Elia by Amira Motawea; Egyptian Kicks

Egypt’s fashion industry is going from strength to strength in recent years with emergence of tantalizing labels that regularly tempt us to part with our salary for the sake of style. From clothing and jewellery to sunglasses and now shoes, home-grown Egyptian labels are where it’s at right now. Since we are in the mood for a remake of our shoe wardrobe this season we are thrilled that there is a company making chic shoes right here in Egypt in all the styles we desire. Forget the generic options at the mall and meet Elia by Amira Motawea—you will not regret it.

Elia by Amira Motawea is a fashion forward Egyptian shoe label that is turning heads at home and abroad. Founder Amira Motawea has had a passion for shoes for years that she finally shared with the world when she launched Elia in 2015. We are happy she did! Elia features handcrafted footwear made with clean lines and quality materials. Elia’s offerings come in a range of styles from sandals to booties and loafers that are perfect for fall.

As if we weren’t already in love with Elia, there’s more: almost all of the designs are crafted by local artisans in Egypt and using mostly Egyptian materials. This was an intentional choice by Motawea, who is committed to using her brand to help the local fashion industry and economy flourish. She is certainly not alone in this project but stands out as one of the up and coming home-grown shoe labels in Egypt today.

Motawea always had a passion for customizing her shoes and decided it was time to turn her passion into her career. She began by visiting small shoe workshops in different parts of the country and doing an apprenticeship to learn more about how shoes are constructed. After her apprenticeship, Motawea began putting together her own designs, learning more about fashion sketching, and looking for a local factory with the capacity to produce her line to the level of quality she was looking for.

Elia’s very first design was the “Pharaonic Sandal” a perfect tribute to Elia’s Egyptian roots with a broad appeal on the international fashion scene. Motawea did this purposely; the original Egyptian shoes were leather sandals so she decided this was a perfect starting point to launch Elia. The result was a chic and quality update on an original Egyptian innovation: genuine leather sandals combining quality with chic lines. It was a hit and Motawea went on to create a broader line of sandals inspired by Egypt’s culture, history and architecture.

Elia’s latest collection features gorgeous booties and loafers—we want them all! We love how the line combines sleek lines and high quality with unexpected detailing and materials to create true statement pieces that make being fashionable effortless. We can’t wait to see what else is in store from Elia as the seasons change.

By: Kate Dannies