The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

There was once a time when owning a real leather jacket or bag was, in itself, a status symbol of sorts – one that didn’t need a designer label attached to it. But with the emergence of artificial leather goods, that doesn’t necessarily ring as true – the quality and longevity of real leather have fallen down the pecking order of requirements when shopping.

There are a few retailers in Egypt, however, that still hold leather in high regard, none more so than TUYA in Zamalek. While many leather goods retailers often rely on the hook of ‘real leather’ alone, this is one shop that balances quality with good design; at TUYA – a small but cosy shop – designs vary between classic, formal and modern, casual.

Aside from the many leather options across bags and wallets, there are also some that also use canvas material in its designs. One of the first pieces that caught our eye was a bag akin to a rectangular tote bag, but with a more formal look and simple design for 720LE.  Its arms are short, but it can still be stylishly worn on one shoulder, while inside the bag itself there are dedicated compartments for a mobile phone, one for glasses and a third pocket with a zip.

Though there are both more formal and casual designs as mentioned, it’s the latter that generally had us ready to spend our money. With both shoulder bags and backpacks available, including ones suitable for laptops; the most striking of which was completely made of a light brown leather (980LE). What’s great about some of these particular bags is that they are essentially unisex and hold a slight hipster aesthetic that one can’t help but like – regardless of your general view of hipsters.

With summer coming up – and with it plenty of weekend’s away at the beach – TUYA also offers small pseudo-travel bags that employ both leather and canvas (640LE).

We mentioned that some of the laptop-friendly backpacks are suitable for both men and women, but there’s also a dedicated collection to men at TUYA; these were the least notable of everything we browsed, however, and they were generally much plainer in design – design that seemed a little dated.

Wallets are also readily offered at TUYA too, meanwhile, with one of the most basic pieces – a wide purse-come-wallet with very few pockets – selling for 200LE. One with several more pockets we spotted, however, goes for 380LE, while the most basic men’s wallet goes for 180LE and is available in different shades of black or brown.

Yes, some of the prices are high – especially with the bags – but it reflects the price of leather in the market right now. But if you’re looking to treat yourself, buy a gift or invest in a bag that you might have for some time to come, TUYA is as good as any place to do exactly that.