From an Aucian Business graduate to an internationally known shoemaker, a story that began 7 years

Yara Elkerm
Jun 8, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Jun 9, 2020

Interview done by: Yara Elkerm

Credits to: Khaled Hamdy

Q:Can you please introduce yourself?

My name is Amira Motawea, I studied Business Administration and minored in Economics at

the American University in Cairo (AUC).

After I graduated, I started working in Digital Marketing for around 5 years. Throughout these

years I started looking around for manufacturers, places that do handmade shoes because I have always been passionate about shoes and I have always wanted to know how they were made.

Q:Story behind your success?

I went on a search for a year for places that make handmade leather shoes and later thought about

which type interests me the most whether (flats/high heels/wedges).

I started contacting manufacturers to ask them for permission to do training at their facility,

mentioning only that it was a college project, as those people get scared you steal their idea let

along their knowhow. They all shared the same responses (what are you doing – what will you

do with them).Until I found one, where I trained for 3 months. Lucky me I was trained by a

professional shoemaker, who worked in Turkey for 25 years, who was keen to share with me his

extensive knowledge and fruitful experience on how shoes are made from A to Z.

Q:Describe the hardships and challenges you encountered till you became one of the first

Egyptian shoe designers?

When I looked for factories that can provide me with the desired quality and production, the

problem was that there is a minimum quantity that you need to order from any factory. This was

one of my greatest challenges. Actually, it took me more than 1 whole year to find a place, where

my desires could be fulfilled as I didn’t want to risk and end up losing, at that time I was still in

my testing phase. It was then when I designed my first slippers inspired by the pharaonic sandals

in four different colors.

One of the most important and difficult challenges I faced was changing the mentality of the

Egyptians to make them believe that the Egyptian quality is as good as the foreign if not better.

Q:What are the risks you took to launch your product?

I risked both money and products and I had no clue where this was taking me. All I had in mind was (let us try this out) and see where this would lead me. I knew for a fact I wanted to have my own brand one day, but I was surprised with the huge success.

During this process, I started learning design online in order to be able to put my imagination

into action, and to be able to communicate with the craftsmen how I wanted the shoes to be

made. Unexpectedly, the slippers sold out from the first month.

Enthusiastically, I felt I had potential and I was able to change the perception and awareness of the Egyptian minds especially that there were only few Egyptian shoe designers that were

available, of which I was one and I was the only one that targeted both the A and A plus class.

Q:What was the turning point of Elia?

Eventually I had to start taking action, whether to put a business plan, to produce other

collections with a targeted plan in mind. Along the way, I started to be known, whether in media, where I was interviewed by different TV programs or on the market, where several distributors contacted me to sell my products or put them in their exhibitions in Egypt or abroad.

When the government, the ministry of trade and industry contacted me, as they didn’t expect to see Egyptian products with such great quality that was mainly the turning point of Elia.

Q:Who believed in you from the beginning?

At first, no one was convinced that I will reach anything, no one understood what I was doing as

I was not experienced in either industry nor design, but I always had it as a goal I saw it in front

of me, I had the feeling that I had a talent that just needs to be developed, thus I worked on it a lot. My parents didn’t stop me from my decision but they were still worried (they are Egyptians after all) especially that I used to go to factories that are on the high way, Ismailiyah …. No one was really convinced of my words, because after all I am still a “lady” and I could be easily fooled. “Why should they take me seriously? “was a common thought around craftsmen. I surprised my family, just like my costumers they were like WOW: when did you do all this?????? Once they saw how people reacted to the end results and how people were so attracted to the brand and saw people wearing my designs, in addition to seeing my never tiring perseverance and passion they started supporting me 100 percent.

Q:When you first began did you think you will have your own line let alone

brand one day?

I was very firm and consistent from the beginning and always had on mind that I am going to

succeed and find my way. I surprised everyone when I launched the brand. I didn’t tell anyone

about it, I just did it with all the branding, packing models, shoot etc…

Q:What is your vision for Elia?

We can easily compete globally with very good quality and at the same time keep the identity of Egypt in the designs. That is mainly what Elia is about, making limited edition pieces, that are unique, characteristic and exclusive so costumers don’t find them anywhere else. I want people to wear something that says a lot about their personality and at the same time isn’t worn by anyone else. Aside from designing shoes, what do you like to do most My hobbies are, you know, how much I love all kinds of sports: swimming, cycling, running I love competitions, challenges in sports. I love travelling, recently I like to cook interestingly I

love to color, create any handcrafts.

Q:Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Elia is now regionally in Saudi, Kuwait, Dubai soon in different other places in Middle East and

USA and London. We are already in the process of spreading products out one country at a time so “wish us luck”.