👟 For the shoe aficionados among us, the market gap is clear: Finding nice, simple, high-quality shoes in Egypt isn’t easy — and it’s not for a lack of local shoe stores. They are everywhere, with storefronts so crammed that it’s difficult to distinguish one pair from the other. If you go the mall route, you’ll find better displays and an underwhelming selection of low-quality imported brands.

That’s why a handful of new local shoe brands have recently caught our eye. They are attempting to fill a market niche with cutting-edge design and high-quality craftsmanship at prices that are competitive with the lower quality imports currently available on the market.

EnterpriseAM sat down with two of these young footwear designers to learn what inspired them to enter a challenging sector currently dominated by mass market brands.

A UC Berkeley architecture graduate, Sole22 founder Hana Ghazi (LinkedIn) first became interested in shoes during a stint designing store facades at Tiffany & Co in New York. “I took a shoe course that covered everything from sketches to production. I got so into it that on weekends I would find myself going to fabric shops, exploring materials and learning everything I could about the industry. About a year later I moved back to Egypt and started my own shoe business,” Ghazi tells EnterpriseAM.

Twin Flame founder Hala El-Sherif (LinkedIn)also comes from a design background. A Parsons graduate, El-Sherif split her time between Paris and New York — two cities she credits with developing her design aesthetic. “When I was in New York I took an elective called shoe construction and I absolutely loved it. By the time I got to my senior year in Paris, I knew that shoes were going to be my focus,” El-Sherif tells us.

A modern approach to traditional manufacturing

Egypt’s domestic footwear sector currently satisfies 60-70% of market demand, according to Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Chamber of Leather Industries Gamal El Samalouti. Local production is distributed across approximately 170-200 manufacturing facilities. Most of these establishments are small-to-medium-sized operations, predominantly run as independent, single-owner businesses rather than large, branded corporate groups.

In addition to factories and mass market products, many artisanal shoemakers continue traditional leather shoe production by hand. These skilled craftsmen serve niche markets and preserve heritage techniques.

The current market landscape makes it challenging for small, independent, design-led brands to break through. “It was only after months of due diligence and factory visits that I began to comprehend the barriers to entry in this sector,” said Ghazi. “The big factories are only interested in mass production, so if you want to manufacture on a small scale you have to [work] with the small workshops, which requires being very hands-on at every stage of the production process,” she added.

Despite the prevalence of shoe manufacturers in Egypt, there is very little innovation. “They all have the same lasts, the same shapes, and the same techniques that have been passed down for generations. Introducing anything new is often met with resistance,” said El-Sherif.

The availability of materials is also an issue. “The leather and the lasts in Egypt are great, but I find it difficult to find good quality soles, and the method used to attach the sole to the upper — glue instead of stitching — is also lacking,” said Ghazi.

Both Twin Flame and Sole22 currently outsource their manufacturing. El-Sherif hopes to have her own small production facility soon. “It’s difficult to protect my designs and control the quality and delivery timelines as long as I’m fully outsourcing.”

Branding and social media

For the up-and-coming shoe brands, building a strong digital presence is a central component of their business model. Founders are investing heavily in cultivating a social media presence that reinforces their identities as contemporary, design-clever footwear rather than generic resellers, and that has played a major role in capturing the attention of their target customer.

“Our social media is our storefront. It’s the storytelling platform of our brand. Our strategy focuses more on creating a brand world rather than selling. My last photo shoot was in New York, for example, where it all started,” said El Sherif.

Sole22’s instagram feed uses a mix of clean photography and videos that often include the founder herself. To coincide with Ramadan, they launched a 15-episodevideoseries called “People of Craft,” which spotlights Cairo’s traditional artisans.

Look and feel is everything

Another area that Ghazi and El-Sherif have meticulously cultivated is branding and packaging. An avid matchbox collector, El-Sherif designed her shoe box to open like a matchbox. The name Twin Flame itself was inspired by matchboxes.

“When I receive packages, I like to feel that there’s a special touch,” explains Ghazi. “I tried to make sure that Sole22 offers a premium unboxing experience. I wanted everything from the color of our shoe box to the little piece of leather with our logo on our dust bag to feel elevated.”

Future growth potential?

Estimates for Egypt’s footwear market vary — but even conservative figures show hundreds of USD mns to bns in total annual sales across all categories. A substantial market size means there’s room for specialised segments to carve out space alongside mainstream players. Independent brands like Sole22 and Twin Flame that are leveraging social media to sell directly to consumers have quickly made a name for themselves without investing in massive physical networks.

Where do they see themselves going? Ghazi hopes to have a physical Sole22 store in the near future, while El-Sherif hopes to see Twin Flame expand regionally. Both agree that the potential is huge and that early signs are showing that the market gap they are addressing is hungry for more.

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