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At times, the extrovert within us can feel like a completely different person. Take iconic multidisciplinary Arab artist Karrouhat, for example. Meet him on the dance floor, as he DJs a massive event with Dubai’s skyline behind him, and you’ll find one of the most intense and infectious personalities in the Middle East. Run into Basil Alhadi (as he’s known in his normal life) at the supermarket on an off day, and you’ll barely recognise the humble introvert before you. So, which one is the real him? They both are—he has simply stopped letting one take over the other.
“The best decision I made in my career was to distinguish between Basil and Karrouhat. Karrouhat is my project, my responsibility, and once it completes the job at this point, my team takes over the rest from there. Basil, on the other hand, is as simple as me buying flowers from the flower shop and cheese from the co-op”
Keeping them separate, however, is easier said than done.
“I’ll be honest, there are times when my public persona affects me. Sometimes I have to maintain a consistently upbeat mood, and that isn’t always reflective of how I truly feel in that moment. The real challenge, in those moments, is to stay authentic and not come across as fake. I have to strive to keep things real as possible,” Karrouhat continues.
Lucky for Karrouhat, when a man wears Paco Rabanne 1Million, it doesn’t matter if he’s not feeling extroverted—the fragrance will do the work for him. That’s particularly true of the line’s latest creation ‘1Million Golden Oud’, a powerful new fusion that both continues the heritage of the line since its launch in 2008 and adds a distinctive new twist that draws directly from one of the region’s most treasured traditions. With notes of sandalwood and spicy leather now balanced by precious oud, an intense golden fusion has emerged, with a molten energy like no other scent on the market.
Following in the footsteps of 1Million fragrance line, this bold olfactory signature is housed in a unique expression of the iconic gold ingot silhouette. For the first time, emblazoned on the golden bar is a deep green emerald. Much like the oud itself, the emerald is too enduring insignia of luxury, the highly–prised jewel of kings. Together, the green and gold create a symbolic fusion of preciousness and power.
Blended exclusively for the Middle East market, 1Million Golden Oud is an ode to centuries upon centuries of scent crafting in the region, in which the ingredient has long been harnessed to create fragrances that still to this day help define an entire people. While the blend of this particular scent is unique, the inclusion of oud means that the fragrance not only expresses potent masculinity on a global level, it allows its wearer to channel this rich history. And for Karrouhat, it means that can keep it real.
“My all-time favourite scent is undoubtably oud. I adore perfumes, and the best compliment that I can get is when someone tells me I smell good. Ask any of my friends, and they’ll tell you how much I love a great scent, especially oud. But my scent is also always a reflection of how I feel, and without fail, I love a mix of scents as well,” says Karrouhat.
It’s a passion he discovered early in his life. Born in the small town of Al Ahmadi in Kuwait before moving out on his own to Amman, he was always itching to explore beyond the confines that were seemingly placed in front of him. When he first began to push beyond the boundaries in front of him, it was then that the extrovert within him first emerged.
“I was always that kid—’the popular kid’—in school in my 7arrah (neighborhood). But things change with time, and as I grew older this other side of me emerged,” Karrouhat explains.
“Now I’m a mix of both. I love my personal time, being in small groups of people that I love. I believe everything in life is a matter of exchanging energies, and as a physicist might tell you, energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be transferred. I had to be more conscious about what energy I was letting transfer into me, and what energy I let be transferred into others. You have to keep a careful eye on how you exchange energy,” he continues.
It’s difficult to pin down Karrouhat’s many accomplishments, as they are all over the map. He’s had successful forays into the film industry, music that blends styles and has won him a passionate audience, a keen eye for fashion that has found him walking during Paris Fashion Week for major brands. But if there’s anything that defines all of them is how little he’s willing to buy into his own hype on a personal level.
“I’ve always looked at creativity as either a job or an extension of me. There’s nothing special about someone creative, I don’t think. I don’t like when ‘creative people’ think they are special, or that they feel things that normal people don’t. At the end of the day, this is all either a job or something I need to express,” says Karrouhat.
“I still maintain the child in me so that I can be excited about all these new things, and these new adventures, but I can’t pretend there hasn’t been some disillusionment, also. The glamour of the industry doesn’t excite me like it did when I first started, but that hasn’t lessened my passion. Instead, it’s focused it. With each pursuit, I ask myself how it will benefit my vision, my family, and my people. Only then will I move forward” he continues.
We’re also at a time when Arab culture is affecting the global consciousness like never before. There has been a burst of Arab creativity on all fronts, with the people of the Middle East increasingly coming out of their shell to discover their own extroversion. But even as global brands and audiences take notice of the region more and more, Karrouhat is not focused on international audiences. Instead, he thinks locally, never letting himself operate with the world in mind.
“The world is not my priority. We are not here to impress anyone. But in general, if someone’s curious, they’re welcome to get to know us. We’ve been working hard in this industry, and let me tell you, it’s a challenging path here,” says Karrouhat.
“But for me, it’s always about expressing and doing what I know best, personally speaking. And, of course, I’m proud that we’ve made it possible to witness this moment of exporting our work from our region to the world,” he continues.
More than anything, however, Karrouhat knows that this journey has only just begun, both for himself personally and for the region. And the beauty of having such a diverse region of both people and experience means that the true power of the region lies in its complexity. Karrouhat even feels that on a personal level. When attempting to define what ‘Karrouhat’ stands for, he is, as always, a blend of every emotion.
“Karrouhat embodies passion, life, love, good manners, authenticity, belief, people, the streets, hope, and even moments of hopelessness. Or maybe nothing, honestly. I don’t think there is a right answer to that question,” he concludes.
Photography: Amina Zaher
Styling: Laura Jane Brown
Art Direction: Haya Al-Sharif
Grooming: Jean Le Kairouz
Senior Producer: Steff Hawker
Production Coordinator: Ann Vaas
Lighting Assistant: Mostafa Abdu
Talent: Basil Alhadi
