8 Egyptians on Forbes List of Women Behind Middle Eastern Brands

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Sunday August 25, 2019

Forbes Middle East featured Eight Egyptian women, owners of five brands, on its first annual ranking of inspirational women behind Middle Eastern brands. Full List

1- Azza Fahmy, Amina and Fatima Ghali
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Photo Via CREDIT: NOUR EL REFAI

Azza Fahmy and her two daughters transformed her jewelry brand from a small workshop in Khan El-Khalily to an international jewelry brand that showcases the Egyptian culture in brilliant pieces.

Fahmy’s eldest daughter Fatma Ghali, business development specialist with more than 12 years of experience in marketing, is one of the major players who brought the brand to where it is today, by developing new strategies to globally expand it. With her mother, Fatma established The Design Studio by Azza Fahmy in Cairo, an educational hub for aspiring designers that offers courses to those who want to progress in the industry.

With a BA in jewelry design from the UK, Amina, the youngest daughter joined the company in 2005. Amina has brought a modern twist to Fahmy’s unique pieces.

2- Aya and Mounaz Abdel Raouf
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Via Going Deep Magazine 

The two Egyptian sisters Mounaz and Aya Abdel Raouf are founders and designers of the luxurious Egyptian leatherwear brand Oktein (sisters). Their designs include women’s bags, purses and belts. On March 2019, the two sisters also made it on Forbes 30 Under 30 list for the ME.

Their brand, launched in 2013, is sold in high-end outlets as Bloomingdales in Dubai and Harvey Nichols in Saudi Arabia.

Many celebrities have been spotted wearing Okhtain bags including Beyoncé, Emma Roberts and Emma Watson, model Gigi Hadid, reality star Kris Jenner and beauty queen Olivia Culpo.The Egyptian first lady was also seen wearing one of their bags.

3- Marmar Halim
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Marmar Halim is a Semi-Couture designer. After obtaining her BA in accounting at the Faculty of commerce in Egypt, 1998, she pursued a career in fashion. She studied Fashion Design at the FDC Egypt jointly with Istituto di Moda Burgo, Milan, Italy in 2009. After graduating she launched her collection at “Posh” boutique in Cairo. Marmar Halim quickly became a brand to buy some of the very best present Semi-couture around Egypt. She launched her collection by having subscription services to get the Semi-Couture delivered where she built up her network immensely. Today, Marmar Halim, semi-couture brand is one of the most elegant, simple and powerful brand worn by many artists and celebrities around the world. Check Marmar Halim Website Here

4- Abeer Al Otaiba

semsem-abeer-al-otaiba-headshotAbeer was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt. After reciving her graduate studies in civil engineering, she moved to the United Arab Emirates and began her professional career as a civil engineer. In the UAE, she met and married Yousef Al Otaiba, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United States of America.

Philanthropy plays a significant role in Abeer’s life. She supports charities that improve the lives of women and children around the world, such as Children’s National Medical Center, Hope for Henry, and the Association for the Development & Enhancement of Women.

In 2017, Abeer launched a new designer line called SemSem, named after her daughter Samia’s nickname.  Her designs are made for stylish mothers and their daughters. Each season, SemSem supports a different charitable organization, focusing on charities that empower women and children including ones dedicated to gender equality, literacy, health, legal awareness, and education among women and children across the globe.

Check Abeer Al Otaiba Website Here

5- Farida Temraz
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Via Enigma Magazine 

Farida Temraz, Founder and Lead Designer of Temraza, is an internationally recognized name in the global fashion world. She is the first Egyptian to be awarded the Best Female Couture Designer at the 2017 New York Fashion Week, the first Egyptian to win first place among 15 international designers at Paris Fashion Week and the first Egyptian to successfully participate in London Fashion Week.

Temraz graduated from the AUC with a bachelor’s in integrated marketing communication and a double minor in business and psychology. She also obtained her master’s in marketing communications from AUC, specializing specifically in fashion communication.

Temraz aimed to combine what she learned from her time at AUC with her fashion and design aspirations. She has made it a point to take different courses or workshops when traveling, constantly exposing herself to new topics that can help bolster her brand. She studied a range of topics, from fashion psychology and body shapes to financial reporting and leadership and motivation.

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