French Toast: Egypt's Go-To For Dope Snapbacks and Bodysuits

Not that we mean to brag or anything, but when it comes to scoping out new trends and fashion lines, CairoScene tends to excel. While perusing Instagram, we stumbled upon a dope account that left us wondering if this was actually run in Egypt or abroad. 

Hana Afifi, the 24-year-old creative mind and owner of French Toast, came up with the idea of opening her own line almost whimsically. "I started it for a very random reason; I'm honestly much more into dresses but then, one time, my cousins were looking for snapbacks and they couldn't find them anywhere – you have to shop abroad for them. So I thought to myself, okay, why don't I bring them and sell them here?'' she explains. 

Operating through an online service where customers message her directly and the merchandise is delivered to their homes, Afifi designs some of her own merchandise but also imports some that's ready-made. Prices depend on quality and brands, and range from 400 LE to 800 LE for the snapbacks. However, during Easter, she made an offer to boost her sales where she sold two for 500 LE. 

''The panda snapbacks were really booming,'' Afifi laughs as she refers to a song by American rapper Desiigner.T  that led to an increase in her sale before adding ''that happened when the Panda song came out and then I had a waiting list just for that. I sold over 60 panda snapbacks alone because people were saying 'you literally need to get it for me'.''
French Toast mainly focuses on selling snapbacks, but the line also offers bodysuits and drawstring bags. Afifi partially believes that the reason her products run out so quickly is because the merchandise is very trendy, young adult-oriented, and that people like funny quotes; one of her most popular items was successful because of the quote 'my mom says I'm pretty so fuck you'.

As for the grand mystery behind the misleading name of her line, Afifi tries to control her amusement as she gives out an answer: "I had this idea of starting a very small-scale concept store with accessories, backpacks, and just random things. I was eating French toast, brainstorming, and trying to find something random that wouldn't tie me down; I didn't want anything specific so I chose French Toast, and people remember the name,'' Afifi narrates. 

Although her work reminds us extensively of Black Milk Clothing, and we would love to see it grow into a full range line with an equally impressive collection of bodysuits, Afifi says that, unfortunately, she doesn't have further plans for French Toast because it works perfectly the way it is, and her method of delivering is the one her clients prefer. 

However, seeing as she did fashion studies in Central Saint Martins in London, Afifi does have a strong passion for fashion and is currently working on a collection of kimonos for summer and Ramadan. She would like to open her own store filled with evening gowns one day, and when she displays her work again, she'll be probably using a different name – although she will somehow link all of her businesses together. 

You can check out all her merchandise on Instagram and Facebook.