The Egyptian fashion scene has undoubtedly witnessed a boom over the past few years; many fashion designers, stylists, makeup artists and fashion photographers have become renowned for their distinguished work. This is something we should all be proud of but despite the flourishing industry, Egyptian fashion designers still face a lot of problems. If you’re one of them, you will definitely relate to the following:
1)People Just Don’t Get That You’re Not a “Tarzi”
You find people approaching you with a picture of a design that they want to make and will not get it when you refuse. Let alone the amount of teasing you get from your friends telling you “sostet el fostan et2ata3et mmken tesala7eehali?” or “kont 3ayez a2asar bantalon el badla beta3y.”
2)You Have To Deal With Different Tastes That You Sometimes Really Dislike
Not all Egyptian fashion designers have their own collections. Some of them custom-make designs for clients whose personal tastes don’t always agree with theirs. At the end of the day, of course, they need to keep their customers happy.
3)People Are Still Not Convinced That Fashion Design Can Be Your College Major
There are no universities in Egypt that offer fashion design as a major except for MSA which has only recently offered it a couple of years ago. Even if you decided to study fashion design abroad, many people would still frown upon it. Luckily, we have some extremely reputable fashion academies in Egypt such as the Italian Fashion Academy.
4)A lot of People Call Themselves “Fashion Designers” Without Earning Any Proper Degrees
They could’ve only attended a 5-day workshop and have the audacity to call themselves fashion designers!
5)There Are No Qualified “Sanay3eya”
If you have your own brand name, you’re definitely in constant need of competent employees, a.k.a-3omal. You need workers to sew, iron and embroider. It’s very hard to find skilled employees and most of the time they’re either lazy, beykarweto or ask for unjustifiably high wages.
6)People Sometimes Call You a FASHIONISTA and It Just Kills You
Nothing irritates you more because Egyptians have abused the word that it actually became offensive.
7)No Proper Places To Get An Internship
It’s very hard to get a fashion internship in Egypt. You either learn by constant trial and error or get an internship abroad if you’re lucky.
8) People Don’t Get Why You’re More Expensive Than a “tarzi”
Why would I go to a designer when I can go to a “tarzi” and pay LE 700 for a dress? Well, the answer is very simple. When you go to a designer you probably end up wearing a unique design that is personally customized to suit your taste and compliment your figure. The quality and the result are usually much more satisfying. It’s very similar to the idea of hiring an interior designer instead of refurbishing the house yourself.
9)There Is No Such Thing As Copy Rights For Your Designs
Anyone can blatantly steal your designs and call it theirs.
In spite all of these problems, this first generation of Egyptian designers should feel very proud for creating some of the very first Egyptian brand names on the fashion scene.
