For the past decade or so, “sustainability” has dominated narratives across every industry. “Few industries tout their sustainability credentials more forcefully than the fashion industry,” said Kenneth Pucker, adjunct professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. “Products ranging from swimsuits to wedding dresses are marketed as carbon positive, organic, or vegan … dot retail shelves.” To reflect these narratives in real-world products, fashion brands need to use sustainable natural fibers. None more so than cotton, which “is the most extensively used natural fiber,” according to Study34, a U.K.-based boutique garment producer and retailer. Growing cotton requires a lot…
Author: Tamer Hafez
For makers of internationally sold goods, global supply chains are essential to ensure a solid bottom line, timely delivery, and meeting price targets across markets. None more so than fashion brands, which “make their money by seeing how little they can pay,” Dana Thomas, author of Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Lustre, told Vogue Business in July. This year, international fashion houses will face new challenges from tariff threats by U.S. President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, legacy obstacles persist, as suppliers of exclusive brands are causing their clients legal problems. The situation is pressuring design houses to seek new suppliers that…
The fashion industry has always been fickle and unpredictable. “Though hard to predict even in the best of times, the fashion industry is in for a particularly tumultuous and uncertain future,” said the “State of Fashion 2025: Challenges at Every Turn,” a McKinsey report published in November. That unfavorable outlook was not surprising. “The negative environment predicted by many in the fashion industry this time a year ago has now manifested,” said the report. This is “a long-feared cyclical slowdown. Consumers [are] scared by the recent period of high inflation” and therefore are “increasingly price sensitive,” McKinsey explained. Nevertheless, the…
Negotiating with friends, family, co-workers, competitors and even strangers happens every day. “Your real world is a giant negotiation table, and like it or not, you’re a participant,” said Herb Cohen, a corporate and government negotiator and strategy consultant, in his book “You Can Negotiate Anything.” “How you handle these encounters can determine not only whether you prosper, but whether you can enjoy a full, pleasurable, satisfying life.” “Winning” conflicts has little to do with personal competencies. “Traditionally, rewards presumably go to those possessing the greatest talent, dedication and education,” the book said. In reality, “life has illusioned those who…
Cultivating one of the best fabrics in the world, long-thread Egyptian cotton, and blessed with a rich heritage from the pharaohs, Greeks, Romans, Islamic eras, and Western influences, Egypt has all the makings of a fashion destination. However, local fashion design and high-end garment manufacturing are still budding sectors. “Most designers rush to start their own businesses,” said Susan Thabet, founder of the Egyptian Fashion & Design Council (EFDC), an organization helping local fashion startups, in an interview with Forbes in June 2024. “Most of them are one-man shows, which makes building a sustainable business and expansion very difficult.” Meanwhile,…
With his sights set on reviving the United States as an “industrial superpower,” President Donald Trump sees fossil fuels as the dominant energy source. “We will drill, baby, drill,” he told the media. “We will be a manufacturing nation again, and we will have something that no other manufacturing nation will ever have, the largest amount of oil and gas that any country on earth has, and we are going to use it.” He plans to realize this vision by “drastically cutting regulations, exploiting natural resources, cutting taxes, [and] scrapping efforts to tackle climate change,” Courthouse News reported. Such a…
Having seven free trade agreements (FTAs) with Europe and MENA nations and one conditional trade deal (Qualified Industrial Zones) with the United States makes Egypt an ideal country for the free flow of goods. Those FTAs and QIZ give Egypt “access to 1.5 billion consumers,“ according to the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) However, reaching those consumers is becoming more challenging due to a “backlash against globalized trade,” noted a paper from the World Politics Review, a specialized analysis platform, in February 2024. “Once hailed as a way to improve efficiency in developed economies and create prosperity…
For most people, becoming a business owner would be daunting, even for those with the correct disposition. “There are fewer entrepreneurs than there should be,” a World Economic Forum post noted. Ever-present risks include potentially selling unprofitable products or services, dealing with government bureaucracies, hiring and managing employees across technical and administrative functions, and forecasting the market. Artificial intelligence (AI), which ChatGPT commercialized in 2022, could tackle most of those “risks” for reluctant entrepreneurs. “The omnipresence of AI in contemporary entrepreneurial practices has redefined the essence of business operations, strategy formulation, and decision-making,” Imtiaz Mostafiz, an associate professor of strategy…
For youth (Gen Z, born from 1997 to 2012), working for others is not appealing. “It is abundantly clear … Gen Z is driven by a strong entrepreneurial spirit, with 50% [of survey respondents] expressing their desire to become entrepreneurs or start their own businesses,” a 2023 report from Samsung and Morning Consult noted. “This unwavering focus on entrepreneurship underscores Gen Z’s innovative mindset, their drive for autonomy and their eagerness to forge unique paths in the ever-evolving landscape of the future of work.” In Egypt, Gen Z accounted for 28.5% of the population in 2023, according to data aggregator…
With over 63% of Egypt’s population under 30 years old in 2023 and growing 1.57% annually, the country is a startup hotbed. “The government recognizes the importance of … entrepreneurship … given Egypt’s youthful population,” said Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at a November press event. He plans to boost investments “from $500 million to $5 billion.” However, he offered no timeline for achieving that tenfold increase. To realize such a goal, the government has to be more effective at overcoming factors that cause startups to fail. “While the Egyptian market has grown into a healthier environment for startups by the…