The fitness trend in Egypt shows no sign of slowing down. On the contrary, more and more people are taking up working out and various sports whether in or out of the gym. But despite an increased interest in sports and fitness, fitness apparel in Egypt leaves a lot to be desired. Enter GAIA, which means the ‘Mother of the Titans’ in the Greek mythology. The Egyptian sportswear brand, which opened last March, is hoping to shake things up and ultimately become a top brand in the field. We sat down with the owners, Sara Gabr, 26, and Karim El Bendary, 30, to discuss their motivations and challenges in the sportswear industry.
With both owners coming from backgrounds in different fields, how did your interest to start a sportswear brand spark?
One of us being a designer and the other an ex-banker both caring about maintaining a fitness lifestyle and training together in the gym, we saw how difficult and time-consuming it gets to find a good sportswear design that we actually like and can afford. We thought why not fill the gap in the market where many people are searching and dreaming of finding affordable and unique sportswear.
What were the challenges you faced when getting started?
To be honest, we faced some challenges some of which we didn’t even anticipate, like finding the right fabrics for sportswear here in Egypt. It’s not very easy to find suppliers for such fabrics so we decided to import fabrics from different countries, such as India, Turkey and China. Another challenge was the market study, in terms of understanding the client from different aspects and learning how to position ourselves alongside other brands in the market locally and internationally.
What does your brand name stand for?
GAIA means ‘Mother of the Titans’ in the Greek mythology. She represents the roots of all powers and strengths. Regarding our logo, we designed it to resemble the roots of all power along with the freedom wings that express the unbeatable titan within each one of us. The logo also presents the mask of the Titans that we imagined each titan wore.
What do you feel you offer new to the market both locally and internationally?
GAIA offers the highest quality of sportswear you can find with affordable prices that meet everyone’s needs by using unique fabrics, a wide range of colors and designs that will make you stand out.
Have you come across any surprises about the market so far?
Anyone who decides to build his/her own start-up business will come across many surprises. The most important thing is your business and market study because they eliminate the factor of surprise or at least minimize it. One of the biggest surprises that we faced was concerning the import process. It requires a whole lot of paperwork. Due to the floatation of the Egyptian pound, our costs are also mostly variable and not fixed which is tough to handle in a start-up. Another surprise was how big we found the gap in the market within the sportswear field, especially when it comes to high quality affordable designs, but this was a good surprise because it opened doors for us to be creative and innovative in providing sportswear in the local market.
Tell us about the designers and their design process.
I (Sara Gabr) am the head designer, and I have a team of four people working with me. The design process starts with deciding which colors we will go for and brainstorming what new colors to present to the market. After that, we look at the needs of the market and what to avoid. The most critical stage is when all members of GAIA’s team meet up and decide the fabrics that will be used and which are the best options for each design.
What criteria do you use to pick fabrics for each design?
Quality, durability, texture, color, percentage of polyester and cotton. Also important is fabric strength according to our tests that indicate if the fabric could live long.
Tell us about your concept of changing the trend of sportswear in terms of colors, patterns and design.
Our vision is to be the top sportswear brand. Designing sportswear comes with limitations because it’s not like every day street wear, since each sport and athlete has specific needs. Our plan is to create the most unique designs within the lines of those requirements. In terms of colors, we already use colorful pigmentations in order to spread joyful vibes to our customers. Not everyone likes to train or run as much as they love to eat ice cream, for example, so sometimes they need a boost. We hope to provide that with GAIA.
How did you come to the decision to ship internationally as well?
It has been a part of our plan to become international since the beginning. We decided to ship our products first to the Middle East and Gulf countries, like Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, UAE and KSA. In the near future, we’re hoping to start shipping to USA, UK, and some cities in Europe starting with Milan and Barcelona.
What are your plans for the future of the brand?
Our aim is to become a well-known international sportswear brand with the edge of a stylish and comfy clothing line. We make it our business to meet people’s needs in terms of quality, prices, designs, colors, and everything they wish they could find in a sportswear clothing line.
You can buy their clothing online through their Instagram, Facebook, or their website www.gaiaswear.com
Average prices:
Men Running Shorts – 400 EGP
Men Dri-Fit Tshirts – 300 EGP
Women Yoga Pants – 400 EGP
Sports Bras – 330 EGP
By Sarah Guirguis
