- Fashion at its most interesting and purposeful, whether it’s the most expensive clothes or the least expensive, is not about showing off; it’s about creation.
- Perhaps that explains the current flowering of imagination in Egypt: difficult times tend to spark creativity.
Before launching Boho Sharky in 2010, Essam was a fashion editor and TV producer but after years of working, she decided to use her knowledge, style and inspiration and start her own brand. “I could not have done it before as I was young and inexperienced and running your own business requires lots of experience,” she explained.
Boho Sharky, the oriental gypsy look, is neither couture fashion nor street fashion. Essam has explored her fantasy to the extreme and created a unique label. This distinctive brand caters for the fashion savvy woman with a creative and open-mind who has her own style.
Indeed, women have been increasingly turning their attention away from the high street’s changing trends to the safety of more enduring pieces. More than ever, customers are looking for unusual and creative pieces.
“Boho Sharky is more of a fashion statement and lifestyle philosophy — a combination of two timeless styles: the Bohemian and the Oriental,” explains Essam.
Boho Sharky is really about “anti-hot.” The brand caters for customers who want to be liberated from anything being trendy. They wear Boho Sharky because they like it, not because of fashion diktats.
Essam designs clothes, scarves, jewelry and home accessories, and she draws her inspiration from the Egyptian heritage. Her favorite motive is the “tarbouche,” which is found on her collection of dresses, ponchos and makeup bags.
“Each season, there is a hit design and this autumn, it’s the King Farouk top, and from the silver and threads collection, it’s the new Fatima hand necklace,” says Essam.
Her clothes are fun to wear, as she believes women enjoy playing with clothes, finding that funky detail that brightens their day in this stressful, rushed world. Boho with an oriental twist, Boho Sharky is a brand with personality, with its own viewpoint.
Boho sharky delivers democratic exclusivity and it’s all to do with attitude not price, but Essam pays great attention to the price tags. Her tarbouche dress sells for $100 only.
She believes that shoppers are tired of high street fashion because it all looks the same. Her customers are knowledgeable, opinionated and highly individual; they also use the Internet and compare prices.