Unwavering in the face of the wind, she stands tall, ready to take down the next challenge. She does not always comply with the world and its old-school traditions; instead, she leads a life according to her own playbook. Recognised for her confident stride and loud attire, she is never after the goal of hiding or merging with her surroundings. Her neck is often decorated with statement turquoise stones and her fingers stacked with silver words of wisdom mixed with her protecting emblems of nature. Inspired by her love for travel, her personal world is accessorised with tokens collected from the desert and its surrounding areas. She is a gypsy woman, celebrated by all means of art and surrounded with cultural speculation. Her extraordinary way of living is often a subject of debate. However, her love for life is larger than such trivial discussions. For the upcoming summer season, Azza Fahmy chose to continue her brand's journey around North Africa and befriend the wisdom and courage of gypsies. The SS18 collection advocates embracing life and chasing happiness with thought-through handmade pieces of intricacy. Inspired by the lively and intriguing dunes of the desert, the designer's statement necklaces with mesmerising turquoise and smoky topaz stones along with the large silver and gold cuffs borrow the dramatic approach of gypsies. Filled with ethnic motifs, the collection gives a modern spin to the traditional eye—interpreted with dainty designs as well as playful mismatched pairs of earrings. The collection is an ode to women who are not scared to stray away from the pack. Daily News Egypt sat down for an interview with Amina Ghali, head of design, to discuss the 14 elaborate pieces of her latest artistic adventure, the transcript for which is below, lightly edited for clarity. The new collection is expected to hit the stores by 15 June. Why did you choose to focus on this particular culture for the SS18 collection? There is a world trend happening now in support of women empowerment, independence, and freedom of expression. This movement is definitely reflected in the fashion industry, which then trickles down to the jewellery industry. Therefore, when I sat with trend forecasters two years ago and we saw that this will be the trend, I knew that it was quite inspiring for this collection. Which parts of the gypsy culture inspired you the most? The essence of gypsies, their strength, and independence are very inspiring. In addition, I did an extensive research on tribes across countries like Nepal, Turkey, Egyptian deserts, and North African countries, which had a wealth of jewellery that reflects their characteristics. If you can choose a well-known face—dead or alive—to represent this culture, who would it be? I would say Anne Hathaway due to her true and significant accomplishments in a truly bold career, which to me is similar to the boldness of gypsies. Which big summer trend(s) did you aim to capture with this collection? This summer is all about bold colours, big statement pieces, and tassels, as well as layering and stacking, which we included in our collection. Do you believe that Azza Fahmy has managed to reach a balance between retention of loyal clients and acquisition of millennial customers? For the past few years, we have been truly careful to cater to all ages and tastes through our designs and collections. We have been keen on launching the fashion collection, which is usually under the same theme of the main collection, but daintier pieces—suitable for the younger audience that is growing in our client base. Now that you have a store in London, do you also consider the British taste when designing? Not really. Our brand is more about telling history through art, which is what our consumers all over the world appreciate. Moreover, since we sit with trend forecasters every season before designing new collections, we design to cater to trends that appeal to all of our clients. Visitors in London will be able to experience and shop the Azza Fahmy brand. A curated selection of handcrafted pieces from across our most popular collections together with exclusive pieces, as well as the opportunity to utilise our bespoke design service. What made you choose London as your next big market? We have invested in growing the UK audience over the past few years and our online boutique www.azzafahmy.com has witnessed significant UK revenues. Furthermore, the market's cosmopolitan offering has made it one of our important growth areas for expansion, outside the Middle East and Africa region. London also made a significant educational contribution to Azza Fahmy and her early career path with the help of the British Council, which granted her a scholarship enabling her to complete her design and manufacturing studies at London Polytechnic. This felt like the natural next step to take into our retail expansion plan.
