- What people don't know, what followers don't know,
is as bloggers you borrow pieces.
So they would see Lamborghini lending me a car for a week
and be like, "oh my god, he's like 23,
and he's driving a Lamborghini, this kid's balling."
That's not the case.
(glamorous electronic music)
My name is Mahmoud Sidani, my friends call me Moudz,
I am the top men's fashion lifestyle blogger
for the Middle East.
If ever I meet someone that doesn't know what a blogger is,
I describe it as someone who has following
that allows them to influence people.
Brands work with me in order to help shape their opinions
and shed a light on their products and their services.
I'm from Beirut, Lebanon, but I grew up in Saudi Arabia.
My mom works with NGOs around the Middle East
and my dad was heading Research and Development
for an oil company in Saudi Arabia for 30 years.
I moved to Dubai six years ago to be
a buyer for Level Shoes, which is
the biggest shoe store in the world.
It introduced me to a lot of influential people
who have really shaped the fashion industry.
I was with them for three years,
until I decided to open a store.
After I resigned, I realized that I wasn't ready.
So I was stuck, I was like, what am I gonna do?
At that point I was approached by a brand who
doesn't really fit with the Mr. Moudz brand.
In order to get them off my back,
I threw a ridiculous number at them.
They were like, "okay, we'll do it," and I was shocked.
It's then that I realized that there was something here
that hasn't been tapped into in terms of a men's blogger.
To this day, there aren't many of us,
in comparison to how many there are in the female market.
I do Barry's Bootcamp five times a week.
I then come back home, shower, have breakfast.
And then, day starts, from fittings to photo shoots,
to meetings with brands,
and then everyday I try and make it a point
to see my nieces and nephew.
My family is my number one supporter.
My mom loved it from the get-go.
She introduces herself as Mama Moudz, it's really cute.
And I'm like, mom, that's not like saying you're, like,
Beyonce's mother.
I'm fortunate to have relationships
with all major luxury brands.
I'm very guilty when it comes to shoes, I have way too many.
Right now, it's the Don C's that I'm wearing.
They're so simple but they really stand out.
We are about to go to a Nike event,
followed by a Dior event, and then now we're gonna try
and make it to the Christian Loubotin event as well.
We have a busy day, so let's go.
(crunchy Middle Eastern influenced electronic music)
I'm lucky enough to be at these events.
I see things ahead of their release day,
or I get to do experience, like I think today
we're customizing Nike shoes, which should be really cool.
(camera clicks)
Don C just signed my Don C by Nike shoes.
This is a really big deal, that's like getting Kanye
to sign Yeezy's for you.
My proudest moment was last year.
I was able to take my whole family on vacation
to the Maldives.
And this was on a blogger's expense,
where the hotel was given to us for free,
flights were given to us for free,
just because I would be tagging them.
My dad got so upset with me on that trip
because I wasn't enjoying the moment,
I was too busy trying to get the shot,
and he was like, "enjoy it.
"Take this in here in the Maldives."
And, that was an eye-opener.
So now, if I'm traveling, and it is a sponsored hotel,
I'll get the shots done in the first half of the day
and then I'll get to enjoy the rest of my trip.
And then, I bid you farewell.
(cameraman laughs) And cry a little.
- You're somewhat categorized and put in a box.
Not to say that they're limiting you,
but they just have an image of what
a male persona should be.
When I first started, a lot of people were asking questions,
like, "this is not like a lot of other guys,"
"this is not what we're used to seeing."
You get to really open up people's eyes
and change their opinions to what should be accepted
in terms of fashion.
I've always wanted to be my own individual,
I wanted to take things that a lot of guys
wouldn't really wear and say, look, it could work.
I'm not waiting for someone else
to tell me that it looks good to think that it looks good.
I was bullied as a kid.
I wasn't like the other boys, I wasn't into sports.
I would rather talk about clothes.
It's nothing to do with the Middle East, it's worldwide.
People are so eager to categorize you.
And when you don't fit into that box,
that's just extra paperwork for them, so it pisses them off.
That's why right now I'm so all about
live the life you wanna live, and be happy,
because at the end of the day that relationship
you have with yourself are the most important relationship
you'll ever work on.
I was broken until three years ago.
It was only recently that I learned to heal myself.
I was looking for the fame because I thought
this would fill that void in me.
When the fame came, I somewhat got uncomfortable with it
at one point because I feel like
it's a real invasion of privacy.
But what I learned was, all along, I had the power
to fill that void myself.
It was part of my journey to become a blogger.
I don't claim to know it all, but I've learned a lot,
and a lot of what I've learned can help others.
Today I did everything that was on my to-do list,
tomorrow gotta come back to Sole DXB in the afternoon
and shoot some looks.
It's just ongoing, it never stops.
People think that blogging is just like,
you're just having fun.
If you do it properly it's actually a lot of work.
Some days you do get tired, some days you're like,
do I wanna keep doing this, do I wanna keep putting my life
in the public light and opening myself up for judgment?
But you just need to think about why you started.
I started doing this because I wanted to make a change.
I wanted people to see me doing what I'm doing,
see me doing my own thing and say,
"you know what, if he did it, then I can."
- I've definitely contributed something
to changing opinions for sure.
I think everyone has.
You have no idea how many times I've been stopped
at the airport for random security checking
because my name is Mahmoud.
Or I'll have a conversation with someone,
all begin to say, like, "oh my god, you're Arab?
"Your English is perfect." (sighs)
It just shocks me that some people are not
as educated with other parts in the world.
It's a two-sided thing, it's not a one-sided thing.
But I do hope that I'm changing that, people's views,
because I wanna leave this Earth
having said that I was here.
I wanna leave it better than how I found it.
(energetic electronic music)