Friday March 29th, 2024
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Kato: The New Egyptian Bag Brand Looking to Nubia for Inspiration

Carry a little bit of Nubia with you wherever you go.

Staff Writer

Kato: The New Egyptian Bag Brand Looking to Nubia for Inspiration

Whether a painter or musician, filmmaker or designer, you needn't look far for inspiration in Egypt. Over the last few years in particular, more and more creatives have begun to look inwards for inspiration and new bag brand, Kato, does likewise in drawing its inspiration from Nubian culture.

“Kato means ‘house’ in the Nubian language because this brand is inspired mainly by the artistry of the Egyptian houses,” founder Halla Emara told us. The bags, all designed and produced in Egypt, come in two collections so far; the first is a wooden beads collection, the second in plastic, crystal-like, colored beads.

Also by the colorful Nubian handmade beaded bags, she sat down with the locals and talked about the manufacturing and the mechanisms behind their artistry. Launched earlier this summer, June 2019, and designed and produced in Cairo, Emara is collaborating with a charity organisation employing women in need and has already put some income into 25 families’ homes.   

“I just want to let people know that even if you have crazy or unconventional ideas, you can still release your creative energy in ways that our culture understands and accepts. I want to add my voice to this huge wave of startups because I really think this is the future of Egypt,” Emara said.

Emara is a 19-year-old Integrated and Marketing Communication student at the American University in Cairo, and is currently balancing both her studies and the brand, working on a winter collection to be launched soon. She is also working on clothing lines and integrating different types of beads in every collection.

 

So far, the bags are only available for purchase online, but will soon be available on-ground in El Gouna. “If there is anything I can say to all the ambitious teenagers and youth reading this, it is that it is never too late to start doing what you love. Start early. This is the experience you need,” Emara said.

Head to Instagram for more from Kato.