Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

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Winged Isis
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Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Winged Isis »

Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt
Time to shop? If you’re running out of ideas for gifts or something unique for yourself, try buying Made in Egypt; here’s Ahram Online’s list
Ahram Online, Thursday 16 Aug 2012

While international stores seem to have everything you’re looking for in terms of style and products, occasionally boredom sets in. And when you go to Cairo’s Khan El Khalili market to buy yourself Arab-style home decorations, disappointingly, many things are stamped: “Made in China.” And while Egyptian cotton is famous, worldwide, anyone living in Egypt knows that it gets exported.

Here is Ahram Online’s starting point for unique, Egyptian items.

Nefertari: 100 per cent natural beauty products:

It’s Nefertari’s pleasure to (re)introduce to Egyptians 100 per cent natural oils, creams and other products. Every piece of every product is made in Egypt – even the containers!

Chahira Adel, the owner, is committed to all-natural, all-Egypt, which makes the items more expensive than the mass-produced, sweat-factory counterparts, yet are far cheaper than L’Occitane products, which, by the way, do not adhere completely to all-natural. Adel has become a sort of go-to person for advice on what natural products are good to help common problems.

The wide product supply line includes, among many things: natural eye-lining kohl, lip balms, olive oil soaps, lavender massage oil, a good variety of scrubs, Moroccan mud, gift sets and baby products.

Although you can shop the Nefertari website online and they deliver, there are shops in all major Cairo districts: Maadi, Zamalek, Dokki, Giza, downtown, 6th of October, City Stars (Nasr City) - not to mention Alexandria and El-Gouna.



Designer’s Boutique Catalogue:

For the most part, the catalogue highlights Egyptian designers. It’s an opportunity for the locals to get their products known outside of the fairs circuit.

Some of the more eye-catching items include Bedouin-embroidered I-Pad covers, Japanese-Egyptian designer, Aya Sugita’s gold-plated earrings; Gazelle hot-in-season neon clutches and Arab-inspired candle sets.

Pick up their catalogues in any of the shops (see Designer’s Boutique site for locations), call them up with your order and they deliver.



Cotton, textiles, designers and furniture

Malek Luxurious Home Linens manufacturers Egyptian cotton products to sell internally.

Shubra-based El-Malah Weaving Company has been manufacturing since 1949.

Road 9 in Maadi has both a woven carpet shop, mostly with the geometric, bright Upper Egypt designs as well as two or three shops selling wood tables, shelves and can custom-make mashrebeyya furniture on the spot.

Check out some local designers that you can contact directly: Deana Shaaban, Zeina Hosni.

The Made in Egypt website might satisfy your curiosity about what else is made in Egypt.


http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... Egypt.aspx


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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Who2 »

Anything electrical made in egypt has a life-span 10 times longer than anything made in china,
how that wall of theirs has lasted so long, god only knows...:cool:
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by FABlux »

I love the Nefertari foot cream :D

There is a shop in Luxor selling only their products, next door but 1 to the Secret Garden. A great place to get little pressies as well, well worth a visit next time you are over WI :)
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by BENNU »

FABlux wrote:I love the Nefertari foot cream :D

There is a shop in Luxor selling only their products, next door but 1 to the Secret Garden. A great place to get little pressies as well, well worth a visit next time you are over WI :)
:ks Oh, I've been looking for Nefertari products in Luxor, thought they used to have some in Arkwrights and crossed the river just for that last week.
(I hope Hatusu liked the chocolate I bought her instead.)

You may just have saved my life, FABlux! All my good foot cream died in the summer heat. :ks
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Winged Isis »

Ooh, thanks FAB! Will put it on the "To Do Next Time" list. :up Secret Garden is Laura's other place, she of Jewel of the Nile fame, sah?

Bennu, I learnt a long time ago to take home and use any moisturisers, rather than come back to water-like rubbish after being stored, no matter how thick and rich their previous form. :(
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by BENNU »

Winged Isis wrote: Bennu, I learnt a long time ago to take home and use any moisturisers, rather than come back to water-like rubbish after being stored, no matter how thick and rich their previous form. :(
Foot cream is the one thing I have been able to keep here, but not this time. The container I use to protect my luggage from cream when I come to Luxor is always occupied by Egyptian chili sauce when I leave, my son got addicted last time he was here. Next time I'll need room in my suitcase for Nefertari products for presents, but then of course, Luxor is cooler, so my creams, spices etc should survive Christmas.

I haven't even tried Nefertari yet, just passed their shop very often in Cairo and thought that would make a nice souvenir from Egypt.
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Chocolate Eclair »

uummm! Think it would look nice if I sat in my house with a designer clutch bag, facepack on and candles lit all over, ready to get wrapped up in my Egyptian made Duvet cover when ever I find one? :lol: I agree with what you say WI we should buy Egyptian made things, the problem I find is the quality of men's wear, and I repeat men's wear. Regarding anything else, my Egyptian made fridge lasted 13 months before the hinges rotted away and the door fell off, 2 ceiling fans had to be replaced after 7 months, both toilet flushers had to be replaced after 11 months, the villa had to be repainted due to fading after 4 months, numerous water pipes have had to be replaced due to leaking, a water heater had to be replaced after 5 months. All these items made in Egypt or Saudi.
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Brian Yare »

There ought to be a premium market for gold products, whether ingots, jewellery or whatever, that are made from certified Egyptian gold. Centamin is now producing enough from its Egyptian mines (near Marsa Alam), so maybe there is room for an entrepreneur here?

Of course there is always the problem of certifying the certificates. :-/
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by chiddy »

Winged Isis wrote:Secret Garden is Laura's other place, she of Jewel of the Nile fame, sah?

:(
think it is Tracey's place on little britain street
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Winged Isis »

Nina Shawki Collection: An Egyptian-made bedding option
Amany Aly Shawky
Tue, 06/03/2012 - 12:59

As consumers become keen to buy Egyptian-made products, designers have gained confidence and several small, local fashion and textile business ventures have flourished.

Among the up-and-coming names in home textiles is Nina Shawki, who, beyond focusing on beautiful designs, has tried to keep her bedding line affordable as well.

“My business started in 2007 through a Facebook page,” says Shawki, who has completed an education in applied arts and fashion design. She now displays and sells her products through the Egyptian online boutique, StyleTreasure.com.

“It all started with the discovery of my son’s allergy to synthetic fibers,” says the business owner.

Because of her personal ordeal, the young mother started her own line of cotton beddings after establishing a workshop in Bahr al-Baqar, followed by two more in Shubra and Alexandria.

“Eighty-five percent of the fabrics used are local,” says Shawki. Her fabrics vary between cotton, linen and satin.

In the last few years, many designers for bedding sets and linen appeared in the Egyptian market, presenting good-quality sheets with creative and modern designs. However, creativity comes with a cost. Most of the young bedding designers, unfortunately, are beyond the financial reach of the majority of consumers. Custom-made bedding is for those who can afford to pay twice or even triple the original price.

Linen options are limited. The consumer is caught between paying twice for an Egyptian designer with an edge or paying four times for the imported product that is originally produced with Egyptian cotton; both options are frustrating. Shawki combines creativity, good quality and affordability, which is a combination hard to find in the Egyptian market nowadays.

The young designer says she’s inspired mainly by the busy scene of the city. She adds that a walk in Old Cairo can inspire her with hundreds of ideas.

“We are a family of landowners, and I grew up appreciating cotton as the essence of life in Egypt,” adds the young mother.

As for her views of the market, Shawki says, “The market is ready for the low-priced, high-quality, practical product.”

She says design comes next after affordability and practicality. The young designer offers a range of prices for the A+, A and B quality class without compromising quality.

“All my products come with a guarantee,” says Shawki. Other than online shopping, Shawki displays her designs in Tika’s Bedding and will soon launch her own outlet in Maadi.

The Nina Shawki Collection has been exporting to several European countries, in addition to the Gulf, since 2009.

“As for the local market, half of my clients are newlyweds and the other half are people who are moving out or furnishing a summer house,” says the business owner. For young brides, durability is the quality most people look for, she says.

“People want products that last long,” explains Shawki.

In the last five years, the Egyptian consumer has become a more careful spender and started to appreciate and rely on online shopping more than before, she says.

“The Egyptian consumer will always be price-oriented,” she says. Very few are brand- or design-oriented, and that is why Nina Shawki Collection offers a custom-made service.

Nina Shawki designs are modern, which differentiates them from their competition, says Shawki.

“Our prices are much less than the competition because we manufacture and use local materials,” she adds.

The price of a typical five-piece, pure cotton set won’t exceed LE600, which might cost double if you are buying elsewhere, Shawki explains. She says printed products cost less than embroidered ones.

Concerning the latest economic and political events, Shawki says more consumers are seeking Egyptian products since the revolution began; however, imported raw materials have become scarce because of stricter customs rules enforced by post-revolution governments.


http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/ni ... ing-option
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Hafiz »

Interesting idea Brian Yare about gold Jewellery. Would provide a lot of jobs because of the amount of manual work involved but would require major training including in design.

India does well out of gold jewellery manufacture because of local demand that bride price be made in gold jewellery. Not sure that there would be same domestic demand in Egypt. India also does very well out of labor intensive diamond cutting for the world even though it does not have much local mining.

High value adding/labor intensive industries are the types of things that most developing countries are doing/looking at - I hope that the government is looking at these things and understands the need for overseas capital and skills to kick start it rather than relying on half arsed local start ups from nothing.

For Chocolate Éclair

Men’s clothes are a bit limited in Luxor but there are lots of options in Cairo. They include:

Brands for Less several

Nile Stock downtown

A bit more expensive - Kigili, Mohammed Ahmed Ramsis.

They might post.

Sources for specific information:

Article (dated) in the Tour Egypt website http://www.touregypt.net/egypt-info/mag ... -mag10.htm

The Lonely Planet website shopping in Cairo.

The Cairo 360 website.

Why not go native and adopt the gallabiya? Cool, cheap, locally produced (?) and manufactured, no fitting problems and easy to wash and iron. Drawbacks might include service refusal in bars and restaurants.posting.php?mode=edit&f=3&p=359695# My attempt at post a smile don't think it worked will stick at it and get it right.
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Chocolate Eclair »

Thanks Hafiz but for sometime I have bought on line, I mainly use M&S or Next, they all seem to have a decent line in men's wear, have even used Primark for work shirts, but that's about all I would use Primark for, half the time you shop in Primark you shop off the floor. and the quality is one time wear stuff. :lol:
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Robbo70 »

chiddy wrote:
Winged Isis wrote:Secret Garden is Laura's other place, she of Jewel of the Nile fame, sah?

:(
think it is Tracey's place on little britain street

its now lauras place :)
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Re: Shopping? Buy Made in Egypt

Post by Winged Isis »

Thanks Robo; that's what I was told when in town earlier this year. ;)
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