Coming out of a music background – whether through record label BLTNM or the artists he manages – Ahmad Zaghmouri has long worked against the expected.
Benzene, a luxury streetwear brand he launched late 2025, carries that same instinct. More than a fashion label, Benzene positions itself as a laboratory: a space where garments function as statements and counter-narratives.
“We are using diverse voices from our culture, so when we say it’s a lab, we are working in different mediums with different artists in a wide range of cities. We ‘experiment’ with like-minded people, photographers, art directors, stylists in the cities in which we shoot our campaigns and work in.” Says Zaghmouri.
For its debut SS25 collection, Benzene focused on Naples, Marseille, and Cairo – despite being based in Paris at the time– by collaborating directly with creatives rooted in those cities. We worked with figures central to those cities like SAGG Napoli to focus on often overlooked cities in the fashion world. SS25 was our first collection as we move forward we can really lean into who we are at Benzene.” Zaghmouri explains.
That first collection established the brand’s ethos as a counter-archive rather than a reaction to trends. It touched on cultural and economic critique, referencing political economy, the global oil crisis, and drift culture. Instead of the traditional Polo horse, Benzene introduced the camel as its mascot, tying the collection together through a striking red palette.
“The camel has been used to ridicule us in the past, and we want to celebrate it.” Says Omar Radejko, co-founder of Benzene.
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“Polo is probably one of the most ludicrous sports to exist, and generally only played by people who have had access to the kind of wealth created by exploitation and colonialism. The sport itself is an old world symbol of wealth and status appropriated by Americans to tie themselves to a history and status they had to buy. So turning this on its head, and using the camel which is an integral icon of our culture, we want to say that now it’s our time.”
Craft is central to Benzene’s work. SS25 relied on Japanese denim, satin stitching, and intricate embroidery, while remaining grounded in everyday wearability. Despite the technical precision, the pieces are designed to live beyond the lookbook.
“The balance comes in the process,” Zaghmouri explains. “We choose cuts and styles that are classic and ubiquitous, then incorporate details that make the pieces special.”
For the winter collection, Benzene has traded bold reds for a more subtle, quieter black palette; a more deliberate shift toward wearable, everyday design.
Zaghmouri describes it as “the calm before the storm,” adding, “We’re just getting cosy during winter and getting ready for what’s to come.”
Rather than chasing industry trends, Benzene aims to show its full range—reflecting mood, season, and function while remaining wearable. Future plans include expanding into more than just garments.
“This goes back to us being a lab more than a label,” Zaghmouri says. “However, I don’t consider these expansions as sideways expansion since we are collaborating with established creatives. We work with different craftsmen, brands and creatives with the same ethos as us. This is part of our mission to amplify voices in our community.”
The brand Zaghmouri launched with his collaborators Omar Radejko and Saif Milhem remains open to all sorts of expansions, yet he still wants Benzene to live its own life, separate from sounds.
Although he has launched a career through multiple music endeavors and continues to manage artists including Noise Diva, Nadah el Shazly, and DJ Gawad, Zaghmouri explains: “Every film needs a sound track, and we’re not in the space of making that sound,” he conveys.
Music is something I will always be involved in, but Benzene is a collaborative project — so it is only normal that we have our own language.”
Benzene isn’t interested in chasing trends or fitting neatly into fashion’s existing frameworks. Instead, it moves deliberately, building its own language through collaboration, craft, and cultural memory.
With Benzene, expectation is the only thing guaranteed to be disrupted. The brand resists the confines of categorization, constantly exploring new collaborations, products, and statements—even when, as with this collection, the statement lies in restraint rather than noise.
Pop Culture Editor-At-Large at Complex MENA.
