Egyptian Crafts looking towards World Luxury Markets

Egyptian luxury brands making efforts to showcase traditional craftsmanship from jewelry design to carpet weaving to reignite the country’s ancient cultural riches in the world.

Encouraged by the global appeal of Arab and Islamic designs from other countries Egyptian experts are hoping to promote its rich, millennia-old artistic heritage.

Egyptian-made art-inspired pieces have graced the world’s rich and famous including US pop star Rihanna and Jordan’s Queen Rania.

Artists and artisans in Egypt, draw from a history of 6,000 years that spans ancient Pharaonic times, the Mamluk, Ottoman, and modern eras. The buyers are only attracted to pieces that are timeless, and always hand-made. Engaging artisans is a challenge for entrepreneurs, some of whom have established workshops for this purpose. As world production automated, Egypt’s once expansive pool of skilled artisans has shrunk, with many young people turning their backs on family skills passed down through the ages.

The demand for Egyptian crafts is very high but the entrepreneurs struggle to fill the talent gap. The economic crisis and restricted raw material imports are not helping their cause.

Moreover, the handicrafts sectors lacks support from the government.

The training of artisans is still essentially based on informal education and networks of apprenticeship. The sector lacks any structure and is devoid of a real ecosystem. Experts say Egypt could learn from Turkey and Morocco, where the opportunities and obstacles look a lot like Egypt, but which had managed to launch their designs onto the international scene.

Many designers hope to benefit from government initiatives to draw in investment and tourism revenue from its ancient wonders.

At the Grand Egyptian Museum at the foot of the Giza pyramids, Egyptian luxury stores enjoy pride of place.

In Cairo’s historic center, linen company Malaika trains women from marginalized backgrounds in embroidery and sells the wares to its customers and other fashion and textile brands. Carpet maker Hend al-Kahhal works in the same spirit, of bringing Egyptian identity to global frontiers.

His wool and silk creations give a contemporary touch to Pharaonic and Mamluk motifs.

The Egyptian Handicrafts Export Council, under the Trade and industry ministry, has long been working to showcase such Egyptian creations internationally.