JANET FITCH
TREND-WATCH
Brooches are back
A
‘‘
Fahmy’s
enthusiasm
and dedication
has resulted
in her two
talented
daughters’
involvement
in the business
– Fatma Ghaly,
the elder is
managing
director, and
Amina Ghali is
head of design
‘‘
20 JEWELLERY FOCUS
zza Fahmy’s career path
is a fascinating and
inspiring story, spanning
almost 50 years in which she has
become one of the most esteemed
jewellery designers in the Middle
East and is listed as one of Egypt’s
most influential women. Now this
leading luxury jewellery house
has made the journey from Egypt
to London, with the opening in
March of a store in the historic
Burlington Arcade.
Fahmy initiated her path to
success in jewellery in 1969, when,
with a BA in Interior Design, she
came across a book about the
classical jewellery of Mediaeval
Europe, and continuing her day
job, spent her evenings learning
with one of the craft’s respected
masters in Egypt’s ancient jewellery
quarter. In the early 1970s, she
was awarded a scholarship by the
British Council to study jewellery
craft at the City of London
Polytechnic, returning to Cairo
with the confidence and skills to
open her own shop there in 1981.
2002 saw the opening of her
factory and design studio, now
with over 200 employees. Fahmy
herself began a serious exploration
of traditional jewellery across
Egypt, culminating in her first
book, ‘Enchanted Jewellery of
Egypt’, in 2003. “We are blessed
with over 7000 years of heritage
and culture,” she says, “that has
influenced global lifestyle such
as art deco and jewellery. Egypt
is where many of the modern
popular designs originated like the
serpent motif.”
Amanda Denison
Melanie Georgacopoulos
Ella Fearon-Low
Setting her sights on Europe,
Fahmy collaborated with Julien
MacDonald at London Fashion
Week 2006, and created a collection
for the Hajj:Journey to the Heart
of Islam exhibition at the British
Museum in 2012. A year later
a partnership with the Florence
based Alchimia Contemporary
Jewellery School resulted in
the establishment of the Design
Studio by Azza Fahmy, located
in Old Cairo, to educate student
designers to become professionals
able to compete internationally. In
2016, she was appointed a board
member of the Dubai Design and
Fashion Council, in a mentor and
incubator role, and she continues
to travel widely, with boutiques in
Cairo and Jordan, and retailing in
Qatar, UAE, KSA, Washington DC
and the UK.
Fahmy’s
enthusiasm
and
dedication has resulted in her two
talented daughters’ involvement
in the business – Fatma Ghaly, the
elder is managing director, and
Amina Ghali is head of design,
working “to evolve the brand,
deliver relevant collections without
losing our DNA and careful
management of the expansion
of our retail markets”. “The
London concept store is warm
and intimate, with a neutral, gold
and Tutankhamen blue colour
palette to subtly convey our
heritage in a contemporary way.”
The latest collection – Falahy
Culture Collection - pays tribute
to Egyptian peasant jewellery,
capturing the skills of intricate fine
wire work and highlighting desert
April 2018 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk