Alexandrian native Norine Farah had no intention of becoming one of Egypt’s most renowned fashion designers. In fact, she graduated in 2011 with the highest honors, she was class valedictorian, with a degree in hotel management from the Arab Academy for Science and Technology. She even interned at a hotel after she graduated for two months and worked at a food and beverage industry for a year before coming to terms with the fact that she needed to search a little deeper to figure out her true calling. Ever since she was little, Farah always liked to experiment and try new things. Music, art, and fashion are three things that she has always been passionate about. During her college years, she traveled to study design at Polimoda, the international institute of fashion design and marketing in Florence and Marangoni, the school of fashion and design in Milan. She eventually also studied interior design at KLC in London. Farah is incredibly passionate about constantly learning, so during college she joined AIESEC to develop her leadership skills and eventually became Vice President of Projects in 2008. Finally, after one year of working in hotel management and the food and beverage industry, with the support of her family, Farah decided to open her very own atelier to pursue her fashion hobby and that is where it all began. The stars started to align from there. In 2014, she launched her very first line at the Cairo Fashion Festival, and in 2015 joined Tiffany’s Fashion Week in New York. By 2016, Farah represented Egypt in the World Fashion Week in Paris at the Jardin des Tuileries, Louvre. She was also nominated as one of Egypt’s most inspiring women of 2016 in the Women of Egypt Magazine. In 2017, Farah was chosen by Susan Sabet, the editor of Pashion Magazine, with five other designers to represent Egypt in the London Fashion Week. The sky is the limit for Farah because she is constantly trying new designs and constantly looking for ways for her designs to stand out. Her passion for art and her boldness to do the unexpected has helped her tremendously as all of her designs have a sense of art and uniqueness to them.

HE QUESTIONS NORINE:

My name is Norine Farah and I am 28 years old. I graduated from the Arab Academy for Science and Technology with a degree in hotel management. I took fashion courses at Polimoda in Florence and Marangoni in Milan. I also studied interior design at KLC in London.

When and how did you come up with your design business concept? What was your inspiration and who was your role model? How did your education and family help?

Fashion has always been a passion of mine since I was a child. My parents are both very fashionable, and I was always a part of their seasonal shopping. That is how I grew to love fashion and develop a passion for it.

After graduation, I worked in a hotel for two months as an intern and realized that hotel management was not my passion. Afterwards I worked in the food and beverage industry for one year, and again I did not feel like this was the career I wanted to pursue.

Later that year I decided, with the help of my supporting family, to open a small atelier and this is how it all started. I opened the atelier four years ago to fulfill my fashion designing hobby and soon enough it turned into a business.

What fueled the growth of your business idea to become what it is today? Who funded it and who helped you make it come to fruition? Who is your team?

Passion and eagerness have lead me to have the business I have today.

My father helped me with the initial costs when I first started, and from there I managed to work hard to support my business solely with the money I had saved from my previous jobs. What helped my business become fruitful was the love and support I got from my family and friends who truly believed in me and pushed me to work harder every day.

What are your marketing strategies and challenges? Give examples please. 

I mostly depend on word of mouth as my clientele are a very niche market that are all somehow integrated in a way. One of the biggest challenges I face is that one unhappy client could make me lose other potential clients. Social media also plays a huge role in my marketing as it expands the reach of how many people see my work.

What are your hopes and dreams for your business and for yourself in the short and long term? 

My short term and long-term mission is to do what I love every day. To wake up every morning and want to go to work. I hope one day I could be an internationally acknowledged brand but I’m very patient with doing it the right way first and then looking to expand.

Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs?

Live and be happy in the NOW.