BEHIND | CBNO ©
CBNO is more than a brand. It is a story, a movement, and a tribute to a city whose cultural influence once reached far beyond its borders. Behind CBNO stands Ilias, a young creator from the southern edge of Antwerp, driven by a clear mission: to revive the city’s artistic and fashion heritage. Not by designing outfits, but by completing them. By giving value back to detail. By restoring the art of subtlety.
Ilias grew up in a family where entrepreneurship and creativity were deeply rooted. His grandfathers, both from Morocco, laid that foundation. One ran a clothing business, the other built a career in real estate. As a child, he was constantly surrounded by different forms of art: the discipline of martial arts, the raw energy of music studios, and the piano at home on which he learned to play. Art was never distant; it lived within his daily environment.
During his later years in secondary school, he studied in a diverse environment alongside students from audiovisual and fine arts programs. This period shaped his understanding of aesthetics and deepened his appreciation for abstraction and minimalism. It formed his belief that real art doesn’t need explanation—it is simply felt.
The inspiration for CBNO grew from his fascination with the lost cultural power of Antwerp. Once a center of craftsmanship, luxury, and artistic innovation, the city once stood alongside Milan and Paris. For Ilias, part of that history seemed forgotten. His ambition became to reignite that narrative—not by copying other fashion capitals, but by giving Antwerp a new, modern visual language.
This vision flows into the design philosophy of CBNO. Its minimalist branding is influenced by the world’s leading luxury houses, yet intertwined with patterns inspired by the repetitive, rhythmic geometry of Fez. The logo—a modernized and refined fleur-de-lis—was stripped down to its essence. It represents contemporary elegance, most often presented in black, white, or gradient grey, usually in pure monochrome.
Ilias also chose the Dobermann as CBNO’s animal mascot. A Dobermann communicates dominance and assertiveness without noise. It doesn’t need to speak to be understood. It stands tall, composed, confident—qualities that mirror the identity of CBNO itself. A presence defined by quiet strength.
This artistic direction extends into the brand’s physical art as well. A striking example is the large artwork commissioned from a cousin of Ilias, an artist he had known since childhood. The piece, inspired by Michelangelo, depicts two hands—one wrist adorned with a watch—and the CBNO emblem suspended between them. It forms a connection between classical art and modern luxury, between heritage and reinvention.
CBNO was never created as a simple commercial venture. It is an ambition, almost a responsibility, to reposition Antwerp as a city where culture and design strengthen one another. Where luxury doesn’t shout, but whispers. Where details regain their meaning.
This is CBNO.
Antwerp, redefined.
