A collaborative research project between New York University Abu Dhabi and Tharawat Family Business Forum

Spotlight

Azza Fahmy Jewellery

Information last updated on 03 April 2022

Snapshot

Founding

Family Name:

Fahmy[1]

Founder’s Name:

Azza Fahmy

Earliest Documented Business Name:

Azza Fahmy Jewellery

Founding Year:

1974[2] [3]

Founding Location:

Egypt

Today

Current Operating Status:

Operating

Family Business Name:

Azza Fahmy Jewellery

Headquarters Location:

Cairo, Egypt

Key Industries:

Jewelry

Number of Employees:

200+[4]

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Azza Fahmy was born in Sohag, Upper Egypt, in 1945 to Abdulmuniem and Zubeiydah.[5]  At the age of 13, Fahmy lost her father, a Sudanese-born senior employee at a cotton company. The family of five subsequently moved from Sohag to her mother’s hometown of Helwan.[6] [7] The death of Azza’s father was a pivotal moment in her life emotionally and financially as the family struggled to make ends meet.[8] In 1969,[9] Fahmy graduated from Helwan University’s Faculty of Fine Arts with a BA in interior design.[10] Two years later, she married architect Nabil Ghaly with whom she had two daughters, Fatima and Amina Ghaly. [11]

 

After her graduation, Fahmy took a government job, but felt unsatisfied by a position in which she could not fully express her creativity. To redirect her career, she tried painting, writing children’s stories, and pottery — efforts that led nowhere.[12] Early during her government employment, she had come across a German book on medieval jewelry that instantly piqued her interest, and she had purchased it despite having little disposable income. The book led her on a path of research that took her to Khan el Khalili, Cairo’s ancient jewelry quarter, where she became the district’s first female apprentice.[13] In the mid-1970s, after finishing her apprenticeship, Fahmy was granted a fellowship by the British Council and invited to study jewelry design at City of London Polytechnic (now London Guildhall University).[14]

FOUNDING STORY

Beginning in 1974, Azza Fahmy started a one-woman business, working out of her home. She bought her materials from gold and silver suppliers in the Khan el Khalili, designed and made the pieces, and then sold them to local jewelers.[15] Jewelry from one of her earliest collections was worn by the iconic Egyptian actress Soad Hosni in the 1979 film Chafika wa Metwally.[16] Fahmy’s first shop, El Ein Gallery, was co-founded with her sister Randa[17] in 1981 in Cairo’s Mohandessin neighborhood.[18] Later in the decade, she released her celebrated Houses of the Nile collection, inspired by Nubia and the traditional architecture of Egypt.[19]

GROWTH PHASE

In the 1990s, Azza Fahmy began developing her signature style of combining gold and silver. She also extended her cinematic network, collaborating with top Egyptian movie producers such as Youssef Chahine.[20] In 2002, Fahmy expanded beyond her workshop and established her first design house in the outskirts of Cairo.[21] As her popularity grew, she opened shops throughout Egypt and, eventually, beyond. The first stores she opened outside the country were in Bahrain in 2002 followed by the UAE in 2003.[22] Today, she operates a total of 18 stores in five different countries.[23]

 

In 2005, after graduating from Birmingham University, Fahmy’s eldest daughter, Fatima Ghaly, officially joined the Azza Fahmy design team. She launched her first collection in 2008.[24] Younger daughter Amina Ghaly also joined the design team in 2005. Today, Fatima and Amina are the managing director and head designer of Azza Fahmy Jewellery, respectively.[25] Fahmy herself joined forces with British fashion designer Julien MacDonald to design a 20-piece jewelry collection for his show at London Fashion Week in 2007, and another collection of 13 pieces for his show a year later. In recognition of her international success, Fahmy was named one of the 25 most influential businesswomen in the Middle East by the Financial Times.[26]

 

The 2010s saw further achievements and honors for the family business and its founder. In 2010, she collaborated with the Brain Foundation, an American nonprofit, to present her own collection during New York Fashion Week.[27] In 2013, Azza Fahmy Jewellery in collaboration with Alchimia established The Design Studio by Azza Fahmy in Cairo, the first professional jewelry making and design school in Egypt and the MENA region. That same year, the family’s retail business went digital, establishing its own website.[28]

TODAY

In 2016, Fahmy received an honorary PhD from the American University in Cairo.[29] [30] A year later, she was a guest of honor at the second session of the Egyptian Forum for Heritage and Contemporary Jewellery. In 2018, Azza Fahmy Jewellery opened its first UK store at the Burlington Arcade in London’s Mayfair district. The following year saw the opening of its first U.S. pop-up boutique, in the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria.[31] Today, Azza Fahmy Jewellery has over 200 employees, and it is internationally recognized as one of the most successful female-founded Egyptian family businesses.

Notes

Photo Credit: Founder Azza Fahmy. Source: Ahram English

[1] This business was founded by a woman. Next generations hold a different family name for legal reasons.

[2] American University of Cairo – Honorary Degree. https://documents.aucegypt.edu/Docs/about/AzzaFahmy_BioAndSpeech_R2.pdf.

[3] Business Journal for Entrepreneurs. 2010, Vol. 2010 Issue 1, p86-101. 16p. 2 Color Photographs, 2 Charts, 2 Graphs.

[4] Azza Fahmy – The People. https://www.azzafahmy.com/me/the-world-of-azza-fahmy/people. 3 April 2022.

[5]Azza Fahmy.” Google Arts & Culture, https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/azza-fahmy/g11h0ph457j. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[6] Egyptian Jeweler Azza Fahmy Breaks Down Her First-Ever Autobiography. https://en.vogue.me/fashion/egyptian-jeweler-azza-fahmy-autobiography/. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[7] Halawa, Ahmed. “Azza Fahmy: The ‘Never Ending Dreams’ of an Egyptian Artisan.” Al-Fanar Media, 20 Oct. 2021, https://al-fanarmedia.org/2021/10/azza-fahmy/.

[8] #ABtalks with Azza Fahmy – مع عزة فهمي | Chapter 110. Directed by Anas Bukhash أنس بوخش, 2022. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBe76JL3qZ8.

[9]  Aya. Azza Fahmy …Founder of First International Egyptian Jewellery Brand. https://www.arabisklondon.com/?p=4715. Accessed 3 April 2022.

https://fanack.com/faces-en/azza-fahmy~126438/

[10] Sawy, Nada El. “Egyptian Jewellery Designer Azza Fahmy on Her New Autobiography: ‘I Have so Many Dreams.’” The National, 12 Oct. 2021, https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/luxury/2021/10/12/egyptian-jewellery-designer-azza-fahmy-on-her-new-autobiography-i-have-so-many-dreams/.

[11] “The Midas Touch of Azza Fahmy.” Al Arabiya English, 20 May 2011, https://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011%2F05%2F20%2F149766.html.

[12] #ABtalks with Azza Fahmy – مع عزة فهمي | Chapter 110. Directed by Anas Bukhash أنس بوخش, 2022. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBe76JL3qZ8.

[13] Aya. Azza Fahmy …Founder of First International Egyptian Jewellery Brand. https://www.arabisklondon.com/?p=4715. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[14] Azza Fahmy: Craftsmanship of Heritage & Authenticity. https://eng.majalla.com/node/174411/artazza-fahmy-craftsmanship-heritage-authenticity. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[15] Business Journal for Entrepreneurs . 2010, Vol. 2010 Issue 1, p86-101. 16p. 2 Color Photographs, 2 Charts, 2 Graphs.

[16] Timeline. https://www.azzafahmy.com/me/timeline. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[17] “The Midas Touch of Azza Fahmy.” Al Arabiya English, 20 May 2011, https://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011%2F05%2F20%2F149766.html.

[18] Business Journal for Entrepreneurs . 2010, Vol. 2010 Issue 1, p86-101. 16p. 2 Color Photographs, 2 Charts, 2 Graphs.

[19] Timeline. https://www.azzafahmy.com/me/timeline. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[20] Timeline. https://www.azzafahmy.com/me/timeline. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[21] Fanack. “Azza Fahmy: Arab Storytelling through Jewellery.” Fanack.Com, 25 Mar. 2020, https://fanack.com/faces-en/azza-fahmy~126438/.

[22]  EBSCOhost | 49018376 | Azza Fahmy Jewelry: A Case Study of International Entrepreneurship. https://web.p.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=15481859&AN=49018376&h=xQCp4dldmyVVvjVgXsOlF3mFm4L%2fHtH06%2bmofxBqy%2bN%2f60Ew%2fvNyULEIbWQvBfI58CsJSVnRIWtvjlKAnwoTXQ%3d%3d&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNotAuth&crlhashurl=login.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d15481859%26AN%3d49018376. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[23] Find a Store. https://www.azzafahmy.com/me/storelocator/. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[24] Timeline. https://www.azzafahmy.com/me/timeline. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[25] Azza Fahmy – The People. https://www.azzafahmy.com/me/the-world-of-azza-fahmy/people. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[26] Aya. Azza Fahmy …Founder of First International Egyptian Jewellery Brand. https://www.arabisklondon.com/?p=4715. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[27] Fanack. “Azza Fahmy: Arab Storytelling through Jewellery.” Fanack.Com, 25 Mar. 2020, https://fanack.com/faces-en/azza-fahmy~126438/.

[28] Timeline. https://www.azzafahmy.com/me/timeline. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[29] Aya. Azza Fahmy …Founder of First International Egyptian Jewellery Brand. https://www.arabisklondon.com/?p=4715. Accessed 3 April 2022.

[30] American University of Cairo – Honorary Degree. https://documents.aucegypt.edu/Docs/about/AzzaFahmy_BioAndSpeech_R2.pdf

[31] Timeline. https://www.azzafahmy.com/me/timeline. Accessed 3 April 2022.

To cite this article please use:

“Azza Fahmy Jewellery” Family Business Histories Research Project, New York University Abu Dhabi and Tharawat Family Business Forum, 20 Mar. 2023, familybusinesshistories.org/spotlights/azza-fahmy-jewellery