“Thrifting is huge in New York City, and is one of my favorite things to do. Friends would often compliment things I had bought at thrift shops, and I noticed there wasn’t really a thrifting scene here,” founder of Ritzy, Fatmah Sherief told CairoScene. Born and raised in New York, and studying Economics in college, her heart was always after fashion and the arts. “The fashion scene here is really funky and cool and I knew the gems I find at thrift stores would work really well with the current fashion scene in Egypt.” Ritzy was born, giving people somewhere to depend on for one of a kind and vintage looks.

The word “ritzy” is used to mean expensively stylish, ironic in that the brand is relatively affordable but priceless “in the sense that the item you’re buying is really one of a kind.” Her inspiration to start Ritzy came from her love of thrift shopping, mentioning that fashion-capital New York City’s subways featuring all walks of life was what fueled most of it. Thrift shopping is not easy and is more time consuming than one would think, and hand-picking each and every piece to bring here takes a good eye, and there is nothing like the rewarding feeling you get when you discover a unique item in a big store.

“I really want my brand to mean more and do more for the world. I want people to feel empowered and confident wearing pieces that are unique to them. I’ll also be giving proceeds to help sea animals and will be delivering items in a reusable tote bag with cute designs on them. I’m really passionate about helping our environment so it’s one small way people can play a role,” Sherief said.

“New York is home, but so is Cairo. And to be able to connect the two through fashion has been amazing,” Sherief said. Thrifting is known for it’s affordable prices since garments are usually vintage hand-me-downs that have been used once, or unworn pieces given away by their owners for a discounted price. “Selling thrifted goods for a high price would defeat the purpose,” she told us. Prices range between EGP 400-800, with the exception of leather and embroidered pieces due to the nature of their designs.

Ritzy’s products are available for order through their Instagram account until their website is launched. Having a small Ritzy thrift shop in Egypt is among their future plans, too.