It is not extraordinary to find the hallways of Egypt’s shopping malls bustling with eager shoppers. Their frantic eyes move rapidly between illuminating banners while their hands gravitate towards their favorite tags.
While the past year has irrupted a number of conflicting opinions regarding the fashion industry, a certain French brand decided to go against the general tide and end the year in Egypt.
Eden Park celebrated the opening of its first branch in Egypt among the industry’s leading experts. The rugby-inspired brand celebrates the city of light with contemporary menswear and minimal fashion. After establishing a strong presence in the Arab region, the Egyptian capital was Eden Park’s last stop for the year.
“It is not my way of thinking; however, this time it was a mere opportunity that came our way. We have achieved a great success in Kuwait with our franchisee partner—Fashion International—and it was their idea to experiment with the Egyptian market,” said Franck Mesnel, the founder.
The former rugby player was inspired right on the field to take the sport’s spirit and build a signature brand. ” We are lucky to have a true story; accordingly, we build good-quality items around it. I would not necessarily say survive, but today, if you want to exist, you have to be unique. Of course, it is easier said than done,” said Mesnel.
According to the visionary founder, the current fashion world prioritises the human element as a key factor in commerce. His firm believes that a bad shop with an excellent team might lead to satisfying success, while the opposite situation would yield in nothing, which has made him seek partners before numbers.
Therefore, he was keen on visiting the new store personally to start planning methods of local adaptation. According to his near term plans, the team aims to utilise the iconic Egyptian cotton in the brand’s signature shirts.
“I like meeting new people and adding something new to the brand every time we enter a new market. Being an old rugby player, team spirit and sharing values is quite important to me. I have to salute Fashion International for taking a great part in the story build-up and taking care of importing the merchandise with absolute smoothness,” said Mesnel.
The sports-inspired brand is renowned for seeking quality at every possible opportunity. The founder finds it his personal duty to create a strong balance between quality and price, in spite of any economic or manufacturing challenges.
“I can see that Cairo’s population is steadily increasing; of course it is divided between several categories, but if you have a reasonable and good product, there is an opportunity to target almost everyone,” concluded Mesnel.
