Flair Magazine The Arab African International Bank (AAIB) partnered with Maison Pyramide (MP), a global platform that incubates emerging designers to empower fresh talent and innovative concept, to launch their popup at Harvey Nichols in London from May 27 to July 14. The MPxHN popup provides an opportunity to young talents to display their products in one of the iconic stores, allowing them to expand their business, reach a wider customer audience and increase their brand awareness. It will feature brands such as the Cairo-based handbag company Okhtein, which is known for the brass work on its bags; straw accessories label Yosuzi, and ready-to-wear firms Nafsika Skourti and Nadya Dzyak.
AAIB and MP Popup Store in Harvey Nicks Extension Announcement Press Conference
The VC/MD of the AAIB Sherif Elwy elaborated that, “Being one of the leading financial institutions in Egypt, our ultimate challenge is tailoring our business functions in a way that ensures that all our financing services and banking activities create a positive impact on the economic and social pillars.”
“Believing in the role of youth in entrepreneurship and its impact on economic and social development, AAIB has been focusing on supporting incubators to empower young entrepreneurs arise and achieve their potential. Supporting MP has further proven the importance of coherence between civil society and financial institutions to support entrepreneurship in Egypt and to support our young Egyptian entrepreneurs, which in return creates new work opportunities for young generations and contributes to the Egyptian economy’s growth which is the core definition of financial inclusion which is pursued by the Egyptian banking system.”
Aya and Mounaz Abdelraouf Founder of Okhtein
One of the founders of Okhtein Mounaz Abdelraouf said that they were only 21 and 22-years-old when they started from their basement with a 10K budget, which only bought them seven pieces of leather and sadly having three of them ruined in the testing phase. She added that, “we started on Instagram via DM’s and started to offer free of charge cash upon delivery service, by which clients had the luxury to try on the bags at home and they can only pay then if they liked them.”
