Ahmad isn’t just snapping sneakers, he’s building stories.
A conceptual connoisseur behind the lens, his photography bursts with colour, character, and creativity, helping shape the visual identity of Dubai’s evolving sneaker scene. His vibrant backdrops and eye for detail make each shot a moment, not just a photo.
For this instalment of Crep Connects, we touched down in Dubai to catch up with Ahmad. We talk about capturing that perfect sneaker shot and dig into the momentum building within the UAE’s sneaker culture.
Read the full interview below:
Crep Protect: Hey Ahmad, thanks for taking the time out of your day to chat with us. I want to kick off this interview by asking how you are doing.
Ahmad: I’ve started 2025 on a good note, as you can see, I’ve been posting consistently. I am going back to work, after 3 months of renovations, I am back on track and still posting.
CP: Good to hear, Ahmad! For people unfamiliar with you and your work, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
A: First of all, my name is Ahmad, and I am currently based in the Emirates in Dubai. I’ve been around sneakers at a young age; the whole thing isn’t something foreign to me, but in an autobiographical aspect, it is relatively new. I started to work on posts around 3 years ago. I am self-taught.
I started by borrowing a camera from my friend and using his studio to do my work. I had to get familiar with all the software, like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. I wouldn’t say that I am some sort of sneaker photographer; I am more of a conceptual artist. Whatever idea comes to mind, I just try to embody it, and I just happen to have a camera with me, so yeah, somehow it worked.
CP: When did you first discover you had a love for sneakers/street-style photography? How did you turn this into conceptualism?
A: Well, we should start from the beginning just to answer the question properly. So footwear wasn’t something foreign to us, so we would mainly focus on football cleats, Total 90s, and the Predators were on the feed. Football was like Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Ronaldinho, even the special releases like the Ronaldinho Temple, the one that came in a cream white and all stitching, that was like the Travis Scott x Fragments of our time.
Also wearing football jerseys, whatever club or national team, so I think at some point, especially for me, I graduated and started my job, I got a car and started venturing out on my own, I felt like there needed to be a transition from wearing football cleats. I think that was the turning point from turning from specifically cleats to sneakers.
The first choice was the Air Force 1, because it is the most utilised, universal, and it can go with any fit. Even the local and traditional attire, so I think from that point on, I got into sneakers, and started to learn about the history. We knew who Michael Jordan was, but at face value, we didn’t know the man behind the legend.
After reading and understanding he’s line because whenever I see the Air Jordan 1, I thought it was variant of a Air Force 1, I didn’t know it was a specific shoe and from that point on, I did my own research, I understood that it was a specific line as well as other basketball players. One shoe after another, I was just hooked, just to keep it simple.
CP: We must say that your photography and concepts are very inspiring. What is your favourite concept to date? Could you also talk us through the meaning of some of these shots?
A: Well, first of all, let's dissect the three types of shoots that I use. For example, I got the Saucony Omni 9 x Jae Tips, so whenever I shoot a shoe that comes with a story with it, it helps me build the image up in my head. If I could capture that story within the borders of the image, that way I can roughly tell the story at face value for the viewers. So whoever sees it is going to understand what I am trying to convey with that post.
That’s one thing. The other thing is referenced based, so for example, I did a post with the Air Jordan 1 x Travis Scott ‘Medium Olive’ where I was holding my hand up high, as a reference to Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia’ album cover, so that’s just a reference.
The third type is visually pleasing, which is the last post I did with the NBA Emirates Basketball post that I did. The main thing that I try to focus on is to tell the story within the borders of the image, it’s like when some sees it, they’ll be able to understand the inspiration behind it. Alongside other aspects, like the colour of the background, just to emphasise and enhance the beauty of the image and the shot taken. A little bit of editing behind the scenes on Photoshop just to make it more presentable to the viewers.
CP: Tell us about the sneaker culture in Dubai, how do you think this is different or similar to Westernised cultures like the UK & US?
A: Well, in my humble view, I think the sneaker culture in Dubai is still in its infancy stage. Our core has definitely been developed, but it’s still evolving. Not to the point where it is a global international household name like the US and UK, but it is still developing. To get there, we’ve got to understand the rules and where it came from.
So, sneaker culture in general came from the eyeball of bigger communities than Dubai, so they are the ones that brought all those Hip-Hop sneakers, even basketball, basketball wasn’t even popular here. If we’re going to talk about 20 years earlier, the old subculture of self-expression of that time, it all came with the Filipino community. They just planted the seed, and the people who just adopted it started to experiment on them, mixing and matching to see what works and what doesn’t.
