Happy anniversary from the 19TwentyThree team to the jewelry-legend Azza Fahmy who is now celebrating 45-years worth of intricate design, creativity, standing out and making us all proud of such a pioneering, accomplished and utterly brilliant entrepreneur and designer who made her way onto the international fashion runways.

Throughout her career, she has spent years in overalls and tied-back hair as an apprentice in Khan El Khalili, took a grant to learn in London and then came back to show not only her design skills, but that she is a business-savvy artist who made her way through a world of commercialism and replications.

We’re proud of an Egyptian role model of strength, creativity, resilience and hard work. A role model who brought back the poetry of Khalil Jibran and the words of Om Kolthoum back in fashion, even for the young and trendy who might have never heard a single song by the legendary song.

The Azza Fahmy Legend:

Home grown and internationally renowned, Azza Fahmy keeps making us proud whenever we pass by one of her international boutiques.

With a unique style that celebrates our rich heritage but still manages to stay fashion-forward and cater to a local and international clientele, Fahmy’s career started in 1969 at Khan EL Khalili. The upper-class girl decided to immerse herself with the workers in Khan El Khalili for two years and learn the trade from the best of craftsmen in the business. She then traveled for a scholarship to study at the City of London’s Polytechnic School to polish the skills she learned at home.

In 1981, she put the traditional craftsmanship, her natural talent and what she learned in London together to establish Azza Fahmy, a brand that brought back the baladi fashion onto the elite circles. Suddenly, the Fatma hand was fashional enough for most fashionistas to wear, dangling earrings were back in fashion and a pharaonic cuff was more than a touristy souvenir.

She now has 170 employees and more than ten stores across the Middle East. She collaborated with several international designers, including Julien Macdonald, Justin Thornton, Thea Bregazzi and Matthew Williamson, and was asked by the British Museum to make a collection for the Hajj exhibition. She became a staple for jewelry at international fashion shows, including New York, Paris and London fashion weeks, and a favorite for many Hollywood stars.

Fahmy has also launched the Azza Fahmy Design Institute to encourage the local talents to polish their skills and learn all about the tricks and trades of the business.