After a long drive towards the west side of the capital, concrete beasts reside and green landscapes accompanied with humble houses rise to fill the horizon. The long drive might take hours, but at the end of it, an old workshop would always approach to welcome those seeking authenticity and heritage.
For a few decades, the 40-year-old brand has been building a name that stands for art, quality, and technique in the most competitive sphere—the jewelry industry. Right after steeping through the wooden gates, the visitor is welcomed with an army of dedicated eyes and fingers. While few marvel at the preciseness of black and white sketches, others are moving skillfully to master meticulous detail.
The bee hive does not stop for hours. Every row of wooden working stations embraces a number of Egypt’s finest jewelry scientists. Every day, the hive starts operating from the early hours of morning until dusk. Together, they create a chain that produces and maintains one of the country’s most significant jewelry brands: Azza Fahmy.
This season, the hive has been following a number of detailed sketches towards a secret garden, where lady birds befriend flowers, whilst owls gracefully flaunt their feathers, not caring about the nearby crawling snakes and their glittering ruby eyes.
After hours of heating, hammering, carving, and polishing, the hive masters their common rhythm to make the garden materialise and bloom right in the heart of their workshop. Much like themselves, their creations champion precious materials, such as gold and silver incorporated with amethyst and ruby.
Daily News Egypt spoke to the brand’s head of design, Amina Ghaly, to discuss her 2017 green haven of precious animals, jewelry trends, and global expansion.
Why did you choose to create another collection based on nature?
Within the jewelry industry, trends do not evolve as fast as they do in the fashion industry. Nature is also still a worldwide trend, which has countless aspects that had not all been tackled in our previous collection. Therefore, we wanted to explore them more in this collection and go deeper by pushing our boundaries.
The snake bangle is one of the oldest traditional jewelry pieces. What did you aim to add to it?
The snake bangle is one of the richest and most important designs for bangles. It descends from Greco-Roman origin and comes in many variations. It was worn by rich women in urban and rural areas of Egypt for a very long time. The bangles included in our latest collection have a modern twist that is fit for the women of today.
If a woman is searching for one piece to buy from this collection as a fashion investment that would never go out of style, which one would you recommend and why?
Each piece is unique and speaks differently to each person. My favorite piece is not necessarily someone else’s favorite piece. Accordingly, I cannot recommend only one piece. After all, it is a very personal choice.
In your opinion, what are the top jewelry trends of the upcoming FW2017 season?
Tribal jewelry, gypsy jewelry, and intricate lace-work are a few of the top upcoming season’s trends.
In the age of machinery and technology, why does Azza Fahmy Jewelry still insist on handcrafting each and every piece?
Each hand-crafted piece of jewelry is unique and has a special tale behind it. Inspired by different cultures, each design is an expression of a thought supported by a lot of research. Meanwhile, each piece is an investment of time, which includes a process that comprises the expertise and skills of a minimum of 20 craftsmen and 60 delicate manufacturers, as well as quality operations.
Moreover, it preserves the magic of the craft and its authenticity. Each piece is a story, from our history to you.
What is next for the brand?
Industry wise, we are really focusing our efforts on our design school, The Design Studio by Azza Fahmy, in collaboration with Alchimia. The school offers students, as well as upcoming entrepreneurs, a specialized jewelry design and making programme that allows them to compete not only on a regional level, but also on a global one.
We are also looking to expand our global market, as well as our online retail boutique, which delivers worldwide.
