(Photo from Chakra)
By Fanny Ohier
“Hippy and bohemian” seems to be the most common way to describe Chakra, a new clothing line created by group of friends.
The four young women, Layla Omar El-Farouk, Gino Kamal, Vanna Imam and Nora Cheichaa, launched the new line of clothing in response to a lack of diversity in Egypt.
Kamal said they were motivated to create their own clothes because they wanted to offer “different fabrics and materials from those sold on the market in Cairo.”
“Our clothes are [related to the] Egyptian [style] as well, but they are more tribal than urban.”
Outside of Chakra, the four friends are full-timers from different walks of life as an artist, a digital marketer, a banking professional, and a stay-at-home.
During their travels throughout Egypt, the four came across different textiles and took their inspiration from the diversity of clothing the country had to offer. “We wanted something exotic,” Kamal said.
About two years ago, they launched their first collection of about 15 pieces, including trousers, jumpsuits, dresses, tunics and shirts. However, they hit a bump in the road when their manufacturer left Cairo. To the four friends, it seemed to be the end of Chakra’s short-lived existence.
“What brought us together again and made us move on is that we started to sell the things we had already made,” said Kamal. “We were not thinking about continuing anything, but the feedback and the results that we got from the first small collection really motivated us.” In fact, all the clothes that they had created sold out, something that exceeded their expectations.
As a result, last April, the four young women started to work on a new collection. Chakra plans to release 30 unique pieces in less than a month. El-Farouk said that they tried to enhance and improve their work. “We tried to incorporate African clothes,” she said. However, they all agree on keeping the clothes simple and comfortable. El-Farouk explained: “It’s more about the prints and graphics.”
Moreover, they are trying to “be more affordable for everyone,” said Kamal. “This may be what differentiates us from other brands in the market.”
Visit the Chakra Facebook page to check out their first clothing designs as well as places to find their upcoming new line.
