Boo! Meet Xander Ghost, the Egyptian Multihyphenate Transforming Fashion and Music

in conversation with the producer, singer, and designer

Xander Ghost never imagined he would make music or design clothes. “I actually grew up in a very athletic environment and spent most of my time playing sports,” he shares. “My interest in music and fashion was entirely self-driven. I’ve always believed that what you wear is your first form of communication—it speaks before you do.”

But it was a trip to Paris aged fourteen to visit his best friend—where he dropped all his money on an H Hérmes belt (his first luxury purchase)— that first captured the London-based creative’s professional imagination, setting the stage for the boundary-pushing multihyphenate he would become, renowned for his innovation and vast influence in not only music, but in fashion too (his sunglasses brand ABETTERFEELING won the 2023 Fashion Trust Arabia Prize in the accessories category). “He introduced me to high fashion—it was fascinating,” he recalls fondly of his childhood friend. “He was wearing Chrome Hearts back in 2005, he really put me on.” But as for music, the artist admits he was just a fan. “Listening to both Arabic and foreign music was my escape—it calmed me and fueled my imagination—but I didn’t have the technical know-how to create it yet.”

Born Omar Taha in Cairo in 1991, Xander Ghost’s origin story and career is as unexpected as it is inspiring. His stage name, started as a playful moniker on the football pitch when there were too many Omars to keep track of. Originally dubbed “Xander Cage,” after his resemblance to Vin Diesel, he would later swap “Cage” with “Ghost,” because, according to him, it had a nicer ring to it. “Before that, I went by Xander The Great and even released some music under that name,” he confessed.

It wasn’t until his later teen years that he began to dabble in music production, teaching himself the ropes and slowly translating his rich, eclectic taste—evidenced by his Spotify Wrapped with artists like Benny the Butcher and Abyusif, alongside lesser-known names that hint at his broad musical inclinations— into his own creations. “I started experimenting with a piece of hardware called the Open Labs Neko in 2010,” he shares, marking the beginning of his self-taught music career that would eventually intertwine so seamlessly with his ventures into fashion. “I think people assume I got into fashion first, but it was actually music that led me to fashion and then brought me back to music. I didn’t calculate this path as a career—it’s more about realizing ideas. I consider myself a realizer, conductor, and a nerd in how I approach things.” Anyway, it doesn’t matter because, for the artist, every endeavor is all just part of one overarching project—the “Xander Ghost project.”

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His journey is not just an inspiring tale about a self-proclaimed nerd and daydreamer from the streets of Cairo who became a renaissance figure for our times, it also serves as a reminder of the power of ambition and curiosity. “Growing up in a place where opportunities were limited and the understanding of culture felt one-dimensional made me incredibly hungry to succeed on a global scale,” he explains. “The lack of creativity and conservative environment didn’t suppress my curiosity—it fueled it. It left me thinking, ‘There’s no way this is it.'”

Thus, in 2018 he launched his sleek and innovative eyewear brand that utilizes cutting-edge technology like 3D printing, ABETTERFEELING, in London. “Before that, I started a brand called Cryselia in 2015—you might still find it online,” he mused. His foray into fashion, particularly eyewear, was driven by a keen sense of where gaps existed in the market. “I go where the gaps are and exploit them,” he states. The brand, which reflects the young creative’s ethos of minimalist yet impactful design, quickly made waves, appealing to a discerning clientele that consists of anyone who is anyone—Travis Scott, Rosalia, Pink Pantheress, and Julia Fox, to name a few. But the eyewear brand’s reach extends far beyond celebrity endorsements, stocked by international luxury retailers such as SSENSE and Luisaviaroma, making it accessible to a global clientele who value unconventional style and outré designs.

In addition to his sunglasses brand, the multi-hyphenate also co-founded a streetwear label entitled Barraserb, a collection of hoodies, sweatpants, and graphic t-shirts, alongside his close friend and frequent collaborator Marwan Pablo, with whom he featured on his 2023 single Ogra. The ethereal music video that presented an all-white orchestra as a backdrop subtly foreshadowed their most recent creative collaboration, which reached a historic crescendo at the Grand Egyptian Museum for Red Bull Symphonic on December 7. There, Xander Ghost and Marwan Pablo delivered their joint song accompanied by an orchestra, this time under the baton of the renowned Egyptian conductor and composer Nayer Nagui.

For Xander, the intersection of music and fashion has always been a source of creative fascination. His obsession lies in the process of transforming ideas into finished products, whether a track, a hoodie, or a pair of sunglasses. “I’m obsessed with completion—I can’t stand leaving things outstanding,” he shares. Recently, this approach has also influenced his personal style, which he describes as “anti-fashion,” focusing on comfort and functionality rather than conventional trends. “I sold most of my clothes and have been wearing the same thing for the past six months. Dressing up feels overdone; I’m more focused on comfort, functionality, and speed.”

His ability to cross-pollinate ideas between music and fashion mirrors the careers of Pharrell and Ye (formerly Kanye West), who have both set precedents for what it means to be creators without boundaries. From Pharrell’s ventures into the fashion industry to Ye’s groundbreaking moves in footwear and apparel, they have each expanded the scope of what artists can achieve—something Xander Ghost is keenly aware of and emulates in his own multifaceted career. But, he notes that unexpected sources such as coding and theater, as well as cities like London, Athens, and Bangkok also play a significant role in shaping his creative output— although admittedly some of his most brilliant ideas strike during the solitude of a “long shower.”

Although he has left a significant imprint on both the fashion and music industries, Xander Ghost remains an enigma. His online presence is as elusive as his persona, shrouded in the same mystery as his stage name suggests.  Looking to the future, he admits he is interested in exploring the realms of the beauty industry and cloud computing (because why not?) But true to his spectral moniker, he chooses to keep his cards close to his chest. “I prefer to share things after they happen,” he says. “Undersell and overdeliver—that’s key.”

One thing’s for sure, whatever he decides to do next, we won’t see it coming.

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