? OUR FOUNDER OF THE WEEK- Every Tuesday, Founder of the Week looks at how a successful member of Egypt’s business or startup community got their big break, asks about their experiences running a company, and gets their advice for budding entrepreneurs. Speaking to us this week is Farah Abdelhamid (LinkedIn), founder of FforFarah.

My name is Farah Abdelhamid, and I am the founder and maker behind FforFarah. While I operate as the creative director, I emphasize the title of maker because 99% of my work is rooted in my identity as an artist and jeweler. The ethos of FforFarah is an experience beyond jewelry — it’s about encouraging the customer to question what they know about material and form, creating a dynamic relationship between the wearer, the piece, and the maker.

My journey is built on a strong academic foundation, but it wasn’t linear. It started about 15 years ago at AUC — I was a workaholic, doing minors in psychology, mass comm, and philosophy, but an exchange semester at Wellesley College changed everything. I now hold a BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing from the Rhode Island School of Design, and am currently writing my Master’s thesis in product design from a university in Germany. I have been teaching for the past 12 years, at the university level, through private studios, and institutions like the Azza Fahmy Design Studio.

Ironically, I did horribly grade-wise in my first jewelry elective. I was so enamored by the ability to sculpt that I missed all my deadlines. But that obsession is exactly what started my career, and why teaching is a huge passion of mine. I use it to expose students to the history and theory of contemporary jewelry.

I didn’t know I was launching a business when I started. The formal launch of FforFarah’s commercial presence came years after exhibitions and project-based work, including a show in Amsterdam in 2015 and a commercial collection for Milan Design Week in 2019. When I returned from Milan, I hosted an event to showcase the remaining stock, and the brand skyrocketed completely unexpectedly. But the success wasn’t accidental — it was the result of consistency in my pieces, packaging, display, and photography since day one.

What sets FforFarah apart in the market is that it is intimate, personal, and handcrafted. I’m not a distant designer in an office — I’m the one making the custom pieces and engaging directly with my clients. I define success by impact — when my work becomes a part of someone’s memory or narrative, like an heirloom passed down from generation to generation.

But maintaining this path of artistic and operational freedom comes with significant challenges. Navigating the business side requires balancing artistic integrity with market realities. Having financial concerns in my head while I’m trying to draw or model a piece is incredibly draining to my creative process. After my previous studio in Darb was demolished, I went from paying no rent to handling overhead costs and the price of silver skyrocketed by 60%. I used to import specific essentials like clasps and chains from Germany, but with the inflation, it became unsustainable. I have to be very cautious about waste, melting down scraps and failed models much more often to create new pieces without drastically raising my prices.

There are also industry frustrations, particularly regarding copyright and the authenticity of inspiration. Another issue facing the industry is that the pace of modern life is eroding the appreciation for craft — people simply don’t have the patience to wait for a piece that takes 20 hours to make, and nor do we often have the luxury to spend that time making it. This obsession with turnaround is the biggest loss to the industry, more so than the loss of technique itself.

It’s difficult to constantly switch hats, jumping from the dreaming phase of design to the mechanical mode of production, or interrupting a creative session to handle sales reports and client needs. If I could advise my younger self, I would tell her to find a partner to handle the business side. In five years, I hope to have secured a small team so that I can continue to do what I love — teaching, collaborating, and making — without burning out.

My advice to budding entrepreneurs is not to waste time over-planning — just do, because you only learn by trying. If you stay safe, you stagnate, so keep your eyes open and never stay in one lane. And find a good partner — two brains are better than one.

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