It’s one thing to be considered an artisanal master in Florence, with centuries of craft coursing through your family line — quite another to start from rock bottom as a homeless immigrant with nothing but hope and a dream. In this interview, Hicham Ben’Mbarek “Ben” shares his journey and how he turned life’s hardest blows into BenHeart, an Italian excellence brand celebrated worldwide.
BY GIOVANNA G. BONOMO
February, 2025
Survival impossible? Not for Ben Heart. In Firenze’s Santa Maria Novella station, a six-year-old African immigrant found shelter – and destiny Now, after seven heart attacks and a miraculous transplant, Ben Heart’s journey from homeless child to luxury leather goods designercaptivates Florence and theworld. “I’ve been fortunate totravel a lot around the world, butI admit that the most beautifuljourney of all will always be thecrossing of the Strait of Gibraltar,”Ben recalls. “The first one with my mom, I was only 6 years old, but I remember every moment of that night, and I remember it with affection.
I was too young to perceive the danger, but my mom had promised to take me to an incredible place, and I couldn’t wait. I was the only child among 50 or 60 people, they all gave me affection and hugged me. I’ve never felt safer: the sea, the sky, and the dream.” Their arrival in Italy brought both challenges and wonder. “We arrived at the Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence... A distant family friend was supposed to meet us, but he never showed up. My mom and I slept all night on the benches in front of the ticket office. It was there that I discovered the toys: there were two shop windows, and I stared at them with such joy that time flew by.
BenHeart draws luminaries across art and sport. As the newly appointed Andrea Bocelli Foundation Advocate, Ben’s vision extends beyond luxury – it’s artistry with purpose. Rock legend Lenny Kravitz and NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan are among the global icons who journey to Florence for his bespoke creations.
Even after 38 years, when I pass by that station, I stop in front of those windows, and time stops with me. We start dreaming together again.” “I didn’t dream or hope for anything; I was just a child,” Ben says of those early days. “I only wanted to play and learn to speak Italian. In my country, I had never seen toys, nor could I imagine them. They were a discovery, it was already a dream from which I never wanted to wake up.”
Ben’s integration into Italian life was swift and profound. “The next day, I became a true Florentine. The Santa Lucia association took care of me and my mom: toys, clothes, and a family that welcomed us in Empoli, with whom I still stay in touch. This is why I would give my life for this country, just as I would for the one I come from. I have a tattoo of the Florence lily on my body, and I’m incredibly proud of it.” If immigrating to a land where you own nothing, understand nothing, and know no one weren’t hard enough, there would then come another event that would change everything. “It was a Tuesday in November, pitch dark, lit up only by the blue lights of the ambulance! Waking up in the hospital after seven heart attacks, I felt them all coming...