Toufic Beyhum was born in troubled Beirut in 1974 but moved to London at a young age when his family was forced into exile by the relentless war.
A visualist from a young age, Toufic first showed an interest in photography at the age of 15, refining his skills at Art College over the next few years. At 21, he graduated and immediately embarked on a successful advertising career, plying his trade as an Art Director for multinational advertising agencies in New York, Dubai, London and Berlin.
Amidst the flurry of advertising deadlines, Toufic still managed to indulge his passion for photography, at one point taking a year off to travel (and photograph) the world, and even publishing a photographic book of Berlin’s U-Bahn in May 2007.
He has exhibited his work in London, Berlin, LA and Dubai. He has also had shots featured in Dazed & Confused, National Geographic Shot, The Independent, Telegraph, Esquire Russia, WIRED, BILD, Die Zeit, Der Tagesspiegel, Zeitung, Welt Am Sonntag, Libération, The Drum, Complex art+design & Vice magazine.
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About ‘Thobes & Creps’:
For the last year, Toufic Beyhum and his camera have been visiting the mosque for Friday prayers, taking the opportunity to snap budding sneaker enthusiasts.
‘The mosque in Brixton attracts a lot of young Muslims who want to show off their style. Problem is – when you’re wearing a full-length dish dash – your only option to be stylish is through your trainers,’ the photographer says, admitting that a lot of mosque-goers have even started to wear new trainers on Fridays – keen to be snapped.
‘The Brixton mosque attracts younger worshippers and the young people in Brixton are styling. If you look at the shoe rack at the entrance, it almost looks like [the shelves at] JD Sports or FootLocker.’
Beyhum would like to say, thank you to the Imam and all the brothers and sisters at the Brixton Masjid.