All of those elements are either working harmoniously with each other or just colliding against each other. So we’re still at those early stages of a big bang, where everything is just scattered, everything is in a narcotic state. Once the dust settles, we will be able to view what the true form of sneaker culture in Dubai will look like. I think we might need a few years to see how it will pan out.
CP: What’s your top 3 favourite sneakers of all time?
A: Fortunately. I already have one, for me, I consider it my personal grail, it is the Air Jordan 6 ‘Slam Dunks’. They released in 2014 ‘Slam Dunk’ as an anime was my first introduction to basketball and all that. A few years later and understanding the inspiration was the Chicago Bulls, the love and intrigue for the sneaker culture started to develop more.
The second one would be the Air Yeezy 2 ‘Red Octobers’. The third pair I would go with is the Air Mags because of its pop culture significance, from the film to being the first shoe to include self-lacing technology.
CP: At Crep Protect, our priority is to ensure every sneaker is an investment and that they are protected, revitalised, and always looking fresh. Take us through how you protect your sneaker collection.
A: For me, I would always go with the Crep Protect Spray, which is the most important step for me because I beat up my shoes a lot! Like a white on white Air Force or a Travis Scott, they are beaten to the ground.
A layer of Crep Protect Spray is essential for just putting them on my feet. After a few wears, they are going to get dirty, so I go in with the Crep Protect Cure. I love the smell of bubblegum when I am scrubbing them, opposite to other cleaning companies, solutions that are nauseating, industrial soap smell that is repulsive.
I am enjoying cleaning my shoes, with that hint of bubblegum or any pleasant smell, just rinse and repeat and that way I can preserve my shoes for a long time, keep them in good condition, whether I sell them or not.
CP: How do you think the sneaker space in Dubai will evolve/change in the next 5 years?
A: What I would like to be able to see is people from around the world noticing and acknowledging the sneaker space here in Dubai, especially in the Middle East. We are making strides on that, especially, I am sure you heard the next Sneaker Con is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which is a neighbouring country, which I think is a huge, huge step not just for Dubai but for the region.
What I hope to see in the next few years is brands like Nike, Puma and New Balance collaborating with the local artists because we have a plethora of talented artists, we have a whole culture. A whole community, whether they are into sneakers, fashion, graffiti, calligraphy, design, we've got all of that. What I am hoping to see is for the brands themselves to take that leap of faith and put their trust into those talented individuals just to produce something unique, giving the nature of the uniqueness of the street culture in the UAE and the Middle East.
CP: Are there any upcoming projects/concepts in 2025 that you can share with the Crep Protect Family?
A: There are some proposals we could say, some collaborative work between me and other brands, but it is still too early to talk about it. I would like to keep it under wraps until it comes to fruition. As I said, 2025 kicked off on a high note and might be able to get more collaborative work on the way with other brands.
CP: The sneaker lineup is crazy this year. Is there anything you’re looking to pick up?
A: I am going to be so broke!
My main target is the Black Toe Air Jordan 1s; it’s one of my favourite colourways. We also got the Banned Jordan 1s, but they are not one of the most elusive colourways to release. We got the Air Jordan 4s ‘Undefeated' and a whole lineup of retros, as well as New Balance 992 x Joe Freshgoods. It’s going to be a messy year. It’s going to be hectic.
CP: Are people in Dubai experimenting with different brands like ASICS, New Balance, HOKA’s etc?
A: People here are starting to adopt more brands like ASICS, Saucony, and New Balance have been hot for about 2 years. People understand it’s more than Nike, Jordan and hype; there are all those brands coming up and are as good as Nike, if not even better.
CP: Thanks for the interview, Ahmad. Are there any last words you would like to share with the Crep community?
A: If there’s one thing I would like to say, is like, I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase, buy what you like, like what you like.
"For me, I would say love what you do, creativity has no limits, there’s no summit you can reach, and there is constant improvement."
If you have like a certain talent that you believe you can work on and produce amazing work, I’d say go for it. For me, I discovered my talent by accident; I didn’t know that lining the grid and choosing the lights could do that. Again, as I mentioned before, everything is self-taught. I think if anyone has a certain talent or they are not sure of their talent, I would say just go for it, you don’t know what you’re capable of until you start doing it.
Read our interview with Bradley Martinez
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