In an industry still fighting for equity, Diesel Brands is doing more than building a business. It is building a cultural ecosystem.
Founded by Duol Chut, who immigrated to the United States from South Sudan at a young age, the company operates at the intersection of cannabis, fashion, art, and community. His path into the space was not linear. It was shaped by lived experience, setbacks, and a clear understanding of what was missing.
Before building Diesel Brands, Chut served in the National Guard. During that time, he saw firsthand how normalized alcohol use was within military culture, while conversations around cannabis were often absent or stigmatized. At the same time, he watched people close to him turn to cannabis for stress, recovery, and mental health.
That contrast stayed with him.
His relationship with cannabis started earlier, back in his teenage years, but it evolved over time. After leaving the military, navigating different jobs, and experiencing both the legal and underground sides of the cannabis world, he began thinking more seriously about where he fit in the industry.
What he saw was a gap.
From Product to Platform
When Chut looked at smoking accessories, he did not see products that reflected quality or intention. Many options felt generic, inconsistent, or disconnected from the culture that actually drove the market.
He had been an athlete, someone focused on endurance and performance, and after quitting alcohol and returning to running, he became more aware of what he was putting into his body. Smoking harsh products while trying to improve his health forced a realization. There had to be a better option.
That led to Diesel J’s.
The goal was simple. Create a higher-quality paper product that burns clean, feels intentional, and reflects the culture around it. After testing different materials and working through multiple iterations, he landed on a product that aligned with that vision.
What started as rolling papers quickly turned into something bigger.
That same attention to detail and care for the user experience became the foundation for how Diesel Brands approached everything else.
A Runway With a Purpose
That mindset expanded into Smokin’ On The Runway, the company’s live event platform.
On Sunday, May 3, Smokin’ On The Runway returns to The Hook and Ladder Event Center, bringing together designers, musicians, and community leaders for a fashion show rooted in cannabis culture.
This is not just an event. It is a curated space built with the same intention as the products.
Chut’s early exposure to fashion, combined with his experience working around retail and brand presentation, played a role in shaping the concept. Later, working behind the scenes with Black Fashion Week gave him a clearer understanding of production, storytelling, and how to build a platform for creatives.
At the same time, he noticed something missing. Even though cannabis and fashion often intersect culturally, there was little effort to intentionally bring them together in a structured, public-facing way.
Smokin’ On The Runway was created to close that gap.
Hip-Hop at the Center
Hip-hop sits at the center of that intersection.
From artists like Ice Cube launching Fryday Kush to Wiz Khalifa building Khalifa Kush into a recognized brand, the connection between cannabis and hip-hop has long been established at a national level.
Diesel Brands brings that same connection into a local, community-driven context.
This year’s show features Minneapolis rapper KelsTheGawd, who will perform music from his upcoming album. For fans, the show offers a first look at new music. For the platform, it reinforces a larger point. Hip-hop is not an add-on. It is foundational to the culture being built.
A Black-Owned Brand Changing the Narrative
A recent feature from HipHopWired highlighted Diesel J’s as the only Black-owned smoking accessories company they are currently aware of. That recognition underscores both the progress being made and the gap that still exists in ownership across the industry.
For Duol Chut, the focus has never been just presence in the space. It is about ownership, access, and building long-term infrastructure that can sustain creatives and entrepreneurs beyond single moments or individual events.
That foundation continues to guide Diesel Brands as it expands its products, live experiences, and community platforms, with a consistent goal of turning culture into opportunity and participation into ownership.
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