Photo courtesy of Nile Eyewear
The first Egyptian eyewear brand, Nile Eyewear has been launched with the aim to change the fashion industry in the Middle East, and take it worldwide. Young entrepreneur Ahmed Hamdi, founder of Nile Eyewear, speaks to Business Today about being first in the market, and where the brand stands today.
Having decided to leave his career in real estate and do something different, Hamdi was in and ready for a new challenge. “I wanted to do the most difficult thing; and that is eyewear,” he recalls, adding, “Production of the glasses took from six months to one year. We then officially launched [the brand] in the market in 2014.”
Pointing out that at the time it was a new idea in the Middle East to go into a one brand glasses store, or even an Egyptian one, Hamdi says, “I was doing something new. It wasn’t normal to go into a store and find only one brand for eyewear. There were always different brands from different countries displayed.”
Not willing to wait for the customers to find them, Nile Eyewear began exhibiting at events and malls all around Egypt, to introduce the brand to the public. “We started our pop-up shops in Sahel in the summer of 2015; and in Arkan in 2016.” Today, they have traveled around the world and showcased their glasses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bali, Hamdi says.
Having mastered the business of eyewear, Nile Details was soon to be born; a sister accessories brand offering a new collection of exclusive designs every 18 months. Nile Details collections include high-quality leather products ranging from wallets to backpacks, travel and waist bags, laptop covers and clutches, even leather bracelets and cuffs for style. “We created the brand after we had received positive feedback and found that the public trusts our brand and is looking for a bigger variety, with our same high quality,” Hamdi says, adding that “the dream is to be available in every country and to change people’s misconceptions about Egypt’s fashion industry and quality standards.” He refers to the Egyptian stigma of imported products being of better quality.
Now you can visit Nile Eyewear at: Arkan Mall, Capital Business Park, Mall of Arabia phase 2, Mall of Egypt, Downtown Mall. “The reason we pick pocket stores is because we aren’t available everywhere, the collections are constantly changing,” Hamdi says, continuing, “this is all in order to create exclusivity and maintain quality... only creating limited quantities of each piece.”
Follow them on Facebook and Instagram: @NileEyewear and @NileDetails
Comments
Leave a Comment