Flair Magazine MITCHA has quickly become the talk of the fashion scene in Egypt-and with good reason. Assembling the very best of Egypt’s homegrown designers, MITCHA caters to a growing community of style-savvy shoppers seeking the latest in unique, high-quality ready-to-wear, semi-couture, footwear, accessories and fine jewelry. We talked to the founder and CEO Hilda Louca to learn more about the budding brand.
Tell us a little bit about your background.
I was born in Alexandria, and graduated from Alexandria University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English literature, and then I received my Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a major in Marketing. I have more than twenty years of experience in marketing and management, after working as a sales consultant and customer relations manager at Lufthansa Egypt, a sales manager for Al Ahram Beverages and also being a part of the Health Program at The World Health Organization.
Describe the brand identity in three words.
Simple, elegant, modern but still in touch with our roots.
We loved your party collection video in December 2018. Tell us about the shoot.
We had a lot of fun shooting this video. The overall mood was simple and upbeat at the same time, reflecting our brand personality. The campaign message, #MITCHAisYOU is all about being yourself and staying true to your identity no matter what your style is. This is reflected in our curated collections, which cater to different tastes so you can be whoever you choose to be.
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Inconsistency in product quality and stock availability is a key challenge, so is convincing designers to not only depend on their social media following for growth but to look further and dream bigger. There is a whole industry that is emerging behind the designers, and every touchpoint needs to be done right. We can say that we’re taking the first step towards change. Some barriers still exist especially when it comes to buying fashion online, as many customers still opt for what we call social e-commerce by purchasing through social media boutiques.
What are your criteria in choosing which designers to collaborate with?
We select designers based on the quality of their products. That is our main criteria to be featured on the platform. We have a dedicated team of fashion-forward buyers, stylists and editors who search the fashion landscape for real talents and collaborate to bring a unique and curated shopping experience. Every single piece is carefully scanned by our dedicated quality control team, who inspect all incoming merchandise.
Why go for local designers exclusively? What do you think makes Egyptian designers stand out in the fashion world?
Egyptian designers have incredible talent and creativity. Their spirit really inspired me to create MITCHA. Most of them go against the stream to create – from finding good craftsmen to buying materials and fabrics that may only be available today but not tomorrow. They deserve to shine and be seen. Our designers stand out because they draw their inspiration from our deeply rooted culture and heritage while keeping an eye on international trends. Their edge lies in mixing modernity with history and authenticity in a well-crafted final product that can potentially compete with global brands.
How do you hold them to international standards?
Our team ensures that only the best designers are stocked on MITCHA. Quality is our number one driver; every piece is carefully selected and goes through extensive quality and authenticity checks to be featured on the platform. We also hold sample meetings to assess young designers and even make recommendations including quality improvement and pricing.
What do you recommend for Egyptian designers to be able to grow and excel in the market?
Dream, believe, start, work hard, fail, learn, do it correctly, legalize your business, and eventually you will succeed. You can’t build a brand based only on social media. My second piece of advice is a quote by Steve Jobs, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” Never be afraid to collaborate or share your work. Nobody can actually steal your dream or your talent.
What is your greatest aspiration for the brand?
We are working towards changing the fashion game in this part of the world. Today’s customers expect a seamless, convenient high-quality experience throughout every step of the journey. Our aim as a fashion e-tailer is to bring a unique shopping experience, through aesthetics, curated content, functionality, marketing, logistics and customer service.
By Sarah Guirguis
