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Fashion, benzene
Benzene: The art of the absurd
Text Zein Karam
What happens when 3 multihyphenates come together to build a brand that confronts the absurdities of the world? You get Benzene.
Born out of friendship, the brand was founded by BLTNM’s Ahmad Zaghmouri, chef Omar Radejko, and pharmacist turned textile specialist Saif Milhem. Together, they aim to create a space where fashion, music, and community collide to offer a sense of escape.
“Benzene is a luxury streetwear brand, but it is also a nod to the absurdity of the world we live in,” explains co-founder Ahmad Zaghmouri. “We wanted an escape route from the clickbait, daily horrors, and the rest. Something from our perspective, not from the old colonial structures that suffocate us.”
The core of the brand is irony and humour, which lies in the name. Benzene references the source of uneven wealth within the region. Rooted in Palestine and produced in Portugal, the brand refuses to compromise on its ethical production, reinforcing its core mission to serve as a unifying force for those who share its values. The satire is rooted in this juxtaposition. Benzene understands the irony of tweeting about global warming from an iPhone, and it wants to address it head-on.
The brand was born out of long-standing friendships. Ahmad and Saif have known each other since childhood, meeting Omar one summer in Palestine nearly twenty years ago. “We realised we could take all our different experiences, from music, art, and skateboarding to food, and fuse them into something new,” says Zaghmouri. That shared sense of creativity and purpose would become Benzene’s foundation.
Beyond clothing, Benzene quickly gained its reputation through its parties and sets in Paris. They celebrated regional music and encouraged a sense of belonging among the diaspora. “The events are our way of connecting,” they say. “They are cathartic practices, a reminder that real moments still exist in a digital age.” The sense of community that the Benzene has already built is telling of what’s to come.
To promote and celebrate the launch of their website, the brand collaborated with photographer Mariam El Gendy and videographer Omar Kefrawi to curate a shoot in Cairo.
Looking ahead, Benzene refuses to follow a set plan. Instead, the founders are guided by instinct and authenticity. “We will certainly be focusing on music, perhaps skateboarding, sticking to the things closest to us,” they tease. “We can’t say too much, but there are some projects coming that will shake things up for sure.”