This article is the first in our new series, Cult Followings, uncovering the burgeoning streetwear labels building strong communities across the world. Sign up to receive the Vogue Business newsletter for the latest luxury news and insights, plus exclusive membership discounts.
Streetwear and sneaker growth may be slowing in the West — but in the Middle East, it’s just getting started. Last month, over 51,000 young people from around the UAE and the Gulf flocked to Abu Dhabi’s typically tranquil Yas Bay for the second-ever edition of Bred Festival, a five-day culture, fashion and music festival that has become a streetwear haven.
In the middle of the festival was an all-white installation for Dubai-based streetwear brand Shabab Intl, displaying its signature combat trousers, graphic football jerseys and hoodies. Founded by photographer and creative Cheb Moha as a side hustle 11 years ago (“in the Tumblr days”), Shabab Intl has become central to the Gulf’s growing streetwear movement.
Moha was born in Iraq and grew up in Libya, then Canada, where he encountered brands like Supreme and LRG. When he moved to Dubai in 2014, there wasn’t the same scene. “The streetwear culture is very new here [in the Middle East],” he tells me amid the throngs of local Bred fans trying on T-shirts, playing basketball, or heading to the nearest music stage for performances from stars like Metro Boomin and Ty Dolla $ign. “It didn’t exist as a scene until around 2018/19. When we first launched, people didn’t get it. Now, we’re seeing what happened in LA or New York in the ’80s and ’90s, with younger people doing grassroots stuff.”
Moha started off with caps, which he sold to friends, before gradually adding new categories as people spread the word. The brand riffs on football culture — reimagining football jerseys in bold colours with Shabab’s logo. He declines to share revenues, but confirms the business is profitable and growing; he’s moving into a bigger studio space this year with his sister (and business partner), and is looking to build a team.
Just over a decade after launching, Shabab (which means “youth” in Arabic) is one of the region’s most-established streetwear players. As it has reached maturity, it has inspired a new generation of brands, like Aota, Precious Trust and Sona3 Sudan, says Fuad Ali, co-founder of Duette Studio, who curated the brand offering for Bred.