Egypt is prepared to set fashion trends with the introduction of its own Fashion Week, which will begin in May.
The Egyptian Fashion & Design Council (EFDC) announced the commencement of the first and official Egypt Fashion Week (EFW) named “Past, Present, and Future” last month at the Semiramis InterContinental. The event will take place from May 12 to 15, 2023.
Egypt Fashion Week, is set to celebrate Egypt’s rich heritage and civilization, inspired by its culture, and to show the world Egypt’s present: a pool of creatives, craftsmen, and industry leaders that have forged a contemporary Egyptian DNA; and most importantly to look at the future, projecting a vision and direction that combines 5000 years of inspiration, craftsmanship, and resources with today’s know-how and fast-paced technology driven trends, that allows Egypt to be a reckoned industry player in the future.
Susan Sabet, co-founder of the Egyptian Fashion & Design Council, is the mind behind of this new event.
Sabet is a member of The Business of Fashion’s BoF500 and the editor-in-chief of Egypt’s Pashion magazine. Sabet, who was born and reared in Vienna, is of Austrian and Egyptian descent and speaks German, English, Arabic, and French. She was one of the five founders of the Egyptian Fashion & Design Council (EFDC) in November 2017, which operates under the jurisdiction of the Egyptian Ministries of Trade & Industry, Investment, Tourism, and Planning.
Egypt’s Fashion Week will see a grand opening night inside the old Egyptian Museum, featuring a “Best of Egyptian Designers” fashion show curated by American stylist Julie Matos followed by a gala dinner, and will then continue on the following two days inside what Sabet called “an architectural gem” in the same interview, which is “the Museum of Agriculture, the second most important agricultural museum in the world after Budapest.”
Also on the museum grounds, EFW will be holding runway shows and exhibitions of Egyptian fashion, accessory and jewelry designers as well as showcases of local and international fashion schools including The Azza Fahmy Design Studio, Fashion & Design Center, Cairo Design District, FAD Dubai, and Creative Space Beirut. In addition, guests will discover designer exhibitions curated by the recently launched Saudi Fashion Commission, Lagos Fashion Week, Jordan Fashion Week, and GTEX-ITC.
Activities will also extend to include panel talks by local, regional and international fashion industry leaders in the fields of design, education, craftsmanship, production, retail, sustainability, women empowerment, and finance. Among the distinguished guests and speakers already confirmed are other members of the BoF500 list, like Diane Pernet, Omoyemi Akerele, Jamila Halfichi and Burak Cakmak.
EFW will then end on May 15th with “Shop the Runway” and more fashion experiences at Mall of Arabia, a gold sponsor.
Sabet said: “Inspired by the rising number of emerging designers and growth of the local fashion industry, we knew the time had come to show the world our pool of creative talents and local cotton and textile industry. Egypt Fashion Week has been almost four years in the making, but this is what it took to be 100% sure that we will deliver an event that will hold its par with established and recognized fashion weeks around the globe and impress our Egyptian and our international guest that includes distinguished fashion industry leaders and media. The EFW program goes far beyond fashion shows and exhibitions and aims to connect the local, African, and Middle Eastern markets through design, craftsmanship, education, sustainability, production, and retail. We are very proud and grateful to have won over so many distinguished speakers and major worldwide media partners and attendance to ensure that all eyes will be on Egyptian fashion!”
Paul Antaki, co-founder & President of the Egyptian Fashion & Design Council, added: “The Fashion industry in Egypt goes as far back as its civilization, so it is about time to revive it and present it to the world in its modern image nurtured by the many existing talents and emerging ones. The forthcoming Egypt Fashion Week in its first edition faced many challenges but we are confident of the outcome’s excellence. The EFDC (Egyptian Fashion and Design Council) worked hard for the past four years to make a great success out of this event. We aim to make all Egyptians proud of their locally manufactured products inspired by the past the present and the future.”
EFW will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Planning & Economic Development and the Ministry of Agriculture & Land Reformation, and is co-produced by Creative Headz, a world-class Austrian company with 15 years of experience organizing fashion shows, including MQ Vienna Fashion Week and Thai Silk Fashion Week.
Furthermore, Launchmetrics, a partner of NY and Paris fashion weeks, is EFW’s logistics partner, while F2F Agency is handling the fashion shows’ organization; Julie Matos is the event’s head stylist; and renowned Egyptian artist Hossam Dirar is designing the EFW’s invitations and official poster.
EFW is supported by BMW Egypt, as a platinum sponsor. Other sponsors include African Export-import Bank, Premium card and The Cotton Egypt Association. The EFDC is also excited to partner with The U.S Embassy in Egypt, the French Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Egypt, L’Oreal, Al Sagheer Salons and Al Ahram Beverages. The creative consultant is Don Tanani, and service providers include Tanis, F2F Agency, Semiramis InterContinental Hotel, POD, and Snap14 Productions.
