Cairo According to: Omar Mobarek

Fresh off the rollout of UNTY’s latest collection after a two-year hiatus, this is Cairo According to: Omar Mobarek.

As the founder, designer and creative director of the Cairo-based fashion label, Omar Mobarek is no stranger to rooting out culture where his audiences least expect it. UNTY, founded in 2013, is more than just a streetwear label, but over the years it has built a following not only for its arsenal of unexpected references, but for birthing new moments within Cairo’s ever-growing subcultures.

In this Cairo According to, Omar shows us photos from his camera roll, tells us a sarcastic date spot, and convinces us of his obsession with… a tunnel.

A place that means Cairo to me:

There’s a pedestrian tunnel that goes from Azhar to Khan El Khalili, right under Al Azhar street. That distance of about 50 meters is the most Cairo space I’ve ever experienced. I was being dropped off by a cab to go to Khan El Khalili, and the cab driver got to the tunnel and just kept saying ‘Down, Down’.

I got off and went down into the tunnel, and it was like stepping into a portal. The sounds, the main character energy, and the scents that you can’t exactly pinpoint made it feel like a detachment from reality. Very Cairo.

Complete the following: Cairo is special because…

The extreme contrast in everything.What's your neighbourhood like? What’s your favourite neighborhood?

I recently moved to Maadi, which is a different pace than I’m used to. I spent the last 16 years living in Mohandiseen, on Gamat el-Dowal. It’s basically an extension of that tunnel.

My favorite neighbourhood is Zamalek.Your go-to food spot?

Zooba.Your go-to café or bar?

Amor Perfecto in Zamalek.

Your go-to date spot?

It's changed a lot over the years, but I'm taking a girl out next week sarcastically to La Trattoria. (Update: data cancelled.)What isn’t a Cairo landmark but should be?

That tunnel.

Tell us a song that feels like Cairo. ‎’

Gutted’ by Ivy Lab.What's a place in Cairo you wish you could revisit for the first time?

Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center. And also that tunnel.