliano at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas where Nuveen hosted its global sales meeting and announced its collaboration with Municipal. Before starting Keebeck, Lee was a longtime broker at Merrill Lynch.

“The idea for a Nuveen and Municipal partnership was ideated from one of Nuveen’s longstanding clients, Bruce Lee, founder and CEO of Keebeck Wealth Management,” said Giuliano. “He saw the parallels between our brands, beyond just the name, such as their aspirations to build the next iconic brand where ambition, performance and culture collide.”

Wahlberg co-founded Municipal with Hollywood producer Stephen Levinson and Harry Arnett, a former executive at golf brands Callaway and TaylorMade. Lee, whose RIA manages roughly $2 billion in assets for about 50 clients, previously spoke to InvestmentNews about his close relationship with Wahlberg and their shared value for fitness, faith, and family. 

“Mark makes me a better person, and he makes everyone around him better. His messaging is always about spirituality, meditation, being transparent, and most importantly, health and wellness,” Lee said in November. “Out of all the people that I've met in the celebrity world, he's probably one of the most authentic people I've ever met. He’s very real, and we just became good friends.”

Nuveen says it's possible that Wahlberg will appear at future client events for the company, which was founded in 1898 and recently announced another marketing deal with the Williams Racing team in Formula One.