September 4, 2025
Jewellery is more than adornment. It is memory, identity, and heritage cast in metal.
IN THE VALLEY Season 3 is back and we can not wait to share it with you!
In this week’s edition of IN THE VALLEY, we build on our latest very special podcast conversation with one of the Top 50 Women Behind Middle Eastern Brands Azza Fahmy (AF), the pioneering Egyptian jewellery designer who turned heritage into a global brand. Her story is one of sacrifice, resilience, and vision, choosing knowledge over comfort, breaking barriers in a male-dominated industry, and transforming cultural craft into global commerce.
This newsletter distills her journey and explores what it signals for Africa’s growing jewellery economy and for investors eyeing the intersection of heritage and scale.
Meet Azza Fahmy: The Queen of Cultural Craft
Azza Fahmy is the creative director, chairwoman, and the luminous force behind the Azza Fahmy Jewellery (AfJ) brand and family office. Born in Upper Egypt with Sudanese origins, AF carved her path in a space where women were rarely seen.
For more than 55 years, AF has fused Arabic poetry, calligraphy, architectural motifs, and folklore into pieces that read like poetry in gold and silver. Her boutiques, collections, and educational initiatives have made her a cultural monarch, bridging heritage and modernity, and proving that craftsmanship can become a platform for global storytelling.
After all these years, she expanded her presence well beyond Egypt and the African continent. Her legendary group has stores in the UK, UAE, Saudi, Qatar, and Jordan. Today, AFJ operates 14 stores in Egypt and 6 across international markets, producing over 18,000 pieces in 2024 alone.
In parallel, the brand’s e-commerce platform continues to grow, reaching customers worldwide and making its collections accessible far beyond its physical locations.
Beyond commercial success, AF established the Design Studio by Azza Fahmy and The Azza Fahmy Foundation, which equips underserved Egyptian youth with skills to build careers in handicrafts, and has invested in the future of the craft by training more than 80 artisans over the past decade, ensuring that its heritage and design philosophy continue to live on through the next generation.
The Continental Jewellery Renaissance: Weaving Culture into Commerce
Imagine a tapestry woven with beads, metal, and centuries of stories. That’s the essence of the African jewellery market today. Valued at $10.9 billion in 2024, it is projected to reach $15.8 billion (CAGR: 6.31%). This growth is being fueled not just by global demand but by a resurgence of pride in traditional design.
- Costume jewellery, driven by handcrafted, non-precious adornments, is booming. From $688.0 million in 2022, it is expected to hit ~$1.7 billion by 2032 (CAGR: 9.2%), powered by e-commerce and social platforms, particularly in East and West Africa.
- Value chain potential is far greater. With gemstones and artisanal talent, experts believe Africa could unlock $20 billion in additional value of mining, processing, and inclusive participation are scaled strategically.
For investors, the signal is clear, cultural heritage is not only a source of inspiration, it is an economic engine with scalable – and most importantly – exportable potential.
In Conversation with Azza Fahmy: From Heritage to Global Stage
Our podcast with Azza Fahmy revealed the defining moments and convictions that shaped her journey. AF’s life is inseparable from her craft. Jewellery isn’t just her profession; it is her identity, her essence, her very lifeblood. Every design she creates reflects her soul, stitched into history with metal and poetry:
1. The Catalyst: Choosing Knowledge Over Comfort
“My salary was 19 pounds and the book was 17. I decided I’m going to buy this book because this book is going to change my life.”
That purchase, a worn German art book on medieval jewellery, was the spark. AF’s knowledge over comfort, set a principle that would guide her entire career: invest in the skills and ideas that compound over time. It was a risk at the time, but one that unlocked her lifelong devotion to craft.
2. Breaking In: Apprenticeship in Khan El Khalili
Determined to master her trade, AF became the first woman to apprentice in Cairo’s historic Khan El Khalili jewellery quarter. Days were spent in overalls, surrounded by men at the workbench, learning the fine details of the craft.
Her attitude toward gender barriers was disarmingly simple: “The challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry? NOTHING.”
Rather than dwell on obstacles, she focused fiercely on excellence, proving that discipline and clarity of purpose can eclipse convention.
3. Destiny in Motion
Reflecting on her path, AF says:
“There was no plan, but there was another Divinal plan.”
It wasn’t carefully mapped out but every step, every twist of fate, fell into place at the right time. What once seemed accidental, she now recognizes as destiny quietly unfolding.
4. Giving Back as Legacy
For AF, true success lies in ensuring that knowledge doesn’t end with its holder but multiplies. She mentors artisans and students freely, convinced that tradition only survives when it is passed on.
Her life philosophy captures this perfectly:
“Life is a journey where you learn, you earn, and then you return.”
For her, learning is the foundation, earning is the responsibility, and returning is the legacy. In practice, that means investing in knowledge, translating mastery into value, and then giving back so others can sustain and reimagine the tradition.
In her hands, legacy is not a personal monument but a cycle of renewal, proof that culture flourishes when wisdom is transmitted and traditions are carried forward.Balmain by Louie BanksBalmain by Louie Banks
A shout out to our partners in this episode:
5. The Continent’s Edge
“Africa is a gold mine.”
For Azza, this is not a metaphor but a thesis: the continent is rich in raw materials, artisanship, and cultural narratives that, if connected and scaled, could form the backbone of a global creative economy.
She believes Africa has everything it needs within, resources, talent, and identity. The opportunity lies in uniting these assets into coherent industries, positioning Africa not as a supplier of raw craft but as a global hub of cultural excellence.
Crafting Global Impact from Heritage
AF’s influence stretches beyond Egypt, Africa, and the Arab World, through collaborations with leading international fashion houses. Her partnership with France’s Balmain produced a striking gold-plated bustier inspired by ancient Egyptian symbols like the Eye of Horus and the protective wings of goddess Nekhbet, masterfully blending rich heritage with expert craftsmanship into a bold, modern statement.
Meanwhile, her work with British designer Matthew Williamson reflects a shared vision of marrying traditional Egyptian techniques with contemporary European style to create distinctive, standout collections.
Most recently, AFJ joined Beirut-based textile collective Bokja to merge their mastery in textile art with her heritage-driven jewellery craft. This capsule collection reinterprets ancient Egyptian murals and symbolism into elegant wearable heritage, breaking creative boundaries and bridging past with present.
These global partnerships showcase Azza Fahmy’s unique ability to transform cultural heritage into universally resonant, wearable art with lasting impact.
For our beloved continent, the lesson is profound. Its rich tradition, vibrant talent, and boundless creativity are the foundation of a global cultural economy waiting to rise.
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