Egyptian Model Omar Cashmer Puts His Spin on Four Different Aesthetics

There is a particular satisfaction in finding a good piece of clothing that nobody else thought to look for. Egyptian model and musician Omar Cashmer knows the feeling well. He has spent years combing through thrift stores and local markets, approaching strangers to ask where they found something he likes, and putting together a wardrobe in which the price of a garment is far less interesting than what can be done with it.

His interest in dressing differently dates back to 2014, when he began noticing how much the people around him looked alike. The films of the ’70s and ’80s offered a more compelling alternative, populated by people whose clothes seemed to belong to them rather than to a particular moment in fashion. Cashmer began experimenting with his own appearance, attracting his share of criticism along the way. “I just wanted to keep going. It wasn't about success,” he says. “A part of my life plan is to just be creative. Just like there's an art piece on the wall, an art piece can be walking the streets.”

He has since developed a way of shopping that requires curiosity, patience and the occasional conversation with a complete stranger. A well-fitting secondhand find can be worth more to him than an expensive designer purchase, and the pleasure lies as much in discovering a piece as in figuring out how to wear it. “Dressing isn't about money. Even when you don't have much, you can still dress chic. That's the whole goal.”

For this edition of SceneStyled Selects, Cashmer shares four looks that offer a closer look at his wardrobe, including a rare find he spent years searching for and an outfit he particularly enjoyed putting together.

Look One | Y2K Revival

“This was my favourite look to style because it's not easy to find different shades of brown that work together like this, especially with that one accent of red. Getting those colours to come together in one outfit is what made this look special”

Top | Ed Hardy

Button-Up Shirt | Alexander McQueen

Pants | Ed Hardy

Sunglasses | Sting

Cap | Diesel

Necklace | Diesel

Boots | Tornado

Belt | Calvin Klein

Look Two | Avant Garde Streetwear

"I look at my closet and instinctively feel what would go with what. I don't go by any rules, it's what feels right to me.

T-shirt | Thrifted

Blazer | Borrowed from a friend

Pants | Custom-made by Hide Project

Necklace | Omar Fada

Necklace | Custom-made by Omar Cashmer

Glasses | Vintage from Dokki

Shoes | Thrifted

Look Three | Cholo

“I saw a seller at Souq Diana wearing this vest and liked it so much that I convinced him to sell it to me. If I see someone wearing a piece I like, I have no problem approaching them and trying to buy it off them.”

Plaid shirt | Thrifted

Vest | Thrifted

Pants | Jack & Jones

Sunglasses | Mexico

Look Four | New Romantic

"I bought the top on its own and didn't know how to wear it because it's a very niche style. It was hard to style, but the Tommy pants were the perfect fit for it, and the boots suited them the most."

Cap | Chrome Hearts

Jeans | Tommy Hilfiger

Top | Thrifted from Maadi

Shoes | Thrifted

Belt | Thrifted

Sunglasses | Chrome Hearts